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By
EWAN KENNEDY
1 October 2007
As a designer of purebred sports cars, the Maserati marque is
not willing to accept compromises. So even the four-door Quattroporte
saloon is aimed at the high-performance grand-touring driver, not at
someone who is more interested in image than actuality.
One feature of the original Quattroporte was the
use of a rear-mounted gearbox. This lets the front-mounted engine
be set back behind the front axle. And combining the gearbox with
the rear differential (an arrangement called a transaxle) keeps as
much weight as possible within the wheelbase.
Trouble was, more and more buyers were looking for
an automatic transmission instead of the traditional manual
gearbox, even in sporting Italian cars. Maserati responded by
fitting a robotised system to the manual gearbox. Though claimed
to be Formula One inspired the system was flawed in its change
actions, giving the sort of harsh upshifts in the lower gears that
plagues most of these hybrid automated-manual transmissions.
So Maserati's engineers went searching for a
suitable full automatic. Eventually deciding on the
highly-regarded ZF six-speed that’s used in such diverse cars as
Jaguars and upmarket variants of Australia’s own Ford Falcon.
This transmission is capable of handling the big power and torque
produced by the superb Maserati powerplant.
But there wasn’t space for the automatic at the
back of the Maserati Quattroporte. Hateful compromises looked like
being forced on the Maserati guys, but after a lot of hard work
they were eventually able to keep their car true to its origins.
They had to mount the automatic immediately behind
the engine, which required major modifications to the floorpan,
but have managed to keep the engine in its setback position. There
is some intrusion of the automatic into the front of the passenger
compartment, but this is such a big car that you barely notice it.
The really good news is that the geniuses from
Maserati and ZF have maintained the balance of the Quattroporte to
a near-perfect 49/51 front/rear balance. And have kept the bulk of
the driveline’s mass within the wheelbase to give the car
maximum handling response.
Road grip is immense as the chassis works well
both mechanically and through its electronic aids. Steering
reaction is close to instantaneous and the big saloon communicates
what it’s doing both through the steering wheel and provides
excellent feedback through the seats.
Ride comfort is surprisingly good considering the
sporting nature of the suspension. But there are times when you
will find it being knocked around by lumps and bumps.
The four individual leather seats support well so
four adults can travel in comfort with good headroom and legroom
for all. There are safety belts for five, but the centre-rear seat
is strictly for emergencies as it’s severely restricted for
legroom thanks to the big central console and the shaping of the
centre portion destroys any attempt at comfort.
Styling of the interior is simply brilliant in a
vivacious and elegant Italian manner. The dashboard is unashamedly
sporting in its layout. Naturally, the traditional Maserati
analogue clock takes pride of place in the dash centre.
Should you have special preferences for interior
or exterior features in the way of trim, colour or material,
Maserati is only too happy to oblige.
The electronic handbrake is a jarring feature,
being noisy and harsh in operation. Back to the drawing board on
that one…
The frontal styling of the big Maserati
Quattroporte works beautifully thanks to the expansive air intake
with its exquisite shape and bold trident logo. The side skirts
stick way out and make a real statement of their intent. The tail
end is purposeful, almost to the point of being aggressive as the
big Italian shows its tail to the traffic.
The big 400 horsepower, 4.2-litre V8 engine
produces a great burble even at low revs, reacts more than
willingly to the slightest of throttle inputs and emits a
race-type shriek when you really get stuck into it. Which is
something that we recommend at every safe opportunity if you own a
Maserati.
Changes to the torque converter settings on the ZF
transmission give sharp changes that suit the character of the big
Italian perfectly. In another car they might be considered too
hard-edged, but they are oh-so right in the Maser.
There's something about Italian sports cars that
makes them stand out from others big sports machines. The Germans,
the Brits, even the Americans make large two-door cars with plenty
of performance, but none offer the same joy of life as the Italian
cars. Go on, if you’ve got a spare $289,000 burning a hole in
your bank account, give a Maserati a go…
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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