Maserati Quattroporte III Facelift (Topic Ufficiale - 2008)

[nucarote]

Peccato solo per la fanaleria oscena, per il resto rimane stupenda.

PS. Ma quando esce la nuova?

[Regazzoni]

Lodi da Top Gear.

Più che un road test, si direbbe un primo contatto.

Too cool to tool

The Quattroporte is one of the coolest cars on sale today. For proof, look no further than the fact that Jean Todt had one as a company car and once turned up to a Ferrari launch in one painted entirely black, with blacked-out windows and a black-suited chauffeur. It made even him look cool, which isn't something you'd often say of Jean Todt.

After five years of sales, that kudos hasn't faded.Understandably, then, when Maserati decides on a face-lift, the alterations are going to be small. The grille slats now run vertically,as with the GranTurismo - the front and rear lights are tweaked - but otherwise it's business as usual. Oh, hang on; the mirrors are now 'fully integrated' with the car. Er, so they weren't properly attached before?

The big news, though, comes in the size of the engine. You can now buy a Quattroporte S which, like the GranTurismo S recently launched, gets the 4.7-litre V8. Power is up to 425bhp and torque is now 361lb ft, which is a useful improvement on the 4.2 litre's 395bhp and 339lb ft: 0-62mph drops by 0.2 seconds as a result, to 5.4 seconds, and the top speed rises by 6mph to 174mph.

None of these improvements are revolutionary, but the S does feel that little bit quicker now. If you're after a massive slug of torque, you'll need to head in the direction of the German V8s, because the Quattroporte needs working a bit harder to get at all the power available. But this is hardly a chore. The engine noise is one of the highlights; from a burble at low revs, it builds into a much harder-edged note, and it's one of the few super-saloons that actually sounds better from inside than outside.

The automatic gearbox that appeared towards the end of the pre-face-lift car's life continues here, in both the S and normal Quattroportes. Fitting that 'box as standard was one of the best things that Maserati could have done to the Quattroporte, because it suits the car so much better than the old clutchless manual. That used to baulk a bit, but this one just allows you to waft along. The S comes with paddles as standard, but I can't see many people using them - you'll just stick it in D.

Maserati likes to talk about the Quattroporte being a sports saloon, but it should be pushing style and comfort. Yes, the weight distribution (49:51 front to rear) is ideal, and it hardly understeers, but the steering isn't direct enough, and the ride is so impressive that wafting is where it's at. Just ask Jean Todt, he'll tell you.

[caesarimperator]

Uè raga, sapete per caso se la quattroporte o almeno la versione S dispongono del transaxle?

per quanto riguarda i motori sono tutti a carter umido?

[Dodicicilindri]

No, le versioni automatiche hanno il cambio in blocco col motore, e il vecchio cambiocorsa non c'è più.

[_hainz]

No, le versioni automatiche hanno il cambio in blocco col motore, e il vecchio cambiocorsa non c'è più.

[J-Gian]

per quanto riguarda i motori sono tutti a carter umido?

[j]

da AutoZeitung.de

(Cliccando sul link potrete leggere, in tedesco, la prova comparativa tra la Maserati Quattroporte S e la BMW 750i dove la Maserati si classifica 2; a pagina 6 le tabelle riassuntive)

Modificato 6 Gennaio 2009 da j

[luc@]

Che strano che vinca la BMW...

[Stefano73]

Che strano che vinca la BMW...

E normalissimo che un auto prodotta in grande serie e al limite della perfezione batta ai punti come punteggio complessivo un auto emozionante con ancora un tocco di artigianale e irrazionale.

[J-Gian]

La Quattroporte a mio avviso continua ad essere uno spettacolo