Y
Yep, a neighbor of mine sold his after only 6 months. His major gripe was its poor exhaust sound.
Emira vs MC20
- Thread starter miss demeanor
- Start date
Do you want a real supercar? Looks, attention, vertical doors, spending lots of time at the dealer, absurdly fast.
OR
Do you want max driver engagement? Lightweight, handling, manual, sound, etc.
I think that's the deciding factor. MC20 is a stunner, but I want to drive my car and drive it hard. Emira hands down.
OR
Do you want max driver engagement? Lightweight, handling, manual, sound, etc.
I think that's the deciding factor. MC20 is a stunner, but I want to drive my car and drive it hard. Emira hands down.
With regard to looks, I'd have to put that win in the Emira column. With regard to attention, the Emira certainly gets more than plenty, with many thinking it's a Ferrari, but that may be in part because mine is Vivid Red. I'd have to live with an MC20 for a while to gauge which gets more.
We own two faster cars than the MC20 (C8 E-Ray and 911 Turbo S), but the Emira is currently winning the 1st choice to drive contest.
The MC20 is a great looking car. The Emira is the best looking car you can buy new - and gets plenty of attention.
It'd might be a toss up between the two models about spending lots of time at the dealer too.
But I'd 100% agree with your last point.
Side note: Back when I had a deposit down on an Emira in 2022, I showed photos of it to some car guys. 2 out of 3 disliked the hood, as they said it looks like the car experienced a frontal impact which bucked up the hood. I agree that even though it may be functional, it just doesn't look right.
I love the Emira front hood design. Not only does it look good, it's one of those things that makes the car straddle sportscar vs. supercar. Normal cars don't have that kind of front hood venting.
Agree entirely. The design of the functional nostril hood vents have actually brought numerous praises from people admiring the look of my Emira.
MC20 vs Emira is not really a "cross-shop", imo. Other than being two-seater sport cars with somewhat similar dimensions, that's about where the similarities end in a lot of ways. Depends what you want to prioritize, because the Mc20 is a rather different animal than the Emira. I don't have driving experience with MC20, just sat in a parked one, but DO have some basic experiences with various other Maseratis, and combined with ownership of other things from 3 Lotuses, multiple Porsches, an Aston, and even a Corvette (C7 in my case), I can comment on a few relevant things.
Firstly... the drive... you're gonna have to experience that for yourself. Emira (and Evora before it) doesn't drive like anything else. You may like it, you may not.
After few thousand miles in my Emira, and having had to daily it for 6 weeks while my other car was in shop (and having gotten more annoyed at glitches that would make it tough to daily this car for longer), I'd summarize it has a high-level, high-end, very-refined Miata kind of vibe. Gonna get flamed for that maybe, so I'll explain: it looks sophisticated, but it kinda isn't "sophisticated" when compared to... well... any other sport car of this price range. Yet it's not trying to be and that's part of its charm. Looking at what is in your stable, it could legitimately fill a gap.
But, make no mistake: corners were cut to keep the cost down in this car and side by side with your R8, even the C8, and cross shopping MC20, you're probably gonna notice. Personally, I can live with it for now because I like the drive.
If you're looking at the V6 manual: This powerplant/transmission is ok, but the powertrain is a dinosaur compared to a lot of things, and is not even remotely similar to the MC20. Even in its class, it's just "fine", it does the job, but a Porsche Flat 6 or BMW B/S58 it most certainly is not. I'm even not talking about speed or power necessarily... it's fast-enough. I'm talking about the way it ACTS and feels. If you like the drive, you'll live with it.
It's also a sea of quality quirks on the inside. Not overtly bad just... <sigh> some things aren't as I'd like them.
Having said all that:
Despite p_ssing me off sometimes: there's nothing in this form factor today for the $$$ (that isn't a 20 year old Ferrari with high miles), least of all with a manual, that compares to the feeling of being in and driving it. Closest competitor to the formula is a Cayman, and I've had 3 Caymans; they're amazing, but it's just not "the same experience". And then most other things, at any price, are just... bigger, and I don't want bigger. Makes me sad in some ways because I think about selling this Emira when it makes me mad... but I truly can't figure out what would replace it.
Anyway... take that for what its worth. You really need to drive one
Firstly... the drive... you're gonna have to experience that for yourself. Emira (and Evora before it) doesn't drive like anything else. You may like it, you may not.
After few thousand miles in my Emira, and having had to daily it for 6 weeks while my other car was in shop (and having gotten more annoyed at glitches that would make it tough to daily this car for longer), I'd summarize it has a high-level, high-end, very-refined Miata kind of vibe. Gonna get flamed for that maybe, so I'll explain: it looks sophisticated, but it kinda isn't "sophisticated" when compared to... well... any other sport car of this price range. Yet it's not trying to be and that's part of its charm. Looking at what is in your stable, it could legitimately fill a gap.
But, make no mistake: corners were cut to keep the cost down in this car and side by side with your R8, even the C8, and cross shopping MC20, you're probably gonna notice. Personally, I can live with it for now because I like the drive.
If you're looking at the V6 manual: This powerplant/transmission is ok, but the powertrain is a dinosaur compared to a lot of things, and is not even remotely similar to the MC20. Even in its class, it's just "fine", it does the job, but a Porsche Flat 6 or BMW B/S58 it most certainly is not. I'm even not talking about speed or power necessarily... it's fast-enough. I'm talking about the way it ACTS and feels. If you like the drive, you'll live with it.
It's also a sea of quality quirks on the inside. Not overtly bad just... <sigh> some things aren't as I'd like them.
Having said all that:
Despite p_ssing me off sometimes: there's nothing in this form factor today for the $$$ (that isn't a 20 year old Ferrari with high miles), least of all with a manual, that compares to the feeling of being in and driving it. Closest competitor to the formula is a Cayman, and I've had 3 Caymans; they're amazing, but it's just not "the same experience". And then most other things, at any price, are just... bigger, and I don't want bigger. Makes me sad in some ways because I think about selling this Emira when it makes me mad... but I truly can't figure out what would replace it.
Anyway... take that for what its worth. You really need to drive one
We own a current-gen Miata, C8 E-Ray, and 911 Turbo S. They are all great cars and are all incredibly different.
Without getting into why my perceptions are vastly different from those in the above post, I will simply say that the Emira is my favorite to drive because of the overall experience. I love doing the driving work myself, and the Porsche and C8 (as great as they are performance-wise), feel to me like "all you have to do is steer" experiences.
I don't think the Emira has anything to apologize for, or complain about, and when it comes to the overall driving experience, I disagree that any important "corners were cut."
The same applies to its looks. After a paint correction and ceramic coating, fit and finish of mine is superb. Sitting next to our other cars, the Emira wins any beauty contest hands down. Folks walk past the other 3 just to gape at the Emira.
Without getting into why my perceptions are vastly different from those in the above post, I will simply say that the Emira is my favorite to drive because of the overall experience. I love doing the driving work myself, and the Porsche and C8 (as great as they are performance-wise), feel to me like "all you have to do is steer" experiences.
I don't think the Emira has anything to apologize for, or complain about, and when it comes to the overall driving experience, I disagree that any important "corners were cut."
The same applies to its looks. After a paint correction and ceramic coating, fit and finish of mine is superb. Sitting next to our other cars, the Emira wins any beauty contest hands down. Folks walk past the other 3 just to gape at the Emira.
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In my opinion the transmission should be enough factor to choose between both...
You want a manual then its the Emira;
You want an Auto then its the Maserati.
As a Auto paddle shift enjoy-er, nor the i4 or the V6(Auto) can beat the Maserati in engagement and speed... Unless you want the cheaper option (service, cost and value retention). I think the Maserati will quickly become a money sink.
Form me, the MC20(used) and the Emira share the award of the best looking car for their respective price.
You want a manual then its the Emira;
You want an Auto then its the Maserati.
As a Auto paddle shift enjoy-er, nor the i4 or the V6(Auto) can beat the Maserati in engagement and speed... Unless you want the cheaper option (service, cost and value retention). I think the Maserati will quickly become a money sink.
Form me, the MC20(used) and the Emira share the award of the best looking car for their respective price.
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Fair perspective, and maybe "cut corner" is wrong term for me to use. Perhaps "cost saving" or "limited resources" is better way to phrase it? (As in, "did best with what they had for the budget").
I'll note I didn't say "important" (or did I? didn't mean to...). Whether they're important to you is kinda your call.
I feel maybe I need to elaborate on my statement some; not to argue with you (or anyone), but just because people's mileage varies here and maybe help people apply their own judgement around what I'm talking about:
(keep in mind I actually REALLY LIKE my Emira, but just being real, especially when talking about MC20-tier cars):
1. There's a persistent (At this point I'd maybe even call it "known") loud creaking issue in the front dash area that folks (including my dealer) feel to be coming from the chassis. Trying to get it worked out. So far, not successful. Other folks have this issue. Maybe not a cut corner, but a platform development issue. Rank that where you will.
