New 2023 Maserati MC20 (Overview). HIGHS
– Blisteringly quick, handles like a race car, people asking “hey-is-that-a-Ferrari?”
LOWS
– Limited storage space, surprisingly heavy, cheap for an exotic car is still plenty expensive.
VERDICT
– The MC20 is everything a Maserati supercar should be—thrilling, characterful, and lust-worthy.
– MC20 Cielo is the new convertible version of the MC20 sports car
– Features a retractable hardtop with electrochromic glass technology
– Weighs only 143 pounds more than the coupe
– Part of the first MC20 generation introduced in 2022
What is the MC20 Cielo?
Maserati launched its new flagship exotic sports car, the MC20, for the 2022 model year. It’s a quick and communicative coupe, and a blast to drive on the road or track. Now Maserati is following it up with a convertible version: the 2023 Maserati MC20 Cielo.
The company engineered the MC20’s carbon-fiber body structure to support a drop-top version from the beginning. This made the MC20’s conversion from coupe to convertible relatively easy, and now the Cielo (or “sky,” in Italian) version has arrived. It features a retractable hardtop that can stow in 12 seconds at speeds up to 31 mph. And even with the top up, occupants can instantly change the roof panel from clear to opaque through the magic of electrochromic — or smart glass — technology.
With electric motors moving retractable panels containing advanced smart glass technology, you might assume this adds a lot of weight, compromising the MC20 coupe’s nimble and responsive driving dynamics in the convertible version. Happily, you’d be wrong. The weight gain is a modest 143 pounds, requiring just a few tweaks to the MC20’s adaptive suspension tuning to keep the Cielo’s handling light and lively.
