Test drive Maserati Quattroporte
The factory in Piedmont still makes expensive and very distinctive cars. After another update of the lineup, the products of the Italian brand have finally tasted even the most sophisticated
The Aosta Valley is pierced through by the E25 expressway, which runs from the Mont Blanc tunnel to Pont Saint Martin on the border with Piedmont. Alpine villages scattered on the slopes outside the window are replaced by endless walls of concrete corridors. The asphalt road now and then wags from side to side, forcing you to constantly adjust the trajectory. But if earlier, sitting behind the wheel of a Maserati, you had to steer yourself, now cars with a trident on the radiator grille have learned to do it on their own. Or not really?
The 2018 update has affected not only the flagship Quattroporte, but also the compact Ghibli sedan along with the Levante crossover. All three vehicles swapped out hydraulic power steering for electric power steering, allowing for a whole slew of electronic assistants. The systems for keeping the car in the lane and recognizing traffic signs, sensors for monitoring the "blind" zones, active cruise control with the function of a complete stop and collision avoidance are supplied to the conveyor in Turin by the German company Bosch. What has been used by competitors for many years, and what customers in the US and China - the two main markets for the Italian brand - have been waiting for for so long - can now be ordered as an option.
For a more detailed acquaintance with all the updates, I chose the Quattroporte sedan. The appearance of the electric booster did not affect the sensations from control in any way - the sedan eagerly follows any deviations from the zero mark, without depriving the driver of pure feedback and predictable reactive action on the steering wheel. No synthetics, everything is very natural and extremely honest. It looks like the Quattroporte has kept its trademark Italian breed, but what about active safety?
Despite the German origin of the components, all assistants work in Italian. The sensors of "blind" zones are triggered in the most unexpected situations, active cruise control requires a certain amount of patience and dexterity, and the lane control system reacts too emotionally in case of a serious deviation from the course, like an ardent Italian woman. But even if all these electronic assistants worked perfectly, I still can hardly imagine a person who would want to order them for their Maserati.
But what should have long been changed in all cars of the Italian brand is the naughty automatic transmission selector and the only steering column switch responsible for the operation of the wipers, optics and God knows what else. And if you can find a common language with the latter after a couple of hours, then it is almost impossible to predict which gear the box will turn on at your command. However, the company's representatives honestly admit that they are well aware of the existing problems and are working to present the most elegant solution.
It sounds like just another marketing chatter, but Maserati has already done some work. For example, with the current update, they have replaced the multimedia system. A modest screen with outdated graphics has finally given way to a large 8,4-inch touchscreen with built-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces. The menu, by the way, is also organized a little differently. Now everything is logical here, and the system itself immediately reacts to user commands.
“But, after all, Maserati is primarily about driving, and only then about comfort and modern technologies,” a fan of the brand will object and will be absolutely right. To be convinced of this, it is enough to pull off the highway onto a winding mountain road and turn on the sport mode.
Despite its size and weight, the Quattroporte can be screwed into tight corners at least as well as other sports coupes. The difference with the more compact Ghibli is nuanced. Every time I drive a Maserati, I never cease to be amazed at how seamless and distinctive these cars are. Add to that a supercharged V6 or V8 with good mid-range torque, rear-wheel drive and a stabilization system that almost never interferes with the process, and now you have accelerated your heart rate to values for a marathon.
Sales of Italian cars with a trident on the radiator grille are growing every year. Since 2013, the sixth generation of the Quattroporte has been ordered by more than 24 customers in 000 countries. It seems that at the plant in Turin they learned how to make cars for which buyers are ready to shell out a lot of money, and sophisticated enthusiasts have finally tasted the products of the brand with a long history. The updated flagship of Maserati proves that the company knows how to listen to the wishes of the customers, while maintaining the spirit of the brand.
| Sedan | Sedan | Sedan |
| 5262/1948/1481 | 5262/1948/1481 | 5262/1948/1481 |
| 3171 | 3171 | 3171 |
| 1860 | 1920 | 1900 |
| Petrol, V6 | Petrol, V6 | Petrol, V8 |
| 2979 | 2979 | 3799 |
| 430/5750 | 430/5750 | 530 / 6500 - 6800 |
| 580 / 2250 - 4000 | 580 / 2250 - 4000 | 650 / 2000 - 4000 |
| Rear, AKP8 | Full, AKP8 | Rear, AKP8 |
| 288 | 288 | 310 |
| 5 | 4,8 | 4,7 |
| 13,8/7,2/9,6 | 14,2/7,1/9,7 | 15,7/7,9/10,7 |
| Not announced | Not announced | Not announced |
