adminNew York. — Asked to describe the brand Maserati, most people would use words like Italian, expensive and exotic. They’d be right, mostly. The best-selling Maserati in the US is the four-door Quattroporte, an Italian-made sedan that is reasonably fast and, in the case of the car I tested, plenty pricey at US$159 600.
The overall character, however, was more stately than sexy, buttoned-down rather than exotic. Put away those thoughts of the Italian supercar of your dreams. Think of the Quattroporte as a rival to capacious luxury cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class AMG, Audi S8 and BMW B7 Alpina. This car is aimed at the reclining CEO or perhaps even a fortunate family.
Fiat sPA (F) owns Maserati and Ferrari, and both companies’ original factories are only a few kilometres apart in northern Italy. The Maserati brothers were racing cars by the early 1900s.
Yet these days the notion that the company sells fire-breathing sports cars has arguably worked against it, scaring off buyers who assume they’ll find super car prices at dealerships.
The new Quattroporte Q4 starts at US$105 600, whereas the closest thing to a people-carrier that Ferrari sells is the four-seat FF, at more than US$300 000.
Sixth Generation
This is the sixth generation of the Quattroporte, and for the 2014 model we get an entirely redesigned car with two engine choices, a V-6 and V-8, each with distinct price points.
The GTS V-8 model has an MSRP of US$143 600, and is the car that I tested. The twin-turbo V-6 Q4 model is all-wheel-drive, a must in this category, especially in markets like the American Northeast.
The V-8 comes only as a rear-wheel-drive, a configuration which will disappoint some. The major point of departure from the last generation is that the engines are turbo-charged, losing the distinct sound and high-revving nature of the previous naturally-aspirated V-8. They lack some of the visceral appeal, but are more efficient and powerful.
Both motors were designed by Maserati and are assembled by Ferrari. The V-6 has 404 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque; the V-8 523 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. The V-6 model is actually heavier (4 226 pounds), a result of the added weight of the all-wheel-drive system.
Audi S8
Yet it is only two-tenths of a second slower to 60mph than the V-8, taking 4,8 seconds. (The Audi S8, by way of comparison, gets to 60mph in 3,9 seconds.)
The car has also grown larger. It is 6,4 inches longer and 2,5 inches wider, with an overall increase of four-plus inches of legroom. This makes it longer than even the Jaguar XJ. Maserati is clearly catering to the Chinese market.
The most distinctive design feature of any modern Maserati is the wide oval mouth of the grill with the trident icon at its centre. This treatment on the Quattroporte looks quite good.
That’s where the exterior joys end. The Quattroporte is in danger of looking generic, especially in its oversized rear it could be mistaken for just another Infinite in the parking lot.
One wonders why the design is so conservative, so lacking in overtly Italian flourish. At least we could hope for perfect proportions, but here too it falls short.
One suspects the extra length stymied the designers, who still had to build it on a chassis shared by a new, smaller Maserati sedan, the Ghibli.
A-Pillar
This inelegance presents itself in rear doors which are longer than those on the front and a scrunched appearance where the A-pillar meets the side windows.
There’s better news on the inside, where the steering wheel has a pleasing sculptural design, with metal paddles framing either side.
A long thin strip of metal runs along the dash as part of the ventilation system, and an analogue clock seems to float from the dash. My car had natural, unvarnished wood throughout, a fantastic touch.
Some of that panache is lost by the navigation system’s digital screen, which comes from Chrysler. This isn’t a travesty, as Chrysler’s latest navigation and infotainment system is quite good. Still, the screen lacks a certain visual sophistication.
Where the Quattroporte should, and mostly does shine is in the actual driving. It hustles away from stops, accompanied by a muted howl from the motor.
Disengage the traction control and you can easily smoke the tires. Steering is confident, and the overall character is stable. Brakes are excellent. — Bloomberg.
Online Reporter