Maserati road test reports and car reviews

Maserati Quattroporte 2009

Any Maserati will bathe its user in the balmy glow of yesteryears golden delights, when the world was ruled by the great Juan Manuel Fangio in the iconic Maserati 250F Grand Prix car. Fast and powerful, Maserati are exclusive cars that appeal to a set of people who value individuality. Even at rest it's impossible not to feel a tingle of excitement from them. After all, they are machines that really are the stuff of legend. Yet they are modest cars in which - like Shakespeare's Henry 1V - `Greatness knows itself` and by such recognition, they need no brash introduction. Italy is one of the great roots of automobile design and progress and the Pininfarina designed Quattroporte is the embodiment of the classic Grand Tourer, harkening back to the golden heyday of continental travel, when a trip to Monte Carlo could be an exciting journey on traffic free roads. In a world where buyers of fast four door cars are spoilt for choice, the Quattroporte stands supreme. Rival Mercedes, BMWs and Audis are fast enough but they're just not thoroughbreds. And at around £77,000, the Maserati is better value. Breathtakingly elegant, the car looks right from all angles and has a contained elegance and aggression both at the same time. The new Quattroporte is a large car that is sumptuously equipped and displays an astonishingly high build quality, with everything that should move doing so with the kind of blueprinted accuracy that you would have thought unlikely in an Italian car. The cabin is a calming cocoon that oozes refinement and Italianate good taste. Everything is understated yet redolent of opulence. The leather is silky smooth, the wood veneer warm in tone - everything is high in class. For a state of the art vehicle with every technological aid you can think of, the designers have managed, nonetheless, to create an appealing driver-friendly ambience. To the uninitiated it seems almost instantly familiar: within a very short time one feels absolutely at home. Start that mighty 4.2 litre, 400 bhp V8, listen to the deep and sonorous exhaust note and you know that you'll travel courtesy of full, proper Maserati power. It's a wonderful engine: civil enough never to interfere with this luxury cars inherent comfort, but still bold enough to invigorate - yet sweet enough to inspire and, with that silky smooth six speed automatic transmission which can be controlled manually with the steering mounted paddles or just left in full auto. mode - you have a car that is quick enough to leave most, trailing in its wake. Unlike German saloons, the Quattroporte is a more talented car. It can also take you to near 170 mph. where most Germans are restricted to 155mph. So you set off, marvelling at how a driving experience can feel so distinguished and yet so easy. But for all its easy pace and comfort the elements of driving enjoyment are still there as you delight in the manner in which it flows effortlessly round bends, impacting a sporting feel, yet remaining compliant and supremely comfortable. With the engine being located behind the front axle, more weight is transferred to the centre of the car so that it is remarkably well balanced: 49% in the front, 51% in the rear. This also enhances traction and acceleration, because of the additional load over the rear driving wheels. This luxury car can modulate its performance according to the needs of the driver. On the open road with softly undulating bends and the occasional demanding tight turn it's nothing less than fully rewarding. For necessary ’hacking’ up and down crowded motorways, one could wish for no finer conveyance. But for the latent Nuvolari there's much more on offer. The ’Sports Mode’ function is an instant passport to fun. At the touch of a button the boulevard ’trotter’ is transformed into a snorting thoroughbred. The large car becomes compact, nimble, and tight. The turn at the wheel is a virtual dance of delight and when a colleague and I were slaying the serpentine twists of Cheddar Gorge it was inspiring, where grip coming out of a bend, blended neatly and seamlessly into warp speed down the straight. Behaving brilliantly and feeling honed and tuned for enjoyment, the chassis is the ultimate confidence booster. It would take a thousand Incredible Hulks with a thousand feet on the loud pedal to even begin to disturb the poised equilibrium of this magnificent machine which displays the dynamic qualities that have earned Maserati such glory over the years. The Quattroporte matches its abilities perfectly to the driver's skills, but at the same time makes no demands on the driver. As one of the finest expressions of automotive design and engineering, one cannot help but draw the comparison. Did Botticelli ever paint a picture entitled ’The Birth of Beatitude’? Well he jolly well should have - with a vision of this elegant car emerging out of the mists of time as a gift from the Gods. In fact, this is unquestionably the ultimate four door chariot of the Gods.