Maserati Quattroporte: Impressive, engaging and dramatic

By Botchi Santos March 16,2016
FAST, characterful, exciting and highly capable, the Quattroporte is able to stand toe-to-toe against competitors.

FAST, characterful, exciting and highly capable, the Quattroporte is able to stand toe-to-toe against competitors.

Maserati’s Quattroporte is one of the brand’s classic monikers that have endured the test of time, getting better and better as each new iteration comes out.

In Italian, Quattroporte literally translates to four doors, the large sports-luxury sedan being the brand’s flagship four-door model.

Its popularity may not match those of more established rivals from Germany and the UK, but believe me, the big Maser has something its more snobby rivals from the Continent lack: flair and magic.

The current sixth-generation Quattroporte was unveiled almost three years now at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, aimed squarely for the US market.

Though it shares its underpinnings with its smaller Ghibli sedan we tested a months back, the Quattroporte feels like a totally different animal.

The flagship salon comes with a choice of gasoline and diesel engines, all turbocharged for more torque, better fuel efficiency and lower emissions, meeting the latest Euro VI standards in Europe.

THE STEERING is an electro-hydraulic system and offers excellent feel and feedback.

THE STEERING is an electro-hydraulic system and offers excellent feel and feedback.

A large part of the Quattroporte is made up of aluminum to help reduce weight. The chassis is a mix of high-boron steel and aluminum, and the suspension turrets, doors, hood, trunk and front fenders are also made of aluminum which not only reduces weight, but also improves crash safety by allowing aluminum to absorb more of the energy from an impact.

The oily bits underneath, such as the five-link rear suspension and double-wishbone front, also utilize aluminum—in this instance forged to increase strength, reduce weight, and improve dynamic agility.

The engine of choice locally is the V6 gasoline variant. Using 100 octane RON fuel, the engine delivers an astounding 410 horsepower and 550 Newton-meters of torque between 1750-5000 revolutions per minute, giving the big luxurious Maser very long, agile and responsive legs.

Attached to it and driving the rear wheels is ZF’s excellent eight-speed automatic transmission, the norm for many luxury sedans form Europe and Japan.

It can power the Quattroporte from rest to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.7 seconds, all the way to a top-speed of 285 kph.

Indeed, the large Quattroporte is the perfect vehicle to take on very long highway drives.

THE PILLARLESS side windows add a touch of sophistication.

THE PILLARLESS side windows add a touch of sophistication.

You can also indent-order the excellent twin-turbo V8 that delivers 530 HP and an astounding 650 Nm of torque, and a more sensible V6 with a variable geometry single turbo that also pumps out 275 HP and an equally astounding 600 Nm of torque.

Such an opportunity arose during a motoring event in Clark International Speedway. I picked up the Maserati at Bonifacio Global City and slogged through Edsa for almost two hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The big Maser was cool, refined and, dare-I-say-it, almost Germanic or Japanese in its well-mannered, calm and composed demeanor.

The climate control system kept things chill, literally, while the Bowers & Wilkins sound system played music from my mobile media device beautifully via Bluetooth.

There’s a navigation system included, although the 8.3-inch screen is a bit grainy and pixelated. Nonetheless, it beats many European and Japanese rivals to the local market by having the Quattroporte equipped with GPS/SatNav from the onset.

However, the rest of the infotainment system left me a bit disturbed: It looked familiar.

Searching online revealed some truth: Parent Fiat Auto used some Chrysler parts (a new acquisition by the Italian conglomerate, which also owns Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and of course Fiat cars and Maserati) to save on cost.

It’s sacrilege for the US market, but as Chrysler isn’t as popular in the Philippines as it is abroad, then it’s fine for us.

Even the seats were supremely comfortable. Adjusting 14 ways electronically, the Maserati’s seats can be as comfortable as a lounge chair’s, or as supportive as a proper sports bucket seat. Excellent comfort and support, particularly for my thighs which signaled a very promising drive in the big salon.

Out on the highway, and the V6 twin turbo, direct-injected and intercooled engine showed its wide breadth of abilities: The Maser doesn’t feel manic. In fact, it feels very relaxed.

Call it an admission of guilt, but since I was late, I simply stepped on the throttle, focused on the road ahead, and soon found myself nearly double the legal limit in no time.

But the amazing V6 engine simply felt smooth and relaxed, and the big Maser’s long wheelbase gave it extraordinary stability, refinement and serenity.

Had I not glanced at the speedometer, I probably would have stepped right into the 285 kph maximum as it easily shrugged off big speeds with nonchalant ease.

Fancy a very long intercontinental drive from Russia to London or Turkey to Portugal via the TEMS? The Quattroporte would be truly perfect.

Of interesting note is the engine: a ground-up design by Ferrari, these are first cast in Chrysler’s Trenton engine plant in Kokomo, Indiana.

Once completed, these are shipped to Modena where Ferrari assembles them to their specifications before being transported again to Grugliasco, near Turin, a former coach-building factory of the famed Bertone Styling Studio, and is now the home of Maserati’s salon production facility for the Quattroporte and Ghibli. Maserati’s Levante premium SUV, recently launched at the Geneva International Motor Show 2016, will join its four-door brethren for production, using the same powertrain/drivetrain.

The steering is an electro-hydraulic system and offers excellent feel and feedback. It’s light as is proper for a sports limousine, but has very good feel.

It doesn’t feel overly sensitive, and feels stable and composed as speeds pile up.

Another Germanic-trait: The Quattroporte might feel a bit inert to those used to old-school Italian machinery, but it feels relaxed, willing and very highly capable at high speeds and for extended periods of time.

The huge Brembo brakes, six-piston fronts and four-piston rears have excellent stopping power, consistently hauling down the big salon repeatedly from high speeds with ease and confidence.

The suspension, despite riding on 20-inch wheels shod with 245/40R20 fronts and 285/35R20 rears, rides supremely comfortable, with just the right amount of feedback, filtering out all the harshness of uneven surfaces.

Many might call the Quattroporte a four-door Ferrari; it’s not a fair claim to lay on the Quattroporte. The big Maser needs to rise outside of its more illustrious brethren and stand on its own, and this one truly does.

Fast, characterful, exciting and highly capable, it is able to stand toe-to-toe against the likes of Audi’s A8, Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class, BMW’s recently launched 7-Series and Jaguar’s ever-popular XJ.

It brings with it a totally different, unique and stylish proposition that is very different from the cookie-cutter German limousine. Plus, the engine sounds beautiful in a way those Germans only wish they could.

The pillarless side windows also add a touch of sophistication, while backseat accommodations are sumptuous, thanks to the 3,171-mm wheelbase.

Plus, Italians do red leather interior better than anyone else.

Lastly, fuel economy is surprisingly decent: On my high-speed jaunt up north, the big Maser consumed a very decent 12.4 kpl on the highway from a very new and tight engine. Expect efficiency to improve once the mileage piles on.

In the city, stuck in traffic, and she’s thirsty at a tad under

5 kpl, comparable to other vehicles in its class.

So next time you fancy a large, luxurious limousine but are tired of the usual Germans and odd Brit, take a closer look at the Quattroporte. Its sheer ability, drama and uniqueness is truly otherworldly.

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