Inside is an interior reeking of luxury personified and that’s no just the leather. Attention to detail is outstanding and the designers have literally thought of everything to pamper the driver who in turn can customise their Maserati by changing say the interior colour, or choice of real wood inlays by using the Officine Alfieri Maserati Personalisation Programme. Here they can have consultations with the craftsmen and advisors who will then commission a truly individual and unique car although these must always comply with Maserati’s’ technical and quality standards.
The downside to this is that prices start from just over £77,000 to £85,990 but the standard specification is not as elaborate as you would expect albeit very stylish with electric, fully adjustable front seats with 3 memory positions for the driver, rear seats with individual electric adjustment that includes slide and tilt - children will love these seats, a Blaupunkt info Centre with 6.5 inch screen for the GPS radio navigator, radio and single CD player with a Bose sound system with high power amplifier, while keeping all the occupants cool is an electronic dual zone climate control with rear air vents and an electric rear sunblind.
Whilst there is no price difference between the Duo Select and the Automatic keep at least 30K tucked away for ‘must have’ accessories such as the front seat comfort pack that heats, ventilates, massages the occupants and is auto adaptive at a £4060 optional extra or for the same price extend this option to the rear seats. The children really will be ecstatically happy especially is you chuck in the DVD player at £5552, the most expensive optional extra. Are Maserati trying to tell us something her. Kids and Massis together or adults only? But do you know, if you are going to spend this sort of money on a car, these options are a necessity otherwise it’s like having champagne without the strawberries.
Moving on to what’s under the bonnet and quite simply it’s a 4.2 litre V8 engine with a top speed of 167 mph on the automatic (171 DuoSelect), 0-62 is just 5.6 seconds (5.2 on DuoSelect) but with not such outlandish fuel consumption of 26.9 mpg on a combined cycle. CO2 emissions are up at 345 and falls into insurance group 20 despite the fact I challenge anyone to try and steal this car what with the NavTrak vehicle tacking system with Automatic Driver Recognition plus an alarm with door and volumetric sensors. The DuoSelect option derived from F1 technology has a six-speed manual gearbox with four different driving modes of Automatic, Manual, Sport and Snow & Ice. While the Six speed automatic sees the 6th gear as the override and can be driven in the sequential manual mode via the optional shift paddles that really is a lot of fun.
The Skyhook suspension system has sensors constantly monitoring the vibrations and movements through the wheels and adjusts the settings of the dampers accordingly. The driver can then choose between two different settings, Normal for a more comfortable ride or Sport for a firmer sportier drive. The new model year sees a 10% improvement in bump absorption from the rear suspension, an upgraded braking system, integrated ABS and EBD functions with de-acceleration of 62 mph - 0 in just 35.3 m. Needless to say, the Quattroporte is a dream to drive and be seen in.
But in case your eyes stray away from the road looking at all the people admiring your car, standard safety equipment comprises of two front, two side and two curtain airbags, pretensioners and load limiters for all seatbelts, a steel body shell with aluminium bonnet/ boot lid and MSP that is Maserati Stability Programme. Trust me, this car will not let you down but treat her with respect please.
There are lots of ‘helpers’ on board, as standard such as automatic headlights with light sensors, automatic windscreen wipers with rain sensors, laminated soundproof glass throughout, and a multi function steering wheel with cruise control. Then you can go berserk in the options department and add on electronic external and internal rear view mirror, front and rear parking sensor’s, rear climate controls, GSM phone kit or power sunroof to name but a few.
I can categorically state that having delved even indulged into the attributes of the new Maserati Quattroporte range, that these cars are magnificent. Beautifully designed both inside and out, with such wonderful driver friendly features for the ultimate luxurious ride. But what I really like about the Maserati Quattroporte 07 range is not just the way you can customise your car to suit your own needs thus having a tailor made car but also how camouflaged the Maserati is to unsuspecting eyes. That is perfect for us ladies.
Catch Jodie Kidd's view on the Maserati Quattroporte as the supermodel races the supercar Jodie Kidd - Maserati Test
Jackie Violet - FemaleFirst