Since its introduction in 2004, the fifth gen Maserati Quattroporte has been a sedan poised on the brink of greatness. Its fatal flaw: a clunky automated manual transmission ill-suited to the model’s luxury mission. Unlike some propeller-badged Germans we could name, Maserati’s Italian parent heeded the catcalls directed at its high tech gearbox. FIAT sourced a ZF six speed fully automatic transmission to cure the problem, subito. So, are we there yet?
Some reviewers hereabouts consider the QP the last word in Euro-slink. I just can’t get past those Buick-like portholes. That said, Maserati’s vaguely sinister corporate symbol adds a welcome touch of glamor to an otherwise pedestrian exterior, and careful customization can dramatically enhance the car’s visual appeal.
To my eye, the ideal recipe combines the Executive GT’s 19” wheels, red brake calipers and chrome mesh portholes with the Sport GT’s front grill (flat black mesh). It’s the best amalgamation of pace and grace since the supercharged Jaguar XJR first whined its way onto the American automotive stage.
I feel silly admitting how much I enjoyed opening the QP’s doors. There are two buttons; one works electronically, the other mechanically. Both operate with with perfect synchronicity and a sound not unlike a hi-tech safe door clicking open.
When I confessed this portal pleasure to my wife, she dismissed the duality as nothing more than Maserati’s engineers realizing the limitations of their dubious mechanical heritage. Even so, this small but endearing quirk helps give the big Maser a sense of occasion.
Once inside, the interior is more expansive than expected; the rear seats are tight in some dimensions, but legroom is not one of them. The middle armrest reveals yet another unexpected delight: a button that glides the passenger seat forward.
The quality of the QP’s cabin materials is beyond reproach. The lustrous wood, fragrant leather, plush carpet and elegant liners are superior to those found in any German car you can name– unless you cite Bentley, and even then the sumptuousness quotient is virtually identical. As long as you tailor your QP using a dark palette– the light colored interiors approximate a modern bordello– you couldn’t ask for a more luxurious carcoon.
That is, as long as you don’t mind packing light. The QP’s trunk is hardly large enough to fit a weekend’s supply of the wife/girlfriend/mistress' Manolo Blahniks, never mind a full wardrobe.
While the QP’s gauges, HVAC and switchgear are mostly understandable, the controls and toy count seems a generation or so behind the competition. Drivers are Bluetoothless, I-Pod deficient, satellite radio bereft and keyless ignition deprived. At least there isn’t an iDrive, COMAND or MMI to make your life unnecessarily complex.
Even though the QP is nearly 200 inches long, it drives like a vehicle half its size. Its 4.2-liter V8 deploys 400 horsepower and 339 lb. ft. of torque against 4400 pounds of imported metal with considerable success. Any normally aspirated luxury sedan that can sprint from zero to sixty in 5.6 seconds is praiseworthy– although the nine mpg I induced is not.
While the QP’s acceleration is bracing, the aural stimulation emanating from the engine bay is positively hallucinogenic. Even when driving the QP like a stoner, the F-1 soundtrack says Warp 3. The headers are heady stuff indeed; the exhaust note alone is worth the price of admission.
Once you’ve punched your ticket, there are no more dynamic regrets. The new automatic transmission has completely transformed the Maserati Quattroporte. There's no more Addams family effect (i.e, Lurch is gone). You can now play the QP’s deeply sonorous powerplant like a symphony conductor, transitioning between sotto voce and multo forte with seamless satisfaction. The QP wafts and blasts with equal aplomb.
Yes, well, our Executive GT tester’s handling was a mixed bag. The sedan turned in enthusiastically and felt as balanced as the 49-51 weight distribution implied. But the spring rates were too soft. The steering delivered excellent chassis feedback and the cornering attitude was Kansas flat. But there was too much bobble and float to inspire confidence. There is certainly enough compliance in the suspension to argue for the Sport GT’s larger wheels.
