British or Italian?
Neither the Quattroporte nor the XJR is a great fit for narrow European roads and we didn't see many full-size luxury sedans in our travels. You have to keep in mind that these cars are built primarily to get from town to town, not to get around
in the towns.
With that caveat out of the way,
we declare Maserati's Quattroporte the winner of our informal comparison. Its Italian heritage is evident in everything from the way
it carries itself on the roads outside Modena to the richness of its leather interior. Jaguar's XJR is certainly a practical and comfortable car for touring the countryside, but there's nothing distinctly British about
it.
It loves the motorway, but on less traveled roads,
it's out of its element. Plus, its styling and materials do little to set
it apart from other luxury sedans, even in its own country.
At one time, Jaguar was the premier builder of touring sedans with old-world panache, but now that title goes to Maserati.
Segnalibri