2. The infotainment crashes/reboots at least once a day. I use google/apple maps a lot via apple car play (music too). Sometimes I truly *need* maps. Literally every time in my 6 months of ownership I have needed it in this way, it has failed. Software updates have not fixed it. I have to pull over, turn car off, GET OUT, lock, get back in, and only then 80% of the time will it work. Sometimes it impacts other things. In this day and age when 4 year old Toyotas have flawless (wireless) Apple Carplay, and your parent company owns Volvo (among others), at the $100+K as-new price point this kind of problem is pretty frustrating. Cut corner? Maybe not: maybe resource limitation.
3. Door window issues. Frameless coupe door windows were a solved problem decades ago. They're not critical issues, but frustrating. Better than Evoras, at least... again, maybe resource limitation.
4. Many little creaks/rattles inside. I've torn dash apart in effort to find various things, and what I see in there is cost saving: weak little clips, lack of felt separating various surfaces, somewhat-flimsy materials under the surface, lack of sound-deadening where it used to actually be present in Evora... compared to my previous cars, including Evora, cost cutting is evident.
5. Seat materials: They look good, but sit in them and compare to just about any other $80K+ tier vehicle made in the last 5-8 years; they aren't the pinnacle of materials. Mine are very squeaky/creaky, leather's a little loose, material not most durable feeling. I had a 2014 Evora S and a 2020 Evora GT. Both of them had "better" seats. My $48K 2022 Genesis G70 had better seat materials. That MC20? I've sat in one. Better. What do I know, but seems like cost savings.
6. Engine (V6): it's not star of the show... it's kinda old. Frankly, feels it. Don't know how to describe what I mean. Not as fluid. As V6's go, it doesn't have the character of older things like 10-year-old 981 cayman, nor precision of 10-year-old BMW M2, nor 7-year-old 991.2 911, and even maybe my dearly departed 4-year-old Genesis G70 from few years back. They've improved it over the years... but it's clearly not the priority. That's fine. Does the job. Saved cost of development = cost savings.
7. The manual transmission: I happen to like the clunky feel of the shifting. But beyond that... it's derived from an old truck trans and feels it... and sounds bad, too. Who knew the sound of a transmission could be bad enough to notice? As with Evoras before it, gear rollover sounds like a tractor at under 3K rpm. But... Saved cost of development. I live with it because of the drive... and options for manual are disappearing.
8. General noise intrusion into the cabin (from engine bay): I'm talking about the more unpleasant noises... Other mid- (or rear-) engine platforms sound better in terms of what gets into the cabin vs what doesn't. They just do (IMO). R8, C8, Cayman (unless you go back to 2006-2008), 911... you get more of the things you want and less of what you don't. Some people enjoy that... some people like Ariel Atom's
But this car isn't an Ariel Atom. It's fine... but frankly makes it feel just a little less "premium". I'M NOT A HATER!
I am a lover. Or at least a strong-liker. And knew exactly what I was getting into. Maseratis are FAR from faultless, but also gotta be real when going up against cars in the MC20 tier. I mostly agree that [most of] these things needn't be "apologized" for, especially since I think one of the express goals of Emira during its inception was to keep costs down. But... one or two of those maybe do, imo.
The overall experience is hard to beat, and really depends on your priorities.
I'm sorry your car is so different from mine. I have zero creaks or rattles, infotainment system is flawless, my shifter is buttery smooth, but does have "bolt-action" precision, which I like, as opposed to most shifters, which feel vague. The leather interior is as nice as in my Porsche 911, and I love the engine sounds inside and out.
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I used to have a lot of infotainment crashes… a few months ago I turned off the ‘turn by turn navigation’ in the instrument cluster and haven't had a crash since.Fair perspective, and maybe "cut corner" is wrong term for me to use. Perhaps "cost saving" or "limited resources" is better way to phrase it? (As in, "did best with what they had for the budget").
I'll note I didn't say "important" (or did I? didn't mean to...). Whether they're important to you is kinda your call.
I feel maybe I need to elaborate on my statement some; not to argue with you (or anyone), but just because people's mileage varies here and maybe help people apply their own judgement around what I'm talking about:
(keep in mind I actually REALLY LIKE my Emira, but just being real, especially when talking about MC20-tier cars):
1. There's a persistent (At this point I'd maybe even call it "known") loud creaking issue in the front dash area that folks (including my dealer) feel to be coming from the chassis. Trying to get it worked out. So far, not successful. Other folks have this issue. Maybe not a cut corner, but a platform development issue. Rank that where you will.