Even so, the QP can now make a compelling case against the Mercedes S550, BMW 750 or Audi A8. One problem: the Maserati’s $140k-ish price pits it against the equally spirited Audi S8, BMW Alpina B7 and Mercedes S600. Among this rarefied company, the QP seems inadequate; the gizmo count is low, the reliability [still] slightly worrying and the Buick portholes dubious.
To make matters worse, the QP’s epic depreciation makes leasing an unattractive option, despite Maserati's valiant effort to prop up residuals. But if you can afford to set such “mundane” matters aside (or simply add the Maserati to your stable and call it buono), the QP is an ideal choice for luxury sedan drivers seeking a more charismatic– and enigmatic– choice.
67 Comments on “Maserati Quattroporte Automatica Review...”
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A very well written review, thank you. If I ever hit the lottery I will consider this car.
Lovely car… I’ll bet Buick LaCrossees dream of being one. Glad (for potential buyers) that they dropped the “experimental” manu-matic.
My next vehicle will likely cost less than the 1000mi depreciation on this saloon, but it’s fun to read your take on it…
Definitely the “beauty with style” among the premium sedans – hey, it is Italian design! Basta.
This reads like automobile porno… perfect. I will dream of this magnificent stallion tonight. I saw a brace of them at the local Ferrri dealership, ah…..
Agree with Shaker. My first thought looking at that front 3/4 shot was thinking wow – what if Buick had cooked up something that looked like that? Definitely had that Lucerne/LaCrosse look at first glance.
Really nice car. I think I can afford one wheel of it. Thank you though for enabling me to “own” it for a short time.
Excellent review. I love the look of the car…except the portholes – the last car I was in with portholes was my dad’s ‘53 Buick Roadmaster… hmm, ok if I could afford the beast I could live with the portholes.
I’m afraid the closest I will ever get to one of these is the ‘73 Citroen SM I owned that had the Maser-derived quad cam V6.
[/]takes a circle saw to his crown vic[/]
What if US automakers could get away with calling their car “The Four-door” like this?
I guess there never would have been a Ford Cinquecento, it would have always been the Tauro ;)
This has always been one of my favorite fantasy cars. It looks like sex on wheels: outside, inside, and under the hood. Does anybody have any data on the reliability? I was wondering how much the Italians had improved in this area.
Nice review Jay,
The quattroporte exudes quality but the style doesn’t speak to my tastes in Italian cars. The overt buick-esque overtones are what really puts me off. I’ve seen a handfull of these saloons in person and I never give more than a 2nd glance which I think is rooted simply in the rarity of the quattroporte not so much in the exquisite aesthetics.
Mama Mia, that is one beautiful automobile and at that price those who are fortunate (literally have a fortune) enough to buy automobiles in this price range it would be like buying an Armani suit instead of one of those Hugo Boss suits. The wealthy and stylish will buy this car, the wealthy and not so sytlish will be happy with their MB, BMW or Jag. Me, well its nice to dream and I would be happy with a Lincoln Town Car. Viva Italia and their beautiful cars and women. By the way who ever asked if a Sophia Loren was reliable, totally inappropiate question to ask when the senses are involved. Maybe the question of reliability is appropriate when seeking the services of Frau housekeeper. Thank God for the Italians or we would not have beautiful artistic automobile design.
the best review i have seen for this car — it puts the essence of this complex machine into 800 words. bravissimo!
every rich body i know wants to have this car but almost nobody does. i guess it amounts to: desirability: ten out of ten points. expected buyer’s regret: sky-high.
the funny thing however is, i think it is the only car one could perceive owning for a decade, so perhaps depreciation is not the major point. a ten-year old merc or bmw looks sad and vulgar but this beauty will continue to shine and wow, like all artisan stuff does. unless it falls to pieces or burns, of course.
Looks like one awesome car…but I think the S600’s bi-turbo V12 is my choice for that much coin.
But the Benz certainly doesn’t look as good, nor is it uncluttered/uncomplicated. Tough call.
Great write-up, Jay. I drooled on my keyboard all the way, right past the 9mpg and chintzy trunk, until I saw the $140K price tag. If Buick could make their cars look and feel more like the QP (inside and out) for 1/3 the cost, they would save GM.
