IF someone gave you a Maserati GranTurismo for nothing and offered to meet its running costs you could be forgiven for assuming

you had died and gone to heaven.

However, if you had to pay the necessary £78,605 from your own pocket and then finance the ongoing bills you might think twice.

That is not to say that you wouldn’t end up with the Italian supercar anyway but along the way you would check out the rival Jaguar XKR,

Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage, BMW M6, Mercedes-Benz CL500 and several others.

The point is that whilst the Maserati is a highly-desirable motorcar, so are a surprisingly large number of its competitors.

It is also a fact that many of those who buy such cars could pay several times as much if they wished to but there comes a point at which even

 the super-rich say that enough is enough.

The resurgence of the Maserati brand in the UK has been led by the four door Quattroporte, hence its name.

Now there is a two-door coupe called the GranTurismo, which aims to appeal to those who are unencumbered by family or the need to lug

 around the paraphernalia associated with them.

It is a self indulgence for those who place style and image above practicality and whose greatest assets are its gorgeous lines and designer badge.

Aficionados would argue that the Maserati boasts the purest of styling, unlike the Jaguar XKR which has a touch of Mondeo about its front end.

Of course Jaguar fans would retort that the Italian rival could be mistaken for a Peugeot 407 Coupe from a distance, so ultimate beauty is

obviously in the eye of the beholder.

Apart from looking the business the Maserati is a powerful performer, as might be expected from a car with a Ferrari lump beating beneath its bonnet.

It is the group’s 4.2-litre V8 that churns out 405bhp of raw power and 339lb/ft of torque, or pulling power.

This translates into a 0-62mph acceleration time of 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 177mph.

Obviously this is awesome stuff but so are the capabilities of its rivals, with the 4.2-litre V8 Jag employing the services of a turbocharger

to boost pulling power to 413lb/ft, which results in a 0-62mph time of 5.6 seconds.

However, this is all academic because in the final analysis the whole lot of them are furiously fast and positively sensational to drive.

The Maserati has a rawness that will appeal to some whilst alienating others, especially in contrast to the smoother XKR.

It also likes a drink, with an average economy figure that is slightly on the wrong side of 20mpg although there is a very large fuel tank of

86 litres that gives the car a range of 363 miles between fill-ups.

There is no point pretending that the C02 figure is anything other than outrageously high at 330g/km, which places the car into the highest

tax band by a country mile.

However, cars with carbon dioxide emissions of 100g/km less than this are also in the highest tax band so supercar owners might resort

to the adage of being hanged for a sheep as a lamb.

The interior of the Maserati is very difficult to fault, with an Italian elegance that is unashamedly bling in an acceptably classical way.

Lipstick red leather is hardly subtle but it is very, er, well, Italian, which goes with the exuberant character of the car.

On the road the GranTurismo feels very special, with the growling V8 and six-speed autobox combining to deliver naked aggression when

 pushed but with the docility of the aforementioned lamb when cruising.

For those with the cash to splash it is an experience worth trying because it matches its rivals in most respects and boasts a degree of

exclusivity that few if any of the others can.

FAST FACTS

Maserati GranTurismo 4.2 V8

Price: £78,605

Mechanical: 405bhp, 4,244cc, 8cyl petrol engine driving rear wheels via 6spd automatic gearbox

Max speed: 177mph

0-62mph: 5.2 secs

Combined mpg: 19.7

Insurance group: 20

CO2 emissions: 330g/km

BiK rating: 35%

Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage