On a long run out west of Sydney for its first local drive, the Quattroporte Turbo Diesel displayed impeccable manners, either at touring speeds or punted into a corner. While the fundamentals of the suspension were key to that, the performance available from the engine and the 'intelligence' of the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission lent considerable weight to the car's driveability.
The engine was yet another Euro diesel V6 that is not conspicuously prone to labour or vibrate at lower engine speeds. Even accelerating at full tilt it was quiet and refined – and it sounded purposeful in sport mode too. Unfortunately, owners who like the Sport mode engine note will have to manually select it every time the car is restarted.
It's the default mode – not Sport – by which the car's fuel consumption and emissions figures are calculated. In Europe, with drive-by emissions testing in place, the Maserati has to be pure as the driven snow, in accordance with its Euro 5 compliance stats. That means that Maserati can't even allow drivers to select the Sport mode as the default setting on start-up. Shame.
On the subject of fuel consumption, for the 350km run the trip computer posted a figure of 7.9L/100km. Admittedly, that was primarily based on highway speeds. After leaving Sydney environs via the M7, most of the route was country road travel at a steady pace from 80km/h up. In that sort of driving the car's idle stop-start system was left with little to do. In its defence, it restarted the car with relatively little fuss, by the standards of any car powered by a diesel V6. One curious aspect of the system was that drivers need to restart the engine from auto-stopped mode before it can be turned off good and proper.
The eight-speed ZF transmission never ceases to impress in any application, and it was no different in the Maserati. Even when left in Drive, it selected lower gears on moderate descents, and held the lower gear for as long as required. It was smooth shifting even in Sport mode, and changed up when the diesel V6 ran out of revs, even if the driver had been shifting sequentially in Sport mode. It just did everything you could possibly want, frequently before you wanted it!
In corners the Quattroporte could be placed very precisely and turned in neatly. Handling was neutral on a trailing throttle, with a bit of push on the exit with power applied – safe and yet lively enough. The fun factor was ratcheted up another level with the car's electronically controlled dampers set to Sport mode, although ride comfort, which was fine in normal mode, proved a little jiggly over poorly maintained country roads when the system was set to Sport.
While the new Quattroporte is larger than its predecessor, it actually looks smaller, especially in the black finish of the vehicle driven. I always qualify any statement I make with the observation that beauty is a subjective quality, but I think most would find the Maserati's looks very appealing.
It's fairly stylish inside as well, although the wood decorative trim across the dash looked more like plastic, and the brushed aluminium trim for the bezel around the infotainment screen and the strip on the lower edge of the dash lacked for something. Everything else, however – including the piano gloss black, leather and other soft materials – looked the part.
Incorporating high-resolution displays for the trip computer in the instrument binnacle and infotainment touch screen in the centre fascia, the instruments and controls were more like Jaguar's than Audi's. First-time drivers will have relatively few problems learning the Maserati's ergonomic design elements; the one exception encountered being the means to enable and disable the fuel-saving auto-stop system. Unlike other cars, which allow that system to be disabled by toggling one prominent and clearly labelled button in the dash, the Maserati calls for scrolling through to a settings menu in the trip computer to set or disable the function.
I found the driving position had to be set lower than I would have preferred, for a full view of the instruments, but the seat comfort was wanting for nothing. Power lumbar adjustment was a nicety for the long drive route. Headroom was great, even with sunroof fitted, but the relationship to the pedals and wheel was not right for me. I was too close to the pedals, or too far removed from the wheel, unless I inclined the seat further back for an arms-outstretched F1-style of driving. Furthermore, the transmission tunnel intruded into the driver's footwell, squeezing the footrest over to the right.
Rear-seat accommodation was appropriate for adults, delivering adequate headroom for those of average height and some legroom to stretch out (with room under the front seats to place feet). Cupholders were located in the fold-down centre armrest, where there was also an auxiliary power outlet and USB port for recharging.
On the move, tyre noise often drowned out any other sound on coarse-chip bitumen. There was a rustle of wind around the sunroof at open-road speeds, even with the shade closed over, but that was somehow fixed by the Maserati tech along for the ride. Some noise from soft fittings was evident in the rear and a buzz emanated from behind the car's wood trim for a few minutes after a hefty mid-corner bump, but the car's build quality was up to par otherwise.
Based on Maserati's increased sales for 2014, buyers are clearly smitten with the Quattroporte. The Turbo Diesel will only take around 10 per cent of all Quattroporte sales, the importer claims – and that's understandable when the petrol models are so charming.
But the Turbo Diesel shouldn't be crossed off the shopping list. After all, it's a lot of car for $21,000 less.
What we liked: | Not so much: |
>> Tidy handling | >> Driving position |
>> Snazzy looks and interior layout | >> Quirky auto-stop system |
>> Impressive drivetrain | >> Tyre noise on country roads |