Maserati Quattroporte VI

Once, Maserati is a Italian sportscar maker specializes in cutting-edge grand tourers such as the GranTurismo, but by a twist from the noughties gave them a 4-door premium sedan that is a worthy contender against the Germans such as the S-Class, the 7-Series, and the A8.

It's called the Quattroporte and Quattroporte is Italian for four-doors when you're not surrendering. Now, you may remember that the Quattroporte was tested in Top Gear three years ago and even though it's not as fast as the Aston Martin Rapide or the Porsche Panamera, it's still one of the most interesting 4-door supercar ever made and that noise in sports mode really hits the spot. It's also more fun to drive and you can ever do some powersliding in here.

2013 Maserati Quattroporte

But now, let's move to the brand new and even more interesting Maserati Quattroporte. It's the newest incarnation of Maserati's 4-door supercar that we all like and at first glance, it's still more like The Godfather Part II but with some added...um...added...hey, what was the name of that HBO drama series that was ended a few years ago? Sopranos? Okay, it's still more like The Godfather Part II but with some added Sopranos on it.

2013 Maserati Quattroporte

How? Well, enough about mafia stuff, let's talk about the design. For starters, the front looks more of the same but it feels like Fidel Castro's face being squished  by several pliers. Also, two kinds of Maserati badges showed up in the front. One in the hood, one in the grille. Same as the Maserati GranTurismo but really? Do you need two badges on the front? And then there's the back view which feels like it came from the Kia K7. Go ahead, when you see a Kia K7, park near to it and you might notice that both of their backs look more of the same. Hmmm...

2013 Maserati Quattroporte interior

Now, what about the interior? Judging by its new interior, it's pretty much well crafted and well tailored like an exotic Chinese dress for the long-legged or maybe is Angelina Jolie's gown as seen in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, perhaps? Well, whatever that is, it's still looking nicely for the brand new interior of the new Quattroporte. Also, there's this stereo system in which when you had some spare change, you can opt in for the Bowers & Wilkins Premium Surround System which features 15 speakers, 5 x 25mm aluminium dome tweeters, 5 x 100mm Kevlar midrange drivers, 2 x 165mm Kevlar bass/midrange drivers, 2 x 165mm Rohacell bass drivers, 1x 350x200mm racetrack subwoofer 16 channel Class D amplifier with a combined output 1,280W, and QuantumLogic Surround Sound processing. 

Sounds wonderful though, and what's amazing though that is has an available WLAN technology that effectively turns it into a rolling Wi-Fi HotSpot. With this, your boss at the back will spend most of the trips doing Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with some hashtag nonsense. Yeah right, you might wanna leave as much hashtags you can while on the trip to Monte Carlo. He he he...

2013 Maserati Quattroporte

So, what about driving? If you were on the top-spec GTS version, it's still a a great car to drive on the open roads and on normal roads, as long as you're not fiddling with anything, it's still a comfortable premium saloon car. It was interesting but sadly, the fun doesn't last for long because the ride and handling doesn't have that "Ah!" factor so how about adding an extra ingredient? Four-wheel drive!

STOP: Four-wheel drive versions of the Quattroporte are available exclusively on the Left Hand Drive markets. Yes, really, the Quattroporte S Q4 is available only for selected Left Hand Drive markets.

The S Q4 version of the Quattroporte provides this 4-door supercar four-wheel drive so you can reach amazing angles and still rescue it but for a price, the 3.8 V8 engine was downgraded to a 3.0 V6 engine, which delivers 410PS of power, does 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 176mph. Still, it was worth a shot against premium luxury German saloon cars with a top speed limited to 155mph so no worries for this one. Anyway, with the four wheel-drive, it becomes more forgiving and more enjoyable in the corners but sadly, it feels a bit more milder. It's too mild for a Quattroporte with four-wheel drive so you don't get the sensation flowing through your adrenaline so for a real challenge, let's go back to the GTS model because it has rear-wheel drive, 3.8L V8 engine that develops 530PS of power, and some added dynamism for some added challenge.

