The article was originally produced on March 5, 2013, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Maserati Quattroporte

Maserati is seriously entering the battle for customers with the extra demands on its car. With the new Quattroporte, it will raise the brand to new levels never reached before. As an exclusive magazine, Cars Collection was allowed to come along to Nice for the international test drive.

The sixth generation of the Maserati Quattroporte is now here The predecessor arrived ten years ago and helped the brand to get back into the fierce competition that prevails in the automotive industry. But the model was anything but perfect. The shapes were certainly among the most beautiful a four-door sedan could show off at the time, but a clunky, discordant gearbox made the drive uncomfortable and jerky despite a very fine Ferrari signature V8 engine. The model was nevertheless a success for the brand together with the two-door coupe Gran Turismo. With the new Quattroporte, a completely new future strategy has been laid out. From having sold 6,000 cars per year in 2012, they are aiming for 50,000 already in 2015. It may seem like a bold goal, but in Maserati's model portfolio there are many strong cards that speak for success. The Quattroporte is first out and will be followed by a number of models, including a rebirth of the classic Ghibli. An SUV is also planned. 

In 1914, the five Maserati brothers started their company in Bologna but in 1940 moved to Modena where the competitor Ferrari had also started to manufacture sports cars. In the beginning, Maserati only produced racing cars, but after the move to Modena, it has rolled out many classic sports cars from the factory. Among other things 3500 GT, Mistral, Mexico, Ghibli, Indy, Bora, Merak and Biturbo to name a few. Success in motor racing is a glorious part of the brand's history. Between 1950-1957 they participated in Formula 1 and in 1957 Juan Manuel Fangio became world champion for the fifth time. Then in a Maserati 250F. Before the oil crisis in the 70s, Maserati was owned for a period by Citroën. One of the most famous Citroën models with elements from Maserati was the Citroën SM (Serie Maserati). After the Citroën era, Maserati was sold to De Tomaso and then on to Fiat in the early 90s. Nowadays, the brand is part of the Ferrari group.

The first thing you notice when your eyes land on the new Quattroporte is its size. It now has a total length of 5.2 metres, and with the extended length and wheelbase, the legroom in the back has been extended by a full ten centimetres. Something that clearly speaks for increased interest in the Asian world, where these spaces weigh heavily, oddly enough, in the competition. But despite its size, the Quattroporte is definitely not perceived as clumsy. The model has among the best numbers in terms of drag efficiency. Together with an almost flat underside, the lifting forces are significantly reduced and give the car better stability at higher speeds and lower fuel consumption. A result after collaboration with Ferrari.

Compared to the previous generation, the new Quattroporte has a more distinctive design. All lines sharper than on the predecessor. The front has a much more aggressive look with pointed edges on the flaps that surround the large grill. The rear end of the new Quattroporte brings to mind Audi and especially the A4 and A5. When the question is put to the design managers, there is a long explanation in Italian that it was actually Audi that borrowed the shapes from Maserati's Gran Turismo model. When the new Quattroporte was designed, they oscillated between two designs but chose to keep the design language that they considered to be the first with. If they had bowed, it would have been giving credit to Audi.

When you open the doors, the function is "stepless" as in Aston Martin e.g. The door therefore has no click positions, but stays where you choose for it to be. Luxurious! The leather and woodwork in the cabin is, as expected, top class. No expense has been spared here and you feel a great pleasure from just sitting and enjoying when the door closes and silence sets in. All the senses thrive in the Quattroporte, sight, touch, smell and finally hearing. Because it was the sound that was worrying. Nowadays it has a V8 with a twin turbo of 550 horses and in the BMW M5 and M6 the twin turbo units have meant very boring engine noise and everything else that you want to feel in this type of car. The previous Quattroport's Ferrari V8 sounded lovely, a delight to the ear. But when the button with the text "Start engine" is pressed and the engine comes to life, the worry about a low dull sound is gone. The resulting sound has real character and is anything but boring. Something you have to thank the engineers at Maserati for.

On the winding mountain roads above Nice, the Quattroporten gets the chance to really show how sometimes size doesn't matter. Sure, it's big, but a well-designed chassis and steering make the car do exactly as it's told, and without a doubt. However, you slide around in the seats. When asked, the explanation is that they are intended to also fit the American market. Other details are also doubtful such as e.g. an unusually loud blinker noise to name a few. But the thing is, you have to have a certain indulgence with little things like these. A car built in Italy with red blood in its genes will never be experienced as perfect as a corresponding car built in Germany. However, a German car, despite its perfectionism, will never have the same hot charismatic soul as a Maserati. Whether this can contribute to selling 50,000 cars, however, remains to be seen.