Maserati Quattroporte – All you need to know

Maserati made a comeback to the Indian market back in 2015. The Italian brand has been renowned for making some gorgeous sports cars and sedans, and after what seemed like quite a hassle with its previous Indian dealer, it’s finally back. The last time, we were offered only a pair of V8 engined cars; this time, however, the Quattroporte is back as a bigger, more luxurious sedan.

Italian panache

The Maserati Quattroporte is a huge car, and it is evident the moment you look at that roof that flows backwards between flared rear haunches, giving it terrific width. The bonnet of the Maserati Quattroporte appears long ahead of the windscreen, but thanks to its contours and the curvaceous flanks on top of the wheel arches, the length is masked well. The nose looks aggressive, while the rear is softer and perhaps the nicest looking part of the car with that big chrome trident at the back. It comes with small headlights and that 3.2-metre wheelbase gives one the impression that the Maserati Quattroporte is almost limousine-like. On the sides, the car has a window line that kinks up nicely. This is one of those cars that can draw attention without the snarl of an exhaust.

Unique taste

About the engine

And if the exterior design impresses you, you’ve got to behold the interior. This is no German car so a lot is different about it. Italian design has a flair to it that is unmatched in most ways. Maserati Cars have lavishly equipped the cabin with some of the best textures of leather, brushed chrome and grains of wood. There’s even carbon-fibre under the lacquered coating, but we found it to be a bit sharp-edged around corners. As far as the fit and finish goes, Maserati Cars have done justice to the Quattroporte. In terms of tech, the Quattroporte offers a whole lot.

It features an 8.0-inch touchscreen that gives you access to different functions, but it gets a low-resolution screen, a basic interface, which we found a bit sluggish in operation. The controls are unique as well. The leather steering wheels feels nice to hold and there are buttons at the front and rear. Behind the steering, you’ll find huge metal paddle-shifters fixed to the steering column; the stalk on the left operates the turn signals, high-beam controls and the wipers. The rear seat is quite spacious with plenty of legroom with the option of a centre console in between the seats along with rear entertainment screens. We don’t think the Quattroporte falls short on luxury in any way.

In the city

This luxurious Maserati feels a lot like a sports car, and you feel this the moment you are seated in the driver’s seat. You sit low, even with the seat raised up and all you can see is a massive bonnet ahead. Thanks to the long wheelbase and good overhangs, approach angles make it awful for Indian roads. The ground clearance is worse than some sports cars and that means you’ll have to crawl sideways over most speed-breakers. At low speeds, we found the steering to be a bit too heavy; it makes you feel the whole size of the car. Switching between Drive and Reverse with the help of the electronic gear selector is very bothersome; sometimes, by mistakes, it even slips into Neutral or Park.

V8 power

We find an open road and the floor it; the Quattroporte’s 3.8-litre, all-aluminium, twin-turbo V8 makes 523bhp and is very similar to the engines used in the 488 GTB and the California T. You can feel the surge of torque as the car pulls away briskly. It doesn’t sound too exciting, especially inside the cabin. The car can sprint from 0-100kph in 5.13 seconds and the ZF 8-speed automatic transmission isn’t particularly smooth, but it shifts rapidly. The Quattroporte comes with the Skyhook adaptive suspension. The ride is rather good and the car has been setup up more for comfort. It does tend to get unsettled over rough roads in Sport mode, but it soaks in the bumps well and feels perfectly in control around corners.