German Car Zone

Maserati takes us to Mozart’s hometown to play a 4.7-liter symphony.


For most of the last 45 years, Maserati has been a presence, but hardly a dominant force in the market. In sports cars, for example, Ferrari and Porsche have overshadowed Maserati’s best. In terms of luxury sedans, which Maserati has built off and on during that time, its four-doors (known simply as “Quattroportes”) have been a bit oddball at best, horrific at worst.

Since 2003, however, the fifth generation of the Quattroporte has achieved true desirability, thanks largely to a Ferrari-derived V-8 engine and an outstanding chassis. Thus, the Quattroporte is now regarded as one of the sportiest luxury sedans ever, and fittingly, it has become Maserati’s best-selling Quattroporte to date. For 2009, Maserati has improved upon the current Quattroporte’s success with a midcycle styling and interior refresh, and just as significant, it’s added a new flagship: the first-ever Quattroporte S, powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 that ratchets up the sportiness to scintillating heights. We headed to Salzburg, Austria, to try out Maserati’s newest.

Beautiful, At Last

Though it was arguably the most sensuous of all Maserati Quattroportes built since the line began in 1963 with the first Series 2 Tipo AM 107A, the ’03–’08 Quattroporte just missed being truly beautiful; the curvy, Pininfarina-penned bodysides and perfect stance just weren’t perfectly matched by its vacant gaze and blunt overhangs. It was still far from ugly, but the 2009 sheetmetal refresh is sure to broaden its appeal beyond moneyed contrarians to include the mainstream wealthy.

Changes to the Quattroporte’s nose cone include larger lower intakes designed specifically to feed the Quattroporte S’s 4.7-liter V-8 (up from 4.2). Bi-xenon headlamps follow the fascia’s sloped contours and contain 10 LED turn-signal lamps apiece. Vertical chrome louvers in the slightly beveled grille visually connect the Quattroporte to the even lovelier new GranTurismo.

Maserati installed more LEDs out back, with twin light tubes striking diagonally through the taillamps, flanking a dozen LED brake lights. A cluster of 17 amber LEDs inform trailing drivers of your intention to merge. The triangular taillamp theme is sure to be controversial, but we love them purely because they are so darn Italian. The rear bumper panel, too, is new—lower, wider, and squarer. Happily, the cursive “Maserati” script across the trunklid is unchanged.

Quattroporte S models wear bespoke 19-inch wheels that are sexy and unique, although their Y-shaped spokes, which poke out a bit at their mid-points, appear rather vulnerable to curb nicks by klutzy valets. Other than that, there is little to distinguish the S model from the standard Quattroporte.

Interior

For 2009, Maserati made minor but significant changes to the Quattroporte’s interior, which we’ve always loved for its sumptuousness, though not its ergonomics. The gauge cluster—still blue-faced, thank you—is more legible. The seats feature new stitch patterns, and are firmer on the edges than in the insets. Some of us found them to be a touch wide in the lumbar region, and we were further irked by strange electronic clicking sounds coming from the seats, which we surmise had to do with the massage function. Ultimately, neither could detract from the sheer decadence of the cockpit, and the ideal positioning of the driver. And of course, covered with hectares of gooey-soft leather, so-genuine-it-looks-fake wood, and Alcantara, the Quattroporte cabin remains the olfactory and tactile feast it’s always been.

For help redesigning the miserable secondary controls of the previous model, Maserati turned to Bose and co-developed a new infotainment system that makes inputting destinations and viewing current media selections much easier. The new, non-touch-screen display is quite trick, if somewhat cluttered at times. Indeed, many times along our route, the map—which is the home screen—was nearly completely smothered by extraneous information. Its dual-knob and button-bank interface attempts to be retro, but winds up neither terribly simple to use nor as intuitive (or as Bluetooth-friendly) as some other systems we can name—higher-end Acura and Lexus products come to mind. Still, in most ways it is easier to work with than those on any given German sedan and, once mastered, will unlock the sybaritic delights of 5.1 surround sound; DVD audio/video; and MP3, USB, and CD capability. There’s also AudioPilot noise compensation, an iPod interface, XM radio, and 40 gigs of hard-drive memory, all standard.

As before, the Quattroporte is none too roomy, but like a well-tailored Italian suit, it always seems to have enough give to keep a person from feeling confined. The intimacy comes partly from slightly smaller dimensions than most of the industry’s big luxocruisers, but more significantly, from the lack of upright cabinetry that makes cars like the BMW 7-series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class feel like rolling conference rooms. As before, there is a hand-rendered quality throughout. For example, the “gathered” leather in certain corners appears to be wrapped around bones, not structural members. Truly, the Quattroporte feels more alive than pretty much any other luxury car on the planet.

