But, stab the sport button, flex your ankle
and the QP deftly transforms into a mahogany-hulled speedboat, bringing its
party piece centre-stage - a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine that is built at
Ferrari's Maranello plant to a Maserati design. It's one of the strongest and
most characterful units of its kind.
Outputs of 301 kW and 550 Nm are more V8
than V6 and its specific torque figure of 183 Nm per litre is actually greater
than that of the flagship GTS model's 3.8-litre V8. The V6's maximum twist
comes in from a low 1,750 r/min, rendering the QP properly quick.
The
front seats snug nicely, all the better with Fiorio swooping us left-right-left
at the track
You can also detect the hand of Maranello's
engineers in the soundtrack. As the adaptive exhaust flaps open, flooring the
throttle brings forth a crisp six-cylinder snarl that grows into a
grin-inducing howl as the revs climb. Even when pressed to perform, the ZF 'box
never misses a beat and responds crisply to manual gearshifts. The more
aggressive gearshift mapping now sees each upshift announced by a bassy,
percussive brumph from the boot that can even be felt through the steering
wheel, as well as a plethora of pops and crackles on the overrun.
There's something deeply pleasing about the
QP's simple approach to drivetrain management. Essentially, you're in sport or
you're not. The same on/ off approach also applies to the Skyhook adaptive
dampers and ESP. Complexity isn't required here; the QP is one of the most
beautifully balanced cars of its kind.
The
rear seats in the new, larger body are downright inviting
Tackling the Constantia Nek pass, you can
almost feel the car savouring its imminent blast along this sinuous stretch of
leaf- canopied blacktop. The steering telegraphs what the nose is up to, the
Skyhook system tightens the dampers, bringing fluent and composed body control
into play, and the prodigious front-end grip means that the ESP system chimes
in gently only when really booting it through a bend. But, even as your
shoulders are pressed into the backrest and the road reels in at an astonishing
lick, you don't feel as though this thing's towing you by its leash, bounding
after its quarry. It's alive, but it listens to you.
The sensation of wieldiness is furthered
by the QP's deceptively light kerb weight of 1,860 kg, a result of extensive
aluminium componentry in its underpinnings. Where pressing on in a large sport
saloon usually sees you grimacing at the stability system's embattled attempts
to rein in all that metal, while numb steering tells little of what's going on
at the bow, the QP smoothens its generous dimensions around you. It
effortlessly adapts to the driver's whim, making you feel as though you've been
expertly sewn into the car's narrative rather than reading about it from afar.
You can picture most grand saloon owners
essentially using their cars for numbly whisking them along sombre motorways to
a series of equally sombre business meetings, or the odd trip to the golf club.
But you can't see the QP in the same light.
The
twin-turbo V-6 gets Maserati’s big sedan to 60 mph in just under five seconds
and tops out at 177 mph
Rather, it lends itself to a brighter
picture: being taken out for the fun of it.
In the modern grand-saloon sphere, the
Quattroporte is something of an anachronism. Unlike the Germans, it doesn't
bristle with mind-reading technology, nor can it cosset its occupants in the
way they do. But that's by no means a bad thing; it lends the car a warm
analogue charm in an increasingly cold digital world. And it's that deviation
that makes the Maserati something worth savouring.
