FIRSTDRIVE:The GT-S gives the stunning Quattroporte even slicker, sportier intentions, writes PADDY COMYN
I HAVE A FRIEND (we won’t mention his name for fear of embarrassment) who fits into a rather special category. He is way too successful to drive the cars he really likes.
Let me explain. He did well out of the Celtic Tiger but not before putting in enough hard work to ensure that he isn’t now broke. He is in his early 30s, almost married but not yet, and yet he drives a car that I think is way too old for him. It is a Mercedes Benz S-Class.
Sure, there is nothing wrong with that you might say, but it just seems way too “mid-40s”. Before that, he had a Mercedes-Benz E-Class and before that a CLK. Never once has he had a Porsche 911, or an Aston Martin, or indeed a Mercedes CL, which admittedly is in the same vein as the S-Class, but would be a little more interesting.
Some people have to be concerned about what others will assume when they see a flash car. A Mercedes-Benz S-Class or indeed a BMW 7-Series is expensive, but seems to be accepted as a necessary business tool for top-level executives, while a sports car, which in some cases costs less than the Benz, would be a flash of extravagance.
I’m not entirely sure where the Maserati Quattroporte sits then in this particular puzzle. Here is a car that in some cases costs less than an S-Class, has power equivalent to most Porsche 911s and yet most people would assume that the owner is a millionaire with a penchant for yachts and statuesque models.
Maserati pretty much invented the Hyper Sport segment that the Quattroporte resides in, sharing space with cars such as the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide. These are quite simply four-door saloon supercars. They offer the practicality of a luxury car with the performance and handling of a supercar. The Quattroporte has proven good business for Maserati and has given it the chance to introduce its cars to new customers.
The Quattroporte has been around since 2003 and early models were criticised for a rather fiddly “Cambiocorsa” gearbox and a shaky reliability record. Since then, an automatic has been added and you can have the car in a variety of flavours, ranging from madras to vindaloo.
The GT-S is its latest and most potent four-door, aimed at the 30 per cent or so of owners who want their four-door Italian sports car to be as fiery as it is beautiful. And beautiful it most certainly is. The Quattroporte has been a reasonably recent recipient of some changes that have brought it right up to date, including new headlamps, grille, lights and redesigned bumpers and improvements to the interior.
The GT-S model adds to this a new black grille with concave vertical fins, 20-inch alloy wheels, dual oval exhaust pipes and newly designed, sportier Alcantara seats.
Under the bonnet is a 4.7l V8 that has seen its power increased fractionally (by 10bhp) thanks to the addition of a sport exhaust system. This makes an already delicious-sounding engine even throatier, much to the delight of the locals in Modena. Driving a new Maserati in this north Italian town, home to Ferrari and Maserati, is followed by universal adoration, applause, whistles and the type of gesticulation that only Italians can manage. And that is just from the pensioners.
Back inside the GT-S, there is an automatic gearbox with paddles behind the steering wheel that are fixed rather than move with the wheel, as is so often the case these days. By pressing a sport button on the dash the car wakes up physically and audibly; valves open in the exhaust, allowing the gases to escape to the outside world faster. It is the motoring equivalent of turning on a large sub-woofer.
When you pull the gear selector over to manual you have full control over the gear changes, allowing you to hold on to ratios longer for improved performance.
This vast saloon is incredibly agile and seriously rewarding to drive. The steering is super accurate and although we would prefer the gearbox paddles to move with the steering wheel, the transmission works well and is super fast.
The interior is a little bit of a mismatch in places, with a fiddly navigation system and too many tiny buttons on the dash, but you are aware from the reaction of the outside world that you are driving something beautiful and your right foot knows that it is seriously fast too. Going from 0-100km/h takes just over five seconds and top speed is 285km/h, which is fast in such a huge saloon.
Charles Hurst specialist cars, Ireland’s Maserati dealership, tells us that the GT-S will cost you €168,000 at the moment, which is pretty expensive – more than a BMW 750iL but way cheaper than something like a Mercedes S-Class AMG or Bentley Flying Spur.
For those who want passion and performance from their luxury saloon, the Quattroporte is a good choice and the GT-S is probably their best one yet.
FACTFILE Maserati Quattroporte GT-S
Engine:4,691cc V8 putting out 440bhp/490Nm torque
Performance:maximum speed 285km/h; 0-100km/h 5.1 seconds
Fuel economy:15.7l/100km
CO2 emissions:365g/km
Motor-tax band:G €2,050 annual road tax
Price:€168,000