God, I love this car. And without the jerky tranny, it’s completely perfect now. It’s a real masterpiece.
Oh baby come to mama! Literally. Because if I truly wanted one, my wife would say yes in a heartbeat. My wife loves Masers. Simply because Maserati has placed their product on “Desperate Housewives.” Even made it part of the story line once when the owner was shopping for a new one at the showroom and blew grits into a Maser convertible.
All Maser has to do to sell a million of the 4 doors is to upgrade the DH owner to family lady and put two car seats into the back of her new Quatrovalvolveannaportetua.
Me? Given the disdain with which Ferrari enthusiasts show for Ferraris’s four seater, I’d buy a depreciated one of those hands down first, IF I needed and could afford a four seater in six figures. But in that lofty air, I’d rather have a no luggage room at all Ford GT.
This car was being driven by one of the ‘bad-guys’ on “24″ over the past few weeks. Sweet, sweet ride! The 750 and S550 might attract the more mainstream crowd….but the QP screams Performance Luxury Fighter Jet to the smaller set of discerning individuals who give a damn.
Great review, Jay.
For $140k, it ought to include Giada DeLaurentis in the passenger seat
Buick_like? Other way around..this was out before the Lucerne. Next are you going to write that you don’t like the RR sport’s Nitro-esque styling?
Other than that great review of a fine looking car. Maybe one day in many years a good used luxury bargain?
Some VIP’s that stay frequently at my hotel drive a tar-pit dark-side-of-the-moon darth vader-black QP. It is the subject of much ogling on the front drive, and much arguing amongst the valets.
At a glance, it looks very much like a Buick or whatnot, but an ineffable something forces you to look twice, upon which occasion your opinion is forever altered.
The price only gets to $140,000 is you tick off too many boxes. You can still get a very nice car for around $120,000. Which will also help the depreciation problem, since the many upholstery options probably have about zero resale value.
I agree that the 19s are more attractive than the 20s. They need to find a more attractive 20-inch wheel than the current insufficiently organic design.
TTAC is getting better by the day. To my mind, it’s in every way superior to the commercial auto mags, most of all because of RF’s direction and a now-wonderful stable of writers. I’ve not hesitated to criticize when I saw the occasional stumble, but they are becoming ever-fewer. This new turn toward increasing the number of vehicle reviews is also welcome, but it may be time to edit these a bit more strenuously and cut some fluff and add some meat, perhaps even expanding their length. And are longer-term tests possible within present budgetary constraints? What any of this has to do with the present Quattroporte review, I’m not sure!
Don’t forget: you’re not only purchasing the features and style of this automobile; you’re buying exclusivity. Mercedes and BMWs will be a dime-a-dozen in the financial districts, and while you may not often see a fully-kitted-out S-class, you’re MUCH less likely to see one of these. It doesn’t need to be as technically good because it’s just plain cool.
I always liked that trident on the grille. Devil in disguise. :-)
Either that, or it puts the “Pose” in “Poseidon” ;)
“By the way who ever asked if a Sophia Loren was reliable, totally inappropiate question to ask when the senses are involved. ”
Well you know what they say about both cars and women – some are high maintenance and some are not!
Besides the reviewer brought up the reliability not me. I was just wondering if they had gotten better.
It’s a rolling paradox. I hate the design, but I love the design. I’m starting to like how this car looks more than I like how Mercedes Benz’ CLS series looks.
My neighbor has one and the car is gorgeous. His is a cream color with a reddish/brown leather interior. Slinky and different than anything else you see on the road. They have really, really sharp combinations of outside colors and leathers that are just short of spectacular.
As beautiful as the inside of an Audi is, this car is prettier. The Italians are known for their leatherwork and this car does not fall short. The inside has the workman ship of a beautiful Italian sofa.
The engine makes great sounds and the car is very quick. As far as reliability – the jury is still out. The latest Mercedes are now not that great so Maserati may not be in bad company.
