2006 Maserati Quattroporte Test Drive

Luxury Sedan With A Sports Car Soul

This exquisite Italian is the antithesis of German luxury sedans and not for everyone.

Performance

Maserati claims that no car in the Quattroporte's class is as fast or handles as well, though in fact the substantially less expensive, but nonetheless luxurious, supercharged Jaguar XJR out accelerates it from zero to 60 mph. Still, the Quattroporte keeps pace with a much lighter Porsche Boxster S (0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds) and tops out at just over 170 mph.

+ enlarge image  |  view gallery >

Several big German sedans that are electronically limited to a maximum of 155 mph could probably blow the Maserati away with their speed limiters disabled, but theoretical top speeds don't get bragging rights. And besides, palpable driving enjoyment goes far beyond hard numbers on a specs sheet.

To grasp less quantifiable handling attributes, ForbesAutos.com spent five days driving an '06 Quattroporte Executive among the high-speed autoroutes and minuscule back roads of Spain and France, where the spacious luxury car handled the demands of each with aplomb.

Steering is sharp and communicative, and the Quattroporte's unique-in-its-class front mid-mounted engine, its weight set entirely aft of the front axles, gives the car outstanding balance (47 percent of the vehicle's weight is on the front wheels and 53 percent on the rears). The slight rearward weight bias aids acceleration by encouraging better torque transfer to the ground through the rear wheels; keeping the front of the car lighter helps in braking maneuvers by equalizing the load when weight is transferred forward.

The Quattroporte involves drivers, particularly with its paddle-shifted six-speed sequential manual transmission. Instead of a traditional clutch pedal and stick shift, aluminum paddles behind the steering wheel require only a fingertip flick to control the electro-hydraulically activated clutch and gear-change mechanism (right paddle for upshifts, left for downshifts).

Sequential manual transmissions are en vogue for high-performance cars right now, what with their race-bred glamour, plus the ability to be toggled into a totally automatic mode, much like putting an ordinary automatic transmission into "drive." A word of caution: Sequential manuals are complex, expensive and, some would say, delicate mechanisms that haven't yet established a reputation for durability in the hands of ordinary drivers. Driving technique has a lot to do with how well they hold up and repairs for these transmissions can be expensive and time consuming.

+ enlarge image  |  view gallery >

Word is that the Quattroporte will have a conventional automatic transmission for the 2007 model year and that the sequential manual option will be discontinued. Maserati wouldn't comment, didn't deny it either. Depending on how you feel about shifting for yourself, you can decide to buy now or wait.

Part of what makes Italian exotic cars such as the Quattroporte so appealing is that, just like people, they have idiosyncrasies that lend them character. For instance, the Quattroporte's brakes squeal. That may seem like a nuisance and would horrify other top-end manufacturers — at least one Japanese luxury-sedan maker has admitted choosing brake pads based on their dust-free cleanliness rather than stopping power — but many race-worthy brake pads squeal, and it's hard to keep them totally quiet. To Maserati, the tradeoff in quietude is worth superior braking performance.

The Quattroporte is a communicative and intriguiging car, not an automated appliance. It doesn't offer the somnolent silence of a Lexus or Mercedes, and the steering and suspension constantly let you know what the road and the car are doing. The sequential manual transmission isn't nearly as seamless in its shifts as the top German and Japanese six- and seven-speed automatics, but for a driver who wants to feel in control of the car, that's a plus. Alternately, for those who prefer coddling isolation from the road and mechanicals, the Quattroporte might not be the best fit. It just depends on what you're looking for.