Maserati Quattroporte GTS Review: An Italian Purebred
Luxury sedans are a boring class of cars. Let’s face it, the designs have become muted and the performance is sub-par. Comfort is the only factor that makes luxury cars worth consideration. The lack of excitement is screaming out and for the high-end buyers that want a car that toes the line between performance and luxury, there aren’t many options.
Enter the Maserati Quattroporte, an Italian performance machine that comes wearing the disguise of a luxury car. Maserati aims to attract those that want the opulence of a luxury car and yet want no compromises on the performance. The Quattroporte is exactly that machine. It lures you in with its reverberating exhaust, provocative design, and a promise of exclusivity.
The Quattroporte name means four doors and it is a car that stands as one of the jewels in Maserati’s quest for automotive perfection. The Italian carmaker has always aspired to make awe-inspiring vehicles, the Quattroporte is one of the few cars on the planet that manages to achieve that.
One for the opulent and one for the thrill-seekers
In typical Maserati fashion, the Quattroporte GTS is offered in two distinct variants. The Quattroporte GranLusso is a luxury package, which comes with ventilated front seats, power-adjustable pedals, and finer leather upholstery. The Quattroporte GranSport is a more sports-oriented package and comes with 12-way power-adjustable seats and 20-inch rims.
Engine and performance
One of the merits of purchasing an Italian luxury car is that its performance is top-notch. Not a lot of automakers can deliver the power and excitement that comes with an Italian luxury car. The Maserati Quattroporte absolutely demolishes the competition in terms of power. Buyers have a choice between a 424 bhp twin-turbo V6 and a twin-turbo V8 engine which comes in two configurations of 523 bhp and 580 bhp.
The former is the standard engine choice in all the Quattroporte models and the latter is designed for the GTS version. The souped-up 580 bhp engine is built exclusively for the Trofeo, the top-of-the-line model in the Quattroporte series.
The engine is on par with other cars in the segment and can respectably keep up with more muscled cars in the category. The Maserati Quattroporte GTS puts up good numbers, it can do a zero to sixty in 4.6 seconds and hit a top speed of 193 mph. However, it is not just the engine and the speed that you are buying it for.
While the engine may not deliver the most eye-popping performance out there, you are not just buying a Maserati for the speed. You are buying the car so that you can enjoy the sounds of the bellowing engine. Every Italian car is known for combining breathtaking looks with earth-shattering sounds, the Quattroporte nails that aspect. The moment you start that engine you can hear the grunt of the engine as it comes to life. As you step on the throttle, the engine gives a low growl, and the resonating feedback from the powertrain is like a melody that entices you to keep going.
Menacing design
At some point in our lives, all of us have had the poster of an Italian supercar adorn our bedroom walls and have dreamt of having one in our garages. Often this becomes a dream as we get older and the magnificence of Italian cars only gets better with age. From sumptuous curves to sharp edges, the Maserati Quattroporte GTS is one stunning car. It combines a unique blend of Italian design with a practicality of a four-seater that is reserved for German and American automakers.
The front of the car looks menacing. The wide grille and the bold trident are a salient reminder of this car’s ferocity and heritage. It stands out among a sea of boring sedans whose only priority is comfort. The Maserati Quattroporte GTS will make you take a step back and look at it before you are ready to take it out for a spin.
Interiors
The Quattroporte GTS tries its best to compete against the top dogs in this segment. Supple leather interiors, silk from the Italian design house Ermenegildo Zegna, real wood and finished metal accents all feel fantastic. However, the biggest gripe here is that the Quattroporte tries to mix it in with plastic and that is apparent from the switchgear, which comes straight from the parent company, Fiat-Chrysler.
The Quattroporte is a much more snug car than compared to its roomier German counterparts. While there is an Executive Rear seat package that allows for reclining seats in the front and the back, the room on the car does not allow for much movement. You will, however, get heating and ventilation for the rear seats as well as a separate climate control panel for a more tuned-in experience.
The car does come loaded with tech features and the 10.1-inch touchscreen comes built-in with Google’s Android Automotive platform. There is also the presence of a voice automated virtual assistant. You also get Android Auto and Apple Carplay connectivity as standard. For the acoustics, you can opt for a 10-speaker Harman Kardon setup or go all-out with a 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system. Although we believe, you might not be looking to use the speakers a lot, considering the exhaust and engine regularly come together to produce their symphony.
Safety
The crash test data for the Maserati Quattroporte GTS is very limited. Both the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) has not disclosed crash test data for the Quattroporte.
You will, however, get a bunch of driver safety assistance features. Emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control all come as standard. Maserati claims that its advanced driver assistance system is one of the most advanced. The aforementioned driver safety assistance features can all work in tandem to provide a very safe experience.
On-road Review
The Maserati Quattroporte GTS is a grand tourer through and through. As a modern iteration of the GT, Maserati aims to capture the minds of the audiences through this car. One of the key foundations of success for the brand was the Maserati Coupe, a stunning rebirth of the original and one that shaped the GT line of cars today.
The Quattroporte wears the GTS badge with pride. At first glance, you can see that the Quattroporte GTS is nothing like any other car in the segment and it the design gives you a subtle promise that it feels nothing like a luxury car. That promise is kept when you put your foot on the gas and let the engine come alive. The Maserati Quattroporte GTS is powered by a 3.8 liter V8 twin-turbo that delivers a crisp 523 brake horsepower. Combine this with the sonorous exhaust and you get a car that can almost always be heard by everyone.
The car feels firm and the handling is superb. The suspension set-up is solid, keeping rolls tight and controlled. The steering is a work of art, it provides the right amount of feedback from the roads. The power delivery is pleasant through the rev ranges, even as it approaches the red line you know the engine has loads left in it.
The eight-speed transmission is smooth. You can feel the kickdowns and as you step on the throttle, you will feel the engine quickly release all the power pent up inside. For those of you that truly want an unbeatable driving experience, you cannot go wrong with the Maserati Quattroporte GTS.
Cons
The Maserati Quattroporte is an attempt from Maserati to foray into the luxury sedan segment, a class dominated by the more experienced American and German brands. While they have made a modest attempt, they are not without flaws. The Quattroporte GTS leaves a lot to be desired at times.
While the outside of the car tells a story, one of poise and grandeur; the inside tells one that feels a little contradictory. While technical improvements such as the touchscreen system and the usage of luxurious materials such as Zegna’s silks make the car feel luxurious, there are many aspects about this car that seem peculiar.
A lot of the interior consoles have been snatched from the parent company Fiat Chrysler and the bits of plastic sandwiched between the leather and the carbon fiber, feel odd. While it may not seem like a big deal the caveat here is that for a car that starts at six figures you can expect a little more.
Final Verdict
The Maserati Quattroporte GTS is a unique offering in a sea of monotonous and mundane luxury cars. Sure, the engine may not be the most powerful one, the space in the car might not be great, or even the luxury aspect of the car may seem far more muted than any other offering. However, you do not buy a Maserati for those things.
You buy a Maserati because you want an elegantly designed Italian car. The swooping grille and the badging are a distinct reminder that you are not buying a run-of-the-mill luxury car. You are taking home an Italian beauty, one that will turn heads each time you take it to the streets. It leaves you gasping for air when you punch the throttle and let the engine grunt. Maserati is banking on the fact that the people who want the Quattroporte are tired of the bland options. The Quattroporte GTS is built for those that desire road presence and want to make a statement.