As Mozart Himself Might Say, Allegro

Mozart’s home city of Salzburg is a city known first and foremost for its music, and Maserati did not let the locals down by bringing the new Quattroporte S to town. Twisting the shiny blue key strikes the eight cylinders into a 4.7-liter symphony. Although it has grown in displacement since Maserati and Ferrari split in 2005, Maranello’s fingerprints are still all over this motor, even if its character has changed somewhat since it received wet-sump lubrication and a new bride: a ZF six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters fixed to the steering column. No longer is this a racecar powertrain, but rather, one of the finest sports-sedan powertrains anywhere.

Part and parcel with the half-liter bump in displacement is a rise in horsepower from 400 to 425 (at 7000 rpm), and a torque spike to 361 pound-feet at 4750 revs. Maserati claims that 0-to-60 happens in 5.2 seconds, which we think is conservative, since we were able to hit 60 in 5.3 in a recent test of the 2008 Quattroporte with the 4.2-liter engine. Oh, how many dinosaurs died for our six hours of shenanigans on our all-too-brief first drive along the two-laners of western Austria and the ’bahns of Southern Germany? We admit a twinge of carbon guilt as we embarked on one lovely blast to 160 mph—14 shy of its top speed—and during pretty much every daring multivehicle pass.

It was all for a good cause, we think. How else could we have properly evaluated the S’s enlarged motor, whose increased midrange passing power represents the most significant improvement over the standard Quattroporte’s 4.2? Seriously, it’s a strong mill. Some 85 percent of the 4.7-liter’s 361 pound-feet of torque is available from just 2500 rpm, and there are 40 more pound-feet on tap in the crucial 3000–3500-rpm neighborhood. In sport mode, throttle response happens now. Passing, hence, is a cinch.

Moreover, this is a visceral motor. There is a lot of sound here (as there is with the 4.2, to be fair), and the crescendo that accompanies the stomp of the right immediately reveals the Ferrari within. The 4.7 doesn’t really rumble at idle, making more of a “brrrrrraaaaat” sound that rises into fluid, baritone pulses as revs climb. It’s less high-pitched than the 4.2, but speaks with an equally sharp tongue. And the staccato of each pulse is not only heard, but is simultaneously introduced to one’s fingertips via the steering wheel and, to an extent, the seat of one’s pants.

Subtle Chassis Changes, Bigger Better Brakes

So you can feel the engine, but not to the extent that you think it’s an NVH problem. For proof, we present the Quattroporte’s impressive ability to really stick it to the asphalt. We don’t have test numbers yet, but the steering is about as spot-on and stable as any luxury proposition could ask for, compensating for a slight numb-zone on-center with an abundance of feel once the wheel spins more than five degrees or so. The Quattroporte’s Skyhook suspension features firmer dampers that never quite allow the big sedan a truly supple ride, especially in the Sport setting, which also quickens shifts and programs throttle-blipped downshifts. The trade-off is that the car never, ever strayed from the line we chose for it, and the faster we went, the smaller it felt. Fantastic.

The brakes proved as impressive as the rest of the chassis, with enlarged, 14.2-inch brake discs clamped by six-piston calipers, the latter available in six colors, bringing us to some very impressive stops on those occasions when we came across a wayward tractor or a family of tourists on an Alpine bicycle adventure. Alas, we tested these brakes many, many times that perfect July day.

Out of Its Awkward Stage

As we left the Salzburg program, pretty much every automotive journalist in attendance seemed to agree that the Quattroporte S is not only a technical achievement, but that it has grown out of its 45-year awkward stage into one of the most desirable four-door automobiles on the road at any price, even including the portlier Bentley Continental Flying Spur, the faster but still not as agile Mercedes-Benz S600 or S65 AMG, or anything wearing the blue-and-white BMW roundel.

Even if it merely matched those others, it would have a value story as well as an exclusivity story. When it appears in dealerships in late October or early November, the Quattroporte is expected to climb between four and five percent from the current price, which currently sits at $118,950. That puts the ’09 Quattroporte between $120,000 and $124,000, and we expect the S to cost another $8000 to $10,000. Both will be offered in base and Executive trim levels, the latter bringing rear heated/cooled seats, wood tray tables, four-zone climate control and more. One thing you don’t get for your six-figure outlay, however, is fuel economy. The current, 4.2-liter Quattroporte is rated at 12 mpg city and 18 highway versus 14/21 for an S550, and it will only get worse in S trim.

What makes the Quattroporte distinct from its competitors, however, is the extent to which Maserati heaps sex appeal, visceral stimulation, and other forms of sensory satisfaction upon its luxury proposition. And particularly among those who know the difference between a luxury sedan and a luxurious sports sedan, the new Quattroporte S will find many new fans.



2009 Maserati Quattroporte S - First Drive Review/Luxury Sedans/Car Shopping/Hot Lists/Reviews/Car and Driver - Car And Driver



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