Reviews
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Update of Quattroporte brings greatly expanded range of flavours to Maserati’s big sedan, and driver-aid tech that’s at last catching up with the Germans.
WHAT IS IT? XL luxury limo that’s Maserati’s four-door flagship
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT To find out if the MY2017 update brings worthwhile improvements
THE WHEELS VERDICT Updates to the Maserati Quattroporte don’t alter its driving character or eradicate its flaws, but improved driver aids and lusher-than-ever interiors in all models except Diesel make the big Italian more attractive. It still makes competitors from BMW and Mercedes-Benz seem a little sterile and soulless.
PLUS: Dramatic drivetrain; handling; distinctive Italianate interior fit-out MINUS: Stiff ride in ‘Sport’ mode; ergonomic faults; lacks Germanic quality
In the intervening years the Italian brand has pumped out two all-new models in fairly quick succession – the Ghibli sedan and the Levante, Maserati’s first SUV. Both are built on the short-wheelbase version of the clean-sheet architecture that premiered with the Quattroporte. Maserati sales have soared as a result. So what has Maserati done to revamp the model that initiated its renaissance?
The Quattroporte also gains a new 8.3-inch touchscreen display and a redesigned centre console housing a stacked pair of rotary controllers, a kind of a two-storey iDrive arrangement that was introduced in the Levante.
For the Australian and New Zealand markets, the petrol V6 models – in base 257kW and 302kW S versions – will be imported only in GranLusso or GranSport grades. So, too, will the range-topping GTS, with its stonking 390kW twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8. Only the Diesel model, with its 202kW VM Motori-made single-turbo 3.0-litre V6, will miss out. Even though Maserati builds it in both GranLusso and GranSport forms for other markets, neither will be offered here.
GranLusso rolls instead on 20-inch wheels, and is offered with Maserati’s exclusive Ermenegildo Zegna silk interior, open-pore dashboard wood and a steering wheel with a wooden rim insert.
Wheels sampled the updated Quattroporte in both GranLusso and GranSport specs. The latter is the better looker, especially in white, which highlights the exterior alterations to advantage.
While the GranSport’s big rims noticeably improve proportion and stance, they do nothing for ride comfort, which is too stiff in Dynamic driving mode on the bumpy roads in Sicily where the launch was staged. Normal mode, in contrast, made the big Maserati feel distinctly ‘boaty’ over the crests and troughs of the choppy blacktop outside Palermo.
Maybe next update…
SPECS Model: Maserati Quattroporte S GranSport Engine: 2979cc V6 (60°), dohc, 24v, twin-turbo Max power: 302kW @ 5500rpm Max torque: 550Nm @ 1750-5000rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Kerb weight: 1860kg 0-100km/h: 5.1sec (claimed) Fuel economy: 9.6L/100km (EU) Price: $250,000 (estimated) On sale: December