Recently I saw a Top Gear episode where they reviewed the Maserti with a VW DSG style transmission. This car sounded like you were driving an F1 car. They drove the car in Sicily of all places and it made me rethink about getting DSG in my next car (Audi – I was all hyped about the manual but manual in traffic in NJ blows as we all know. The DSG might be the better idea)
Anyway this is a big car and likes premium fuel. I bet you can pick them used at a pretty good discount as most people do not know what it is. Than the fun begins with maintenance and parts…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekfy9Bre1sA
Where would you rather be? In Stuttgart eating wurst and drinking Jagermister with a hairy blond named Helga (5′8″ 235) or Rome sipping Amaretto with a raven haired beauty named Sophia (5′6″ 120).
German cars are all Helga to me. Big, heavy, and ugly. Maybe you will get your ashes hauled, but you won’t enjoy it. And of course there are incomprehensible and unworkable electronics. iDrive? No. You drive, while I try to figure out how to turn on the AC.
If I am going to spend the down payment on a McMansion on a car, I want it to look like sex, not a years supply of wurst. The Maserati comes a lot closer than any of the Deutchemobiles, but they really ought to lose the portholes.
Obviously you have never seen the 6 foot gorgious blonde models all over Munich ;) . Heidi Klum works for me.
The Germans are all about precision and being efficient. The Italians are all about zest, passion and the curve. Two different cultures.
I have heard horrible things in the past about Italian cars and how horrible they are. I just know I recently read about maintenance on a new Ferrari and it could break you – literally.
Tincanman- Thanks for the youtube post.
The one thing that came through that video more than anything was that this guy is Britian’s William Shatner.
shudder
Oh, and the exhaust note from those engine blips sent shivers down my spine. I think that’s what the rice boys with their fart-can exhausts are trying for, but boy do they miss it!
I for one would love my car to be like a modern bordello. My wife, on the other hand, might not be too happy.
How’d you get the price up to $140k-ish? I’ve seen two ’07’s (one sport and one executive) with msrps of roughly 122k. The automatic(a) option adds roughly 1500k, which would make it $125k-ish.
I think the appeal of this car is not so much its features and abilities as it is its image. Unlike the Audis, Mercs and BMWs, the Maser does not look just like another model costing as much as 60k less. Moreover, there are tons of S class/7 series/A8’s on the road. Here in LA you can’t spit without hitting 3. The Maser, on the other hand, is unique and exclusive, which are qualities that many people with that kind of money covet. Top it all off with what many believe is the most sensuous skin on any sedan made, and I can see it being very very compelling.
Finally, with respect to the much derided duo-select gear box, I know 2 people who use these as daily drivers and neither one of them thinks it’s nearly as bad as most automotive journalists do. They both say it does take some acclimatization, but after that it’s fine. I know that 2 people does not a sample pool make, but it does lead me to wonder if this is akin to the iDrive jihad that most journalists wage. The majority of iDrivers I know say the same thing – it just takes some getting used to.
Another excellent review, Jay.
Gotta love the irony that the portholes fit this Maserati better than any current FWD Buick thanks to the long dash to axle distance.
JAY!
How are things going with your new CL600? I’m especially interested it the reliability, any issues?
Thanks.
I have never owned a car long enough to suffer reliability issues. That includes the GM product I owned for a week.
I have ordered a QP for the guy I work for- the MSRP comes to $145,325 before tax and license. The rear seat entertainment system alone costs $7,445, the comfort packages for the front and rear total $9,560.
this four-door may be nice, but it doesn’t it doesn’t even come close to comparing with my earliest memories. back in 1969, i had just changed jobs and my new employer was coming to town to take me to lunch.
flint michigan, in 1969, was still booming because gm was still on a roll, and downtown was packed with pedestrians at noon. we went out to the parking lot and jumped into one of the most beautiful cars i have ever seen in my life – his 68 silver maserati ghibli coupe.
and as we pulled through the intersections on saginaw street, the people stopped; and stared; and parted like the red sea, allowing it to pass.
The portholes don’t really bother me, although the Buick having them is a bit odd. I think the car, while beautiful, needs some sort of point of interest there.