But still, whichever which version you're on, whether if its a rear-wheel drive GTS variant with a V8 engine or a four wheel drive S Q4, an 8-speed flappy-paddle gearbox is the only gearbox available for the new Quattroporte and although still a single-clutch rather than the too-common double clutch, it's worth on par with the best sport/luxury sedans in this segment but sadly, nothing's too perfect for this gearbox because it's still as complicating as the other Chrysler Group sedans wearing the same gearbox. Sigh...

Even though the gearbox is a bit of an issue for the new model because it's too much and the suspension noise that's more terrible to notice than checking your door for a power interruption notice on the next day, the new Quattroporte is still one of the most top notch premium sedans ever made and it sets a blistering pace against any two-tonne saloon that has any right to. It's still worth a try for a mafioso hitman to drive one or a chauffeur who turns out to be a former special ops.

Available colors: Nero, Bianco, Grigio Metallo, Bronzo Siena, Champagne, Nero Ribelle, Blu Passione, and Rosso Folgore.

Photo: Maserati

Maserati's 4-door supercar - The Quattroporte

Although better late than never, the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S has arrived in Forza Motorsport 4 via the April Alpinestars Pack and so far, only two out of the three 4-door supercars featured on Top Gear were here. All we need now is the Porsche Panamera Turbo, which I hope that would be included on May's Porsche Expansion Pack on FM4.

They're getting away through some private jet!

So, Quattroporte, Italian for "four doors", it may be here for about eight years and it's due for a replacement next year but this 4-door supercar really keeping it up to its mojo. If I can remember correctly, the Aston Martin Rapide is more like the ballet dancer, while the Maserati Quattroporte is more like the hitman, and the Porsche Panamera was...um...eh...hmmm...it was somewhat like some dead man who got thrown through the river and then he got up. That Quattroporte is more like a mob car, a car that only the Don would be seating at the rear seat. Speaking of which, it was the Quattroporte's interior! On the Rapide, you still have Aston Martin buttons that can't read in bright sunlight. Then on the Panamera, the buttons are so complicated, it takes a rocket scientist to memorize those. Here on the Quattroporte, what should I say? This is none of these two but it's rubbish. For some criminal minds, there was some straps at the passenger side that once if you were held hostage and if your hands got handcuffed through these, you might be yelling "PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME TO THE WAREHOUSE!" or "PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!" or "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" or whatever the hostage might yell. Imagine if the highest ranking Yakuza or Triad would drive that and kidnap you?

They're escaping through the helicopter!

Under the bonnet was the 4.7L V8 engine that produces 440PS of power. 0-60MPH in 5.1 seconds, 0-100MPH in 10.9 seconds, and top speed of 179MPH. It also comes with the gearshift management software, with new features designed to increase driving enjoyment, front and rear suspension system featuring single-rate dampers, stiffer springs and lower ride height, and sports exhaust controlled by pneumatic valves for a deep, throaty and captivating sound. Those features really made this kind of Quattroporte more mob-like rather than being a ballet dancer. It's somewhat reminded me of the Maserati GranTurismo by some ways but that was just the beginning.

The ballet dancer vs. the hitman

This car is much more of a loudmouth than Annabelle Rama. When you hit the sport button, it generates much noise from the exhaust and also, it made it even more stiffer, turning this comfortable limousine into a torture chamber. Yep, you can better yell all you can and no one can hear you scream if the man who kidnapped you, driving the Quattroporte. Imagine if there was a convoy of Quattroportes driving around the streets of New York, that would be great but if ambush occurred, things get messy. Well, doesn't matter because this kind of car really made me think or laugh. If you prefer this Quattroporte, go get it but if you're not, get a Rapide, or if you're not interested on these, wait for the Panamera to arrive on Forza 4's Porsche Expansion Pack. It's your choice...