The Maserati GranCabrio may not be as fast, efficient or hi-tech as the latest Mercedes SL or Porsche 911 Cabriolet but it is a whole lot more desirable. It looks incredible and comes with one of the greatest sounding engines on the market – a 4.7-litre Ferrari-developed V8 – which offers acceleration from 0-62mph in around five seconds. It’s comfortable and refined over long distances and there’s even space for four adults. There’s a high price for this kind of versatility though, with even the cheapest cars costing setting you back around £100,000.

The Maserati GranCabrio is only available with a 4.7-litre V8 engine, which comes with 434bhp in the basic model or 434bhp in the Sport and 454bhp in the MC variant. Acceleration from 0-62mph takes around five seconds no matter which model you choose, and it feels blisteringly quick at the top of the rev range. Lowering the roof makes for one of the noisiest and best-sounding engine notes available. It’s especially tuneful in the MC due to its louder exhaust. The GranCabrio feels just like a lightweight, agile sports car in the bends but bigger brakes would help – it feels a bit of a struggle to slow the near two-tonne car.

Be prepared to take a hit to your wallet if you plan on running a GranCabrio. The official fuel economy is 14.5mpg, but during our drive we managed a dismal 9mpg. That means you’ll burn through every drop of fuel in the 75-litre fuel tank pretty quickly, with £100-plus fill-ups a regular occurrence. CO2 emissions of 337g/km will mean a hefty road tax bill and a top insurance group rating ensures it will be just as costly to insure.

The GranCabrio is one of the most elegant-looking cars on the road, with excellent proportions and classy, subtle design cues like the signature triple air vent in the front wings. The range topping MC has unique additions to the body work to improve aerodynamics for greater high speed stability as well as a redesigned front and rear bumpers, all of which make it look more aggressive. The interior has a hand-made, bespoke feel to it with all the luxuries you’d expect from a near-£100,000 car. However, it is let down somewhat by the controls for the stereo and sat-nav, which are beginning to look a little dated.

The GranCabrio is actually quite practical for a convertible, with four seats that are actually spacious enough to accommodate tall adults – though it’s not quite as comfy in the back as the coupe version as the rear seat backs are more upright to make room for the roof. This means that with the hood up head room will be very tight for anyone over six foot. Also, those passengers will struggle to squeeze their luggage into the tiny 173-litre boot, which once again is compromised by the electric roof mechanism. You can raise or lower the roof itself at speeds of up to 20mph, with the whole process taking around 25 seconds.

Maserati has struggled in the past with reliability, but things are definitely looking up under Ferrari-ownership. The GranCabrio was introduced in 2010 and has performed well in the years it has been on sale. But a lot of the switchgear in the cabin not only looks old but feels a little flimsy and the build quality isn’t as good as on the new Quattroporte. The GranCabrio hasn't been put through the Euro NCAP crash safety tests but it should perform well in an accident, as all of the latest electronic gadgets, airbags and seatbelt tech are fitted as standard.