Then again, I was horrified when Porsche put the MR-S plastic side vents and stuck them on the Boxster. But nobody seemed to comment on that design gaffe.
As for technological toys. They are nice and all, but you could probably just throw in a Pioneer AVIC-Z2 and pretty much have all the features you would ever want. So not really a big deal.
Have to say that Mercedes, rather than being understated like I find Audis, tend to be a bit pedestrian and frankly just not all that interesting looking nor driving.
The Quattroporte Automatica has one thing going for it: the name, Maserati. Of course, it also has another thing going against it: the name, Maserati. Most people reading this site probably know about what overpriced boat anchors the Bi-Turbos of the Eighties were; there were reports of fire in the manifold (not wanted) and electricals that even shops dedicated to electrical work disdained.
The first generation Quattroporte, while not as alluring to look at as the newest one, has ensured that people approach anything with the name “Maserati” attached to it, with trepidation.
I watched a 1983 Maserati Quattroporte, with just 31,000 original miles on the odometer, pull a best bid of just $4,300, this past weekend at a collector car auction in Puyallup, Washington. Admittedly, Puyallup is not a place known for Maseratis; however, there were enough dealers in attendance, that if the car had some resale value, it would have sold.
The proverbial bottom line is a Maserati is a car to buy, when indeed money is not an issue with you. It might help the resale on the newest example of Quattroporte, that the ill-conceived sequential manual transmission is gone. It’s too bad that BMW’s M6 is still saddled with such junk. I drove one, off and on, for a week (took it down to Puyallup from Seattle and back). It reminded me of that old blues tune, covered by Jess Colin Young, among others, “Miss Hesitation.”
When someone asked me, what I thought about the M6, in a fit of picque, I declared, “It’s an overpriced piece of shit!” Now, upon reflection, I would will soon be the replacement on the auction circuit, for the BMW 8-series, another case of putting a nice looking exterior on a flawed piece of engineering – much like the Quattroporte perhaps.
Regarding reliability issues- I’ve read an Aston Martin’s battery will go dead in a week if it’s not driven. One of the car magazines had an Audi in the shop 45 of the first 60 days the had it (A/C compressor). Some issues don’t take long to show up. Consumer Report indicates Mercedes has electrical problems. Have you run into any with your CL600?
Thanks.
“The rear seat entertainment system alone costs $7,445, the comfort packages for the front and rear total $9,560.”
Ah. That would certainly do it.
Didn’t Johnny Sack from The Sopranos drive one of these?
Now there’s some product placement for ya…
I have not had an electrical problem in any one of the 26 Mercedes I have owned since 1997.
Regarding the CL600- I was advised to drive the CL63 before making the commitment, even though it will mess up my sequence.
Jonny Sack had the coupe I think.
I have an ‘06 Quattroporte with the manual transmission and I love it. I promise you nobody who sees it thinks “Buick” :) I get a lot of admiring stares and questions, and the sound of the car leaving a stoplight at speed is hypnotizing…
One data point does not mean anything, but I’ve had zero problems with the car in eight months. Fingers crossed, knocking on inlaid mahogany…
I made no references to reliability issues, it was my wife who is the dubious one. The dealer made a point of telling me that his customers have suffered very few problems with the 2005 and 2006 Quattroporte’s.
By the way, the sales mix anticipated by Maserati now that the automatic is available is 90% auto and 10% duo select.
How’ bout that license plate in the rear shot?
“NEW007QP”
ZoomZoom,
I thought he drove an Aston!
Anyhow, great review of one of the few truly beautiful cars in production today. Thanks, Jay
Nice review and first-class writing. But you failed to mention the Qporte’s lack of torsional rigidity. Or maybe you mistook its general wobbliness for “bobble and float”? To my mind an S-Class is far floatier at speed, and in corners that trip up the Germans, this thing trips the light fantastic.
For that price, this car better be something beyond spectacular. Otherwise it would pass for a customized Buick with a (yeech) Fiat transmission. With all the exceptional luxury sedans on the market my question is — Why? I guess some people feel the need to be different.