It's the options that make life sweet. That warm southern beach during a bitter cold snap. A Steamboat Springs ski slope instead of sweating in Palm Springs. Chocolate versus vanilla.
Or an Italian luxury sedan instead of a 4-door from Germany or England…an automobile such as the Maserati Quattroporte. Like an arrow pulled taut in a bow, the Maser is aimed at the Euro-luxo-sportivo market: Mercedes-Benz's S-Class, BMW's 7 Series, Jaguar's XJ and Audi's A8 L.
In such a gathering of great automobiles, why consider the Italian?
Because the Quattroporte is wonderfully different from the others, just as Armani arguably bests Hugo Boss and no German red wine should be mentioned in the same breath as Brunello di Montalcino. English food versus Italian cucina?
Pininfarina's Quattroporte exterior design is not as wind-tunnel-sleek as the others, but
it has a voluptuousness — à la Sophia Loren — the others lack. Long hood and short deck; a marvelous grille traced to the Zagato and Pininfarina A6GCS coupes of the mid-1950s flanked by the most modern of headlamps.
To give you an idea of the Maserati's size compared with a Mercedes-Benz S500, the Italian rides on a 0.9-in.-shorter wheelbase though overall length is 4.2 in. less than the Mercedes. The Maser is 1.6 in. wider and 0.6 in. lower.
Inside, the basic theme is a cabin for four finished in rich woods and leathers in standard colors with the ability to customize with what Maserati claims are 4 million combinations of colors and materials. A Sport package adds performance options; an Executive group offers such luxuries as rear-seat tables and ventilated massage seats.
The seats already support and hold in a manner required for a performance sedan. The fronts are electrically adjustable, and you can also electrically scoot the rear seat cushions forward through 3.9 in. of travel and ease the seatback angle.
Straight ahead of the driver are handsome, blue-faced gauges, a color repeated in the analog clock at the top of the center stack. Set in wood below is the navigation/Bose audio system panel, while at the bottom are the climate controls. The long, broad center console has the option of a rear-seat DVD system.
Under the body panels — the hood and trunklid are aluminum — lurks a Ferrari-built aluminum 32-valve V-8 with 400 bhp and 332 lb.-ft. of torque for the 4255-lb. sedan versus the S500's 302 bhp, 339 lb.-ft. of torque and 4170 lb. Maserati claims a 0-60 time under 5.2 seconds; Mercedes pegs the S500 at 6.1 sec.
The Quattroporte's V-8 engine is linked via a torque-tube-enclosed driveshaft to a 6-speed DuoSelect transaxle, which, like other Masers and Ferraris, is a mechanical gearbox with electrohydraulic actuation via steering-column paddles.
The independent A-arm suspension on the Quattroporte has all of today's electronic driver aids. The brakes are big Brembos, and the wheels are either 18- or 19-inchers.
Our test drive was near Florence on a gray almost-misting day that left the roads intermittently dry and slightly damp, slick with mud on surfaces both smooth and rough. Yet the Quattroporte was right at home. Dancing down a chain of undulating lefts and rights, the car stays put as you rush along feeling
it shift confidently from side to side. Around a long corner the pavement darkens with a slippery glaze, the MSP (Maserati Stability Program) light winks and the power trims a touch as the Maser steadies itself and is off to the next turn. The ride on all surfaces is as smooth as the handling is steady.
Make no mistake, the competition does the same, for
it's all part of the price of playing in the big luxury leagues, and the Maserati does
it in style. For some, there is one small fly in the linguini: While the DuoSelect's shifting is tight, precise and great fun when rushing around the countryside, its automatic mode is disconcertingly slow and rough in the city.
Priced at an estimated $90,000, only 1500-1800 Quattroportes will be sold annually in the U.S. beginning this fall.
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