Photos courtesy of maserati.com

Borrowing from a relatively long tradition for building exotic four door sedans, the "new" Maserati created the latest edition of the famed Quattroporte (meaning 4 door).

Posted: Sunday, August 21, 2005.

Speed with Appointments -
Maserati Quattroporte

By Ed Kemper
Honolulu, Hawaii
Courtesy of Maserati Dealer - JN Automotive.

In 1997, famed Formula One racer/ exotic carmaker Ferrari took over Maserati. As a result, the Italian manufacturers have updated the older Maserati plant and worked on engines together.

One of the fruits of their labor is an almost 400 horsepower Ferrari assembled motor that is now used in the Maserati line.

From stem to stern, this luxury hauler is new and distinctive. Note the very long wheelbase with the front and rear wheels being pushed out as far as possible thereby helping interior space. From the grill to the portholes on the side, the look is like no other with a nicely integrated feel to it.

Technology and racing heritage was not left off with this rendition. Aside from the powerful engine, the transmission is more like a Formula One type than an every day one. First, it is mounted in the rear with the axle rather than in front. More interestingly, it is a manual transmission without a clutch activated by the driver, but by various other mechanisms (more on this later). Brakes are huge Brembos mounted on equally large rotors.

Inside a striking mix of leather, wood and metal with some terrific styling greets both the front and rear occupants.

All of this comes at a price and, as they say, if you have to ask, you cannot afford it. So, in polite company, let us just say the sticker starts at 6 figures.

Maserati In Manoa
Now that your interest in perked and, in fact, you are not in polite circumstances, the base starts at $101,500 and with lots of options the Wheels test car’s price jumped to $127,990. Some of the highlights of the additional features included an executive package ($5400), front and rear sensors ($1295), 19-inch wheels ($2585), a rear seat entertainment center ($7445), wooden pull down rear seat tables ($1940), and color brake calipers ($545).

With the sort of 6-speed manual transmission (called DuoSelect), a certain learning curve is required since it is neither fish nor foul.

Here is the way it works. First there is neither a manual clutch nor a gearshift lever as that term is normally used. In back of the steering wheel are two large and well marked paddles, on the left is the minus or downshift one and on the right is the plus or up shift. On the console is a very small T shaped chrome lever.

When the car is started, in a large window in the dash pod, is an indication of the present status of the transmission. If you wish to reverse, you move the lever on the console up and back and an R appears in the window and back you go. Once in position, move the little lever forward and the car is in drive and off you go. There is no need to do anything else because the computerized system will up shift and downshift as needed much like a pure automatic. A sport button on the dash will, in the auto mode, raise the rpm shift points and quicken the shifts.

But if you want to shift there is a button on the dash to change the mode and now numbers representing the current gear appear in the window. Then by using the paddle, the driver determines the gear selection.

In the real life, the auto mode is not very satisfying—the computer simply cannot always make the right choice and you end up with a somewhat herky/jerky experience.

The best practice is to shift manually going up through the gears and let the transmission automatically downshift (which it will do even in the manual mode). In this way, the driver is in control of the power and can smooth out the shifting.

And power there is. With nearly 400 hp (395 to be exact), the Quattroporte goes without hesitation anytime and anywhere. At idle the 4.2 liter DOHC V-8 has an occasional lumpy feeling like it has a high lift cam (which it probably does), but the rest of the time it is quiet and very effective. Expect a 0–60 time in the 5-second range—not too bad for a 5-passenger sedan.

All of the other characteristics are in keeping with the vehicle—cornering is flat and controlled, the ride is never harsh but surfaces are felt, and the steering has direct medium weight to it.

Price of Admission
Leather of the highest quality is everywhere with an excellent mixture of real wood (and it looks like wood, not a plastic version), metal, and chrome. Unlike many luxury sedans, the front seat holds you in place with some real side supports top and bottom.

Yes, there are the now usual computer screens in the dash pod and the center of the dash to provide info on the stereo and computer data. Automatic dual air conditioning is logically laid out, but the stereo and some of the other functions operated on the main screen take some time to master.

The leather powered tilt/telescoping steering wheel has buttons for stereo and other functions. Three memory buttons are found on the side of the driver’s seat.

In the over the top department, the glove box is opened with a power button, and in the armrest/storage compartment, cups or cans can be heated or cooled as needed.

Back Stage Access
Believe it or not, the back seat, at least for two, is arguably better than the front. Again, two of the seats have some true side bolstering and the seats are power ones with buttons for each outer passenger. For those who wish to see and not be seen, the rear window has a power shade (controlled by the driver), and there are manual shades for the side windows.

Climate in the rear venue can also be controlled with the apparatus built into the rear of the console. Above that is the optional DVD, CD player with a screen just above the top of the rear of the center console. In the armrest, one finds a remote so that no one has to actually lean forward to change the picture or sound show. For a little wine and pupus, tables can be lowered from the back of the front seats.

Knee room can handle most but it is not large, but headroom is more than adequate. With the A/C controls and TV screen, plus a drive shaft tunnel seating for a middle passenger is semi hopeless.

The beautifully lined trunk is medium sized and additional storage is found below a cover.

Formula One Four Door
Obviously this Italian beauty is on the high end of whatever scale one wishes to use as a measure. The exterior look is handsome and distinctive; the interior is an exotic mix of leather, wood, metal, and chrome. But some may even find the rear quarters more entertaining than the front. But most will opt to drive this 4 door because of its shear powerful pleasures.

Q&A
Q: Besides some of the exotic options discussed in the article, does Maserati offer others for the Quattroporte?

A: Seemingly the factory can customize the car to your liking. But one other option is custom made luggage designed to fit the trunk of your Quattroporte. What more could anyone ask for than that?

High Beams
• Knock out looks for a 4-door sedan.
• Interior of wood, chrome and leather to die for..
• Ferrari power is not too bad either.

Low Beams
• Very high priced options that should not all be options.

– Ed Kemper is the auto columnist for the Honolulu Star Bulletin and MidWeek, the Weekend. He also hosts Wheels Hawaii TV on Oceanic Cable-Channel 16 in Hawaii, which is shown on Wednesday at 12:30 PM, Thursday at 1:00 PM and 5 PM, Friday at 10:30 PM and 9:30 PM, and Saturday at 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM.

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