CARtoday.com editor Mike Fourie got the chance to drive the Quattroporte S – the flagship of Maserati’s revised grand saloon range – this week. He reports from Austria that although the 4,7-litre V8-engined newcomer has the ability to rival super saloons in terms of performance, its packaging and on-road poise illustrate Maserati’s determination to increase its foothold in the grand saloon segment.
SALZBURG – Detractors may suggest that the facelift to the Quattroporte is almost too subtle to notice and that Maserati’s conservative approach could disadvantage the range in the second half of its model life. Lending weight to that argument are these facts – new BMW 7 Series will soon go on sale, Mercedes-Benz S-Class still looks fresh and Aston Martin Rapide’s waiting in the wings.
In reality, the original Quattroporte was already the best looking grand saloon on the market and a number of minor tweaks have added a sportier edge to the Pininfarina-styled saloon’s voluptuous curves and greater presence to its elongated (by 45 mm) profile. The influence of the GranTurismo is evident inside and out… The newcomer has a redesigned grille with vertical slats and a chrome finish, restyled exterior mirrors that remind of those on Alfa Romeo’s 159, more pronounced side skirts and LED-laced headlamps and taillights that feature running lights at the front and honeycomb-like detailing at the back.
Although the rear end of the Quattroporte still fails to live up to the striking front visage, the new back bumper and more aggressive front spoiler help to lower the car’s stance. Moreover, the adoption of the GranTurismo’s multifunction steering wheel, a more intuitive Maserati Multimedia System, integrated front passenger airbag and more ergonomic centre console design have improved the Quattroporte in areas where it had been showing its age most. The front seats now offer additional lumbar and thigh support, but the new Marrone Corniola brown interior option is rather an acquired taste.
With claims of a 280 km/h top speed and zero to 100 km/h benchmark of 5,4 seconds, the Quattroporte S’ performance certainly compares more favourably with that of its V8-engined German and British rivals than the 4,2 did and in terms of power and torque outputs (317 kW at 7 000 r/min and 490 N.m of torque at 4 750 r/min), the S doesn’t fall too far short of the V12-engined limousines, either. When the new range becomes available in South Africa around the fourth quarter of the year, the six-speed automatic S will replace the Sport GTS version of the 4,2-litre model currently on sale, but such is the new model’s understatement that performance-orientated 4,2- and 4,7-litre Quattroportes are bound to bolster the line-up in the near future.
Riding on 19-inch wheels suspended by an updated Skyhook system with new damper settings, the Quattroporte S offers a similar, if slightly more reserved, full-bore basso profundo V8 exhaust note as its cousin, the GranTurismo S. Having said that, vigorous throttle responses and extra shove only tell half the story… Maserati have retained the 49:51 per cent front-to-rear weight distribution of the 4,2, sharpened up the (pleasingly communicative) steering and fitted a 360 mm high-performance braking system, developed in collaboration with Brembo, that features dual cast brake disks of cast iron and aluminium, paired with aluminium mono-bloc 6-piston brake calipers.
A full driving impression of the Quattroporte S will appear in an upcoming issue of CAR magazine, but I’ll let you in on two prominent characteristics of the S model’s on-road performance. Firstly, the ride quality of the Quattroporte flagship remains relatively composed despite the fact that it rides on low-profile 19-inch tyres. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, the braking system reacts sharply and provides progressive, easily-to-modulate stopping power – it inspires confidence whereas the 4,2’s wide pedal felt a tad vague.
Although Maserati in South Africa has seen great demand for the gorgeous GranTurismo, the Quattroporte hasn’t quite garnered as many sales as had been hoped. Spurred on by a tasteful facelift, the new range will undoubtedly offer potential buyers greater variety thanks to the arrival of the S model.
Although its local price is yet to be announced, Maserati officials here in Salzburg have indicated that the difference between the Quattroporte’s 4,2 and S models would probably be about eight per cent.
Read More about Mike Fourie’s experience with Maserati Week here.
Visit the wallpaper vault for more Maserati goodies here
Look out for more reports from the “Maserati Week” on CARtoday.com soon.
