Ice Driving with Maserati In The Austrian Alps

Every once in a while, an awesome opportunity comes up not only drive cool sports cars, but drive them on ice! We took a spin with our friends at Maserati in Austria.

The Fleet

There is currently a small, but detailed and effective range of Maserati cars. You have the GranTurismo of course, but the Ghibli, Levante and Quattroporte were the models we had access to on this special event.

With settings that baffle you upon arrival and food that is so hearty, you feel like the chef is a family member who is highly regarded in the kitchen, our location was set. Austria, Salzburg, The Alps…

Jetting Off Again

After taking a short flight from London towards Munich, we were taken by car to the Maserati showroom in Odeonsplatz, downtown. The showroom is soon re-opening and it has a cool traditional Maserati vibe, with artwork, decor and class. We look forward at taking a look what cars come in over the coming months.

From here we departed on our journey towards Austria. With the temperature already being around -5 degrees celsius, we knew to expect somewhere around -10 or -12 for the Alps. We were driven up in a Ghibli and for a first experience in a Maserati, the car didn’t disappoint. With its V6 Petrol engine and throaty exhaust note the comfortable, limousine styled auto got us comfortably to our destination. Speaking of our destination, we were checking in to Hotel Gut Brandlhof that night. A stunning, homely villa in Saalfelden with a backdrop of the Alps.

In To The Cars

So we step down from our hotel and take a short walk to a garage, with an array of beautiful Italian driving machines awaiting us. With a briefing from our coach, we were shortly inside our vehicles preparing to head out towards the test facility. Driving impressions of the Maserati are new at first and its very clear to feel that you are in a different brand of car. I cant compare the overall experience closely with any other brand I know but I like it to say the least. The performance element really kicks in when driving the petrol engines. Plenty of mid range punch and enjoyable gear changing with the V6 in sports mode but equally as good a cruiser in I.C.E mode (normal). 

I found myself having most fun in the new Petrol Quattroporte, we were able to enjoy a few new stats the vehicle has on offer, and as Maserati says, “The Quattroporte S & S Q4 are further improved, delivering now 430 hp power output and 580 Nm peak torque, respectively 20 hp and 30 Nm more than in the previous model year. “. Taking part in Slalom, circular drifts and stopping techniques all showed us what awesome capabilities these cars had on such harsh terrain. 

Heading Home

During the ice driving, almost everything was low friction, which meant we could really test the agility of the chassis and play with the dynamics a lot. However, en route back to the airport, I decided to drive myself and requested a Levante SQ4 for the 3 hour drive. Getting to drive on the road showed off the car in a new light for me and I found why the car is doing so well for Maserati. I would absolutely love to see a V8 version of this car (which we’ve heard has just been announced!).

The trip was an unforgettable experience with technique enhancing coaching and a great team around to ensure we got the most out of the cars. We send our thanks to Maserati for the invitation to drive some epic cars in such wonderful settings. #TeamGoodlife hope to be back in a Maserati very soon.

More information @ Maserati 

More information on Maserati Driving Experiences

Photos captured on Sony Alpha Cameras