Maserati is seen as a poor man's Ferrari but then look at the price of R1.55-million for the Maserati Quattroporte auto - the latest car from the trident-badged marque to reach South Africa - and it's difficult to say "poor" with a straight face.
Perhaps one should instead refer to Maserati as the more subtle man's Ferrari, as the Quattroporte (Italian for four doors) is not as obviously flamboyant as any car wearing the prancing horse. It's exotic in a more reserved manner, the kind of car that doesn't leap out like a circus act but has an image that will impress those "in the know".
It's not an out-and-out sports car for the track-happy adrenalin fiend. Nope. this family Maserati is a grand tourer, a powerful yet super-refined sedan for covering distances very briskly and very comfortably. It's a rival, at just more than five metres long and weighing two tons, for the Mercedes S-class, Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series - in size, if not in price, as its German competitors are all several grand less expensive.
I've been driving the Quattroporte auto for a few days and the overriding impression was that of a very fast Laze-boy recliner and the Italian stallion strikes an almost perfect balance between sophistication and punching power. Rocky Balboa in a business suit.
The Quattroporte sells in two versions: a six-speed Duoselect with an SMG-styled, robotised manual gearbox and this six-speed auto with a sequential manual function.
Many people believe an auto box has no place in a sports car but it suits the character of a GT perfectly by offering a fast, but relaxed, driving style that suits a powerful, long-legged tourer. And it's a very good gearbox.
The auto shifts quickly and efficiently without poaching performance (especially in Sport mode that holds gears for longer and gives the car a racier feel). There are also shift paddles on the steering wheel - an entertaining, if ultimately superfluous, feature as the car will still shift down by itself.
The fuel-injected, 4.2-litre V8 has a healthy 295kW (400hp in Eurospeak) and 460Nm on call. It's powerful, creamy smooth and has a charismatic growl. Floor the throttle and the pace is of the hang-on-for-dear-life variety with 100km/h coming up in 5.6sec and a top speed of 268km/h lurking, according to Maserati's data.
Even with traction control (which can be switched off if you're feeling brave), the rear wheels will chirp under hard acceleration to remind you there's 400 horses bolting from the barn.
Minimal lean
You get the smoothness but there's driver involvement too. What prevents the Quattroporte from feeling like any other super-sized luxury barge is its quick and direct steering - it adds a sporty edge. That V8 is also mounted far back in the long nose to give almost perfect weight front/rear distribution.
The car displays minimal body lean through fast curves and medium corners and, despite its smooth ride, the suspension ain't soggy. Mostly the car feels much lighter than its two tons; it's in the tighter corners that the weight becomes a factor and then you realise that this is a grand tourer, not a Lotus Elise. But then, with all its refinement, it's not a car you want to thrash around a racetrack.
The brakes feel rather spongy but the Maserati stops in a hurry if you apply some leg muscle.
It's a true family-sized car with plenty of rear leg and headroom and the luxury list is full: there are beautifully finished leather seats embossed with the Maserati trident, power seat and steering column adjustment, satnav, cruise control, a high-end audio system - basically, the works. And a rear passenger can move the front passenger seat forward by pressing a button on the rear centre armrest.
The boot's a good size, too - its 450 litres swallows a few fair-sized suitcases or the benchmark golf bags.
Maserati mystique
Average fuel consumption was just over 14 litres/100km according to the trip data computer. Not bad, because Maserati quotes 14.7.
The Maserati Quattroporte's expensive and you can get better performance and similar luxury from a BMW 760i, Audi S8 or Mercedes S63 AMG for considerably less money.
But none of those has the Maserati mystique. - Star Motoring
- Test car from Brad Green Cars, Edenvale.