TRIDENT TESTED!

Behind the wheel of the Maserati Quattroporte

IT’S POINTLESS to criticize the Maserati Quattroporte’s 12-millionplus-peso asking price as too high. To say that so many similarly spec’d luxury sedans cost a quarter of its price is to say a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch is too expensive when it tells time no more accurately than a Casio G-Shock.

After all, the Quattroporte is a large sedan that competes in the rarefied world of large luxury sedans like the MercedesBenz S-Class, the Jaguar XJ, and the BMW 7 Series—all of which retail near or above the P10 million price range. So if you think that a sub-2 million-peso fully loaded Toyota Camry or even a 5 million-peso BMW 5-Series or Mercedes E-Class is all the luxury you’ll ever need in a sedan, then you’ve probably never hankered for an Hermes bag and the cost-is-no-object mentality it requires to want one.

Maserati, after all, is Italian. So say what you will about German performance, luxury and technology. The Quattroporte, like most things Italian, is all about style and a celebration of life. Just one glance at the car and you’ll see that it’s meant to stand out, much like an Italian shoe or handbag. While the sweeping lines are as graceful and sensuous as a Jaguar’s, the overall shape and silhouette are more voluptuous Italian diva than slim-yet-sexy British supermodel. It actually looks chunky from some angles.

The front end dares you to stare at it, with business- like headlamps (illuminated using cutting-edge LED’s) stretched rearwards and a wide, gaping grille adorned by a huge Trident logo dead center. The long hood goes on forever in that classic long hood-short rear deck proportion.

The side view is another strong angle of the car, showcasing the taut lines like an Armani suit. The windows are large— the better to see and be seen with. The Quattroporte rolls on huge 20-inch wheels (wrapped by wide 245/40 rubber) that do their best to make the big car look slimmer and more compact. Two Maserati styling signatures adorn the sides: the Trident logo on the C-pillar and the telltale triple “portholes” on the front fenders.

The rear is perhaps the least Italian angle of the car. The overall sculpting and the taillight design ( LED’s like the front lamps) seem a tad generic, making the car resemble any large American, Japanese or Korean sedan. At least there’s an oversized chrome Maserati emblem on the top edge of the trunk lid to leave no doubt as to the car’s identity. Quad tailpipes, meanwhile, hint at the car’s performance potential.

And it is potent, indeed. The Quattroporte I tested had one of two base engines: a twin- turbo 3.0- liter diesel V6 developing 275hp and a tree-stump-pulling 600Nm of torque mated to an eight-speed paddle- shift automatic. The other base engine is a twinturbo petrol V6 with more power (330hp) but less torque (500Nm). Higher end models boast a high-output twin-turbo petrol V6 with 410hp and the 310-kph flagship’s twin-turbo V8 with 530hp and 650Nm.

All engines are mated to an eight- speed automatic with manual mode and paddle shifters.

What’s most astonishing about the turbo diesel I drove, aside from the head-snapping torque and the incredible push it shoves you in the back with, is the sound. At idle it rumbles like a big American V8. Tap on the accelerator and it even burbles like a V8. Like most modern diesels, you can’t hear it from the inside—but what sets it apart is the fact that you can’t hear the typical diesel clatter even while standing outside beside the running engine. Numbers? A 0-100kph time of a scant 6.4 seconds and a more-than-you’ll-ever-need 252kph top speed.

If there’s an aspect of the Quattroporte that might be a tad inferior to its luxury rivals from Germany and England, it’s in ride and handling. The current iteration of the Quattroporte is showing a bit of its age in its chassis dynamics. Sure, it rides and handles reasonably well. But push it hard or drive it on rough pavement (the broken asphalt on the truck lane of C-5 in Libis is a perfect example), and you’ll feel shakes and jitters through the front control arm/ rear multilink chassis, particularly through the steering wheel. It’s nothing unsettling or sloppy-feeling; but if you drive the car back to back with a 7-Series, and S-Class or a Jaguar XJ, you’ll be able to tell the difference.

In any case, there is a lot of performance potential to be extracted from the front control arm/rear multilink suspension setup with meaty 245/40R20 front tires and even meatier 275/40R-20 rear rubber and the expansive suite of electronic dynamic systems. Braking is powerful, thanks to huge front and rear discs clamped by equally huge multi-piston calipers and all manner of electronic braking assists.

Inside? It’s Italian leather craftsmanship at its finest (and most expensive). Space isn’t overwhelming; a Camry has better rear legroom (and the Quattroporte’s more of a fourseater as the middle rear seat passenger has to contend with a center hump on the floor and a protruding rear A/C vent and controls). At least the roomy front seats have generous 12way power adjustment. But the smell! It’s like walking inside a Ferragamo store. The fit and finish, the ultra-plush carpeting, the smoothness of the hand-stitched leather, the detail of the double stitching on the seats, door panels, and dashboard; the superb 15- speaker(!) Bowers & Wilkins sound system— the Quattroporte cabin is a sensory overload.

Other features include Forward Collision Warning; Blind Spot Alert; Rear Cross Path Detection; Lane Departure Warning; Adaptive Cruise Control; and too many more to list down.

The centerpiece, however, is something barely two inches in size: a delicate-looking bluefaced analog watch on the top center of the dashboard. You’d expect it to be from one of the more exclusive Swiss watch brands, but the only logo you’ll see on the dial is the Trident.

All things considered, the Maserati is one very fast and very exclusive luxury sedan. That it can make you feel like you’re touring Milan while you’re stuck in Makati is what makes it worth the price.