#02#The Quattroporte's name is perhaps the most typically Italian and beautiful way of describing the car's identity; it simply has four doors. You have to admit that Quattroporte sounds much more alluring than just 'four-door'.
Maserati's Quattroporte has been part of the line-up as far back as 1963, but has been something of an inconsistent performer. The previous generation car was more sanitised, but appropriately eccentric with a twin-turbo V8 motor providing strong performance in a body marked out only by its understated square looks. It was that car, and the similarly boxy Ghibli Cup (which was available around the same time) that pushed the Maserati marque into my psyche. Prior to those cars, the problematic and underachieving cars of the '80s had reduced the great maker's name to an also-ran.
This latest Quattroporte could not be more different to its predecessor in terms of looks. Whereas the older car was all lines and angles, the new car barely has a straight edge on it. It takes some time to take in all of the features, even longer to process and digest them. To try and describe all the detail would require more words than the pictures could ever explain and besides, different parts will mean different things to different people.
For what it's worth, in terms of my own personal favourite aspect, my eyes were continuously drawn back to the sweeping arc of the front wing that flows over the wheelarch into the A-pillar, and those three vents on each flank are just plain gorgeous. You need to see one of these cars in the metal to really appreciate it. The Quattroporte appeals in a way rivals simply cannot compete with. Seeing one on the move is different again to looking at it at rest. It has a universal wow factor for all who see it and such is its rarity that it stops traffic.
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Unfortunately, the external appearance raises expectations that the interior falls slightly short on fulfilling. Though hugely roomy and spacious, it lacked the sense of occasion I expected. The blue leather and plastics on our test car are an acquired taste; black or beige leather would be to more universal approval, I feel. Maserati's close relationship with Alfa Romeo is also evident in the way the switchgear works and the satnav unit is not one of the best around.
Ironically, the latest Alfas have lovely interiors, but the Quattroporte was developed in earlier days. No doubt the next generation of Maserati cabin will be as impressive. Saying that, the interior is totally Italian in feel and while it wasn't all we'd hoped, the
new GranTurismo is an indication of how good it could be in the near future.
It's not all bad though; the driving position is nice, with a good range of adjustment so one can be seated "just so" to indulge in the next greatly anticipated moment. A turn on the key, an extended period of cranking and then the 4.2-litre V8 catches and rasps to life. A blip on the throttle reveals a very quick revving nature and a gloriously indulgent exhaust note - on the outside at least. The cabin is quite well isolated from this sound and engine noise is subdued until the revs into the upper reaches of the tachometer.
The test car was fitted with the Cambiocorsa gearbox, which means a pull on the right hand paddle or nudge of the small silver gear lever engages gear. A push on the throttle, a moment's pause as the electronics and hydraulics do their thing and the Quattroporte moves away briskly. Two modes of damping provide normal or Sport settings, which offer a decent ride quality around town and an appropriately stiff set up for the open roads. We found the Sport setting too stiff for the majority of our local B-roads, but at the same time the normal setting lacked in ultimate control when pressing on. In reality, a third intermediate setting would be the best solution, although this says as much for our test roads as it does the car and it would be interesting to see how the typical user drives their Quattroporte.
We found the steering to be surprisingly swift and the two-tonne car is a deal more agile than you'd expect, with good turn-in and balance, so long as the surface is decent. On imperfect surfaces the car is unsettled and unhappy, somewhat at odds with how good it feels on smooth, open roads where it excels with a blend of grip and balance, all the while accompanied by the intoxicating note of a hard-working thoroughbred Italian V8.
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In isolation 400 horses sounds like a lot of power, but that two-tonne mass reduces their potency somewhat with a 0-60mph time of just over 5 seconds and around 13 to 100mph being the result; on a par with a
Jaguar XJR, but some way short of a
BMW M5. A maximum of almost 170mph atones somewhat and an average of 17mpg is on a par also. The V8 needs to be worked to deliver its best, lacking the bludgeoning torque of the bi-turbo V8s of old, but compensating by offering a linear delivery and response and a truly orchestral soundtrack.
The mechanised gearbox is switchable between auto and manual modes. The automatic mode isn't the best, but does a decent job of self shifting at a cruise; it's the manual 'box function with the paddle-shift that we used the most. Full bore gearchanges are brutal if you keep your foot flat on the accelerator, but we quickly found a conventional lift of the throttle smoothes the shift to a large degree and something of a normal shift quality could be achieved with practice. It will never satisfy like a full manual shift, but it is an acceptable compromise. There is also the option of a traditional automatic gearbox.
On the whole, it's hard to be objective about the Quattroporte. The Maserati brand possesses an air of quality, desirability and exclusivity that transcends pure logic and demeans it to a folly of those who lack feeling and emotion. As a great man once said; "Don't think; Feeeeeel!" Allow yourself to do so; suspend comparisons with the competition and immerse yourself into the World of Maserati, and it all begins to make sense.
Here is a car that appeals to the less tangible part of your brain; heart, not mind, will determine the purchase decision. In actual fact, the majority of buyers will most likely own several other cars. The Quattroporte's form and image will be more critical than function. The average buyer would consider an M5 to be too common, too crass, too German and too efficient to be appealing. They (and I'm speculating here as I don't know any) most probably buy cars like they do paintings. On these grounds, to think of the Maserati as a competitor is probably foolish.
Being a lesser financial being, for me the Maserati was a flawed diamond. It induced a roller coaster of love-hate feelings. It is a much better car to drive, than to be driven in. It's also a fabulous car to be seen in. However, it never captured my attention as a driver's car in the way the BMW M5 did, but nothing much compares to that car in cold calculating terms. The flip side of this is that I never once sat and gawped at the M5, literally for hours, on my own or with friends.
2007 Maserati Quattroporte range overview
- Maserati Quattroporte Automatic: £77,090
- Maserati Quattroporte DuoSelect: £77,090
- Maserati Quattroporte Automatic Sport GT: £83,290
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Maserati Quattroporte DuoSelect Sport GT: £83,290
- Maserati Quattroporte Automatic Executive GT: £85,990
- Maserati Quattroporte DuoSelect Executive GT: £85,990
