But some omissions are rather stark, such as motorised soft-closing
doors and a motorised boot lid, which are common features in luxury
cars.
Inside, the best seats are obviously in the second row. The car's
3,171mm wheelbase is slightly longer than that of the long-wheelbase
S-class' 3,165mm.
This means very generous legroom for rear passengers. Still, taller
occupants have to duck slightly to get to the rear seats to avoid
hitting the low and sloping roof line.
The texture of the Quattroporte's leather seats is among the best
sampled. They are fitted by Italian furniture-maker Poltrona Frau,
which also makes seats for Ferrari. I found myself running my fingers
along the seams and surfaces for no reason at all.
In the cockpit, the driver can easily find a perfect driving
position. The dashboard and centre console are modern and uncluttered,
mostly thanks to an unusually large 8.4-inch touchscreen which controls
everything, from navigation to radio and the Bluetooth pairing of
mobile phones.
When fired up, the car's 330bhp engine purrs with a low burble that
sounds like a V8. It may be the entry-level engine, but it performs
credibly.
Mated with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, the car feels
faster than the 5.6 seconds stated for its zero-to-100kmh sprint.
This makes it merely 0.5 seconds slower than the 5.1 seconds clocked by the 410bhp Quattroporte S.
The car has three basic drive modes: normal automatic, sports with a
sharper steering response, and increased control and efficiency for
better fuel economy.
Besides these modes, the driver can also set a stiffer suspension
for a more spirited drive and even a full manual mode using paddles
behind the steering wheel to change gear.
Sports mode, stiffer-suspension setting and paddle shifters do not
transform the long and bulky Quattroporte into a sports car, but they
bring some measure of driving pleasure.
The car excels on expressway runs. In its default normal mode, it
behaves like a grand tourer - gliding over bumps and imperfections in a
way that a towkay seated in the rear will approve.
Still, an Italian car is never complete without a few quirks.
In the Maserati, the signal stalk is set so far back from the
steering wheel that a non-basketball player can flip it only if he
moves his left hand away from the steering wheel slightly.
Overall, the Quattroporte is an attractive proposition for those who
yearn for something other than a German limousine. The lower engine
output of the latest variants does not detract from this proposition.
