Comments on: Maserati Quattroporte Automatica Review

By: victor

victor — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:09:20 +0000

5th gear did a review of the 2006 with the auto-manual, it was supposedly reworked and re-programed, and they said it was fixed into one of the best auto-manuals around and they liked it. That was a great review and i bet the new auto is even better, sales are up a lot i’ve heard. As for missing technology, its suprising that the old alfa 156 had ipod integration available and that the cheap fiat 500 coming out will offer Blue and Me, which is supposedly a great bluetooth and ipod interation system, maybe it will be added to the quatroporte for the 08 model year.

By: Linh

Linh — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:31:09 +0000

I drove a 2005 Quattroporte with the DuoSelect for a year and while the looks are seductive and the handling superb, living with the car on a daily basis was unnerving. The HVAC, navi, and stereo interface excessively complex even compared to BMW and Mercedes. The buttons do not begin to describe how complex the menus are. The engine was a gem when it would start, truly a car that was tempermental on a daily basis. But fact is, the DuoSelect was what kept me from driving that car again.

By: wsn

wsn — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:15:33 +0000

Replying to bestertester:

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.

EXACTLY!

Not matter how people praise it, they don’t really like it if they choose not to buy it. The opions of those who cannot afford it doesn’t count much anyway.

For those who compare it with a Buick, please compare cars of similar price tags, OK? I really don’t see it being any better than Audi A8 or MB S600, other than the rarity.

I doubt Maserati can produce anything that can run at the cost of a Buick. And unlike Maserati, GM isn’t bankrupt yet.

By: rcolayco

rcolayco — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 15:21:15 +0000

I’m about to make some persons very angry… I’ve often thought the Merc CLS is a design that might have been one with which a highly talented, promising stylist could win a prize at a contest. The Maser QP would be a design penned by an old master… without the use of computer aids. To my mind there have been two great QPs prior to the current one. The very first one came out in the 60’s, and the second one, rather less distinctive than either the first or the current one, and syled by Giugiaro, was produced in the 70s. Forget the whole bunch of small bi-turbos of the 80s and 90s. The first and the second one, by the way, were V8s like the current one, but had 5-speed manual boxes.

By: Jan Andersson

Jan Andersson — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:25:59 +0000

Yes of course. But if there wasn’t any sport cars of this caliber, no formula 1, no WRC, etc. we would all drive around in Trabants with recycled rubber tyres. No official speed limit would be necessary, and we shouldn’t have an oil crisis… hey, that’s a good idea! As long as I had the Maserati.

By: evanson

evanson — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 03:03:10 +0000

I view a car like the Maserati as kind of like a Playboy playmate, very nice to look at, maybe fun to spend a few days with, but nothing I’d want in a long-term partner. In reality, very few Ferraris, Lambos, Maseratis are sold each year in the U.S., typically 3k or less, and they are fantasies…sell auto magazines, keep us thinking there may be more beauty, performance, thrill out there. Even Lexus’s new LS600 hybrid is a fantasy…production run for this year of something like 2k I was told by the salesman. A client recently gave me a ride in their Ferrari Marenello…ridiculous car for the street, way too fast, amusing for a day or two, wouldn’t consider owning one even though I could. But maybe this stuff is more appealing if you can’t and it stays in fantasy land.

By: Jeb Hoge

Jeb Hoge — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 23:34:49 +0000

“Drivers are Bluetoothless, I-Pod deficient, satellite radio bereft and keyless ignition deprived.”

SOLD! Where do I sign?

By: mdanda

mdanda — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 14:38:45 +0000

I live in Kansas and it is not really that flat. Illinois and Florida are quite flat–Kansas, not so much.

By: Jan Andersson

Jan Andersson — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:12:35 +0000

If this is “Helga” on the passenger seat of my BMW, I wouldn’t mind the sausages.

http://www.kmmod.com/cschiffer/

By: NickR

NickR — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 10:44:33 +0000

Drivers are Bluetoothless, I-Pod deficient, satellite radio bereft and keyless ignition deprived.

On the other hand, for some buyers (me) that would prompt a personal letter of thanks to the good people at Fiat.

By: Captain Neek

Captain Neek — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:55:52 +0000

“There’s no more Addam’s family effect (Lurch is gone).”

That had me laughing out loud. Thanks for getting my day off to a great start…

By: CAHIBOstep

CAHIBOstep — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:56:24 +0000

This car is a knockout. Total luxury. If only I could “simply add the Maserati to [my] stable and call it buono.”

It takes an Italian to design a car like this. Buick should be be falling all over themelves to hear that you compared the “LaWhatever” to this car.

By: pogi

pogi — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:49:48 +0000

cheezweggie, the transmission is from ZF, not Fiat.

By: Terry Parkhurst

Terry Parkhurst — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:43:52 +0000

The newest Quattroporte is indeed a beautiful automobile; saw one in Reno last summer, during Hot August Nights, in front of the Atlantis hotel and it seemed right at home, amongst the street rods and customs. However, forget ever getting your money back.

This past weekend, I saw a 1983 Maserati Quattroporte, with just 33,000 miles on its odometer, bid to $5,300 and remain in the hands of the guy who brought it. Of course, this was at an auction held in Puyallup, Washington, during a Corvette and high-performance swap meet. But hey, even the collector car dealers there, who would swarm all over a good deal if there was one, avoided this sedan.

The resale for the newer Quattroporte might be a bit better, since Maserati’s parent, Ferrari, decided to rid it of that terribly ill-conceived transmission they’d put into it. But generally speaking, Maseratis have such poor parts and service support, no one but a hardcore Maserati buff, wants to bother with them. It’s one reason the Maserati Information Exchange, which sells parts, service and helpful information, as an aftermarket supplier, has so many fans.

By: gunnarheinrich

gunnarheinrich — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:59:22 +0000

Deelightful review. I especially liked the bit about the entry.

By: cc-rider

cc-rider — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:12:22 +0000

Cheeze- there is no possible way you have heard the sounds this car makes. I have seen many in the flesh and there is no resemblence to any Buicks- none! This car is a standout among the uber sedans. It is meant to be driven and not chauffered by someone else.

Heck, I’d take the early 80’s quatro with the 4.7 old school V8 from the 70’s and do my best godfather impersonation!

By: cheezeweggie

cheezeweggie — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:50:00 +0000

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.

By: pogi

pogi — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:31:18 +0000

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.

By: SherbornSean

SherbornSean — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:22:54 +0000

ZoomZoom,
I thought he drove an Aston!

Anyhow, great review of one of the few truly beautiful cars in production today. Thanks, Jay

By: ZoomZoom

ZoomZoom — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:03:11 +0000

How’ bout that license plate in the rear shot?

“NEW007QP”

By: Jay Shoemaker

Jay Shoemaker — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:57:22 +0000

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.

By: ole

ole — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:44:18 +0000

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…

By: SherbornSean

SherbornSean — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:37:43 +0000

Jonny Sack had the coupe I think.

By: Jay Shoemaker

Jay Shoemaker — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:34:29 +0000

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.

By: rudiger

rudiger — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:34:19 +0000

Didn’t Johnny Sack from The Sopranos drive one of these?

Now there’s some product placement for ya…