2. The infotainment crashes/reboots at least once a day. I use google/apple maps a lot via apple car play (music too). Sometimes I truly *need* maps. Literally every time in my 6 months of ownership I have needed it in this way, it has failed. Software updates have not fixed it. I have to pull over, turn car off, GET OUT, lock, get back in, and only then 80% of the time will it work. Sometimes it impacts other things. In this day and age when 4 year old Toyotas have flawless (wireless) Apple Carplay, and your parent company owns Volvo (among others), at the $100+K as-new price point this kind of problem is pretty frustrating. Cut corner? Maybe not: maybe resource limitation.
3. Door window issues. Frameless coupe door windows were a solved problem decades ago. They're not critical issues, but frustrating. Better than Evoras, at least... again, maybe resource limitation.
4. Many little creaks/rattles inside. I've torn dash apart in effort to find various things, and what I see in there is cost saving: weak little clips, lack of felt separating various surfaces, somewhat-flimsy materials under the surface, lack of sound-deadening where it used to actually be present in Evora... compared to my previous cars, including Evora, cost cutting is evident.
5. Seat materials: They look good, but sit in them and compare to just about any other $80K+ tier vehicle made in the last 5-8 years; they aren't the pinnacle of materials. Mine are very squeaky/creaky, leather's a little loose, material not most durable feeling. I had a 2014 Evora S and a 2020 Evora GT. Both of them had "better" seats. My $48K 2022 Genesis G70 had better seat materials. That MC20? I've sat in one. Better. What do I know, but seems like cost savings.
6. Engine (V6): it's not star of the show... it's kinda old. Frankly, feels it. Don't know how to describe what I mean. Not as fluid. As V6's go, it doesn't have the character of older things like 10-year-old 981 cayman, nor precision of 10-year-old BMW M2, nor 7-year-old 991.2 911, and even maybe my dearly departed 4-year-old Genesis G70 from few years back. They've improved it over the years... but it's clearly not the priority. That's fine. Does the job. Saved cost of development = cost savings.
7. The manual transmission: I happen to like the clunky feel of the shifting. But beyond that... it's derived from an old truck trans and feels it... and sounds bad, too. Who knew the sound of a transmission could be bad enough to notice? As with Evoras before it, gear rollover sounds like a tractor at under 3K rpm. But... Saved cost of development. I live with it because of the drive... and options for manual are disappearing.
8. General noise intrusion into the cabin (from engine bay): I'm talking about the more unpleasant noises... Other mid- (or rear-) engine platforms sound better in terms of what gets into the cabin vs what doesn't. They just do (IMO). R8, C8, Cayman (unless you go back to 2006-2008), 911... you get more of the things you want and less of what you don't. Some people enjoy that... some people like Ariel Atom's
I'M NOT A HATER!
I mostly agree that [most of] these things needn't be "apologized" for, especially since I think one of the express goals of Emira during its inception was to keep costs down. But... one or two of those maybe do, imo.
The overall experience is hard to beat, and really depends on your priorities.
Pretty sure it’s a lack of system memory in the Emira. Turning off turn by turn frees up memory. FL5 Civic Type R has the same issue.
Also, if you do have a crash, you can just reboot it by holding the menu button on the steering wheel. No need to get out of the car
I never knew that - going out to try that right now....
Edit: OK I tried that - must be doing something wrong, pressing and holding the menu button does nothing on my car other than bring up the menu for the selected widget on the drivers display. What am I missing here?
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That explains my lack complete lack of crashes. I've never had the native nav system on because Waze on CarPlay is vastly superior in every way. Letting my phone do that work unburdens the system.
"Turn by turn" navigation works with Google Maps or Waze and shows the next turn on the drivers display. It's not anything to do with the built in native navigation system.
More detail here --> https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/...s-display-gauge-cluster-no-longer-works.8298/
I have always loved the MC20s. I've been driving Giulia Quadrifoglios for many years now which has a very similar engine and exhaust note. Remove the resonators on the Giulia and the sound is absolutely mental, so I imagine that would be the case on the Maserati also. My main gripe with my Emira is that the engine doesn't feel very special, even though I think it sounds pretty amazing with the 3rd cat delete.
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