The Luxury Sport Sedan for FashionistasThe Luxury Sport Sedan for Fashionistas
There's a naughty button on the dashboard of the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S that's marked "Sport." Give it a prod and several things happen. The engine and gearbox have their brains rewired, and two exhaust valves open to give full voice to the big V8. The result is a noise quite unlike any other luxury sedan. It is extraordinarily loud and gloriously obnoxious — pure Maserati.
This exhaust trickery — and the increased thrust that comes with it — is the signature feature of Maserati's new flagship. The GT S is a development of the Quattroporte S that debuted last year, and it rivals the Audi S8 and Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG. Developed for plutocrats who want to drive and arrive, the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte GT S remains a more luxurious and beautiful sedan than its rivals, but now it's also a truly sporting one. Maserati reckons the Sport GT S will account for up to 30 percent of Quattroporte sales.
If It Ain't Busted, Don't Fix It
When the Pininfarina designers sat down to sketch the Quattroporte, they must have been sipping some splendid Chianti. Even five years and a face-lift on from its original launch at the Frankfurt auto show in September 2003, it remains the finest-looking luxury sedan on sale. No other car could dress such colossal length — the Quattroporte is 201 inches long with a 120.6-inch wheelbase — with such elegance. This Maserati is automotive art, and its sinewy curves are enough by themselves to challenge rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Thankfully, Maserati has employed the "If it ain't busted, don't fix it" mentality to the new 2009 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S. A successor to the Sport GT S version of the Quattroporte first introduced at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, it includes a new black grille with concave vertical fins, revised headlights, a pair of oval exhaust tips and 20-inch wheels, but that's about it. Only the cognoscenti will notice, which is exactly how things should be.
(Not Quite) Designer Cockpit
In contrast to the highly engineered, carefully choreographed cockpits of the Audi A8 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Maserati does have the look of designer boutique. There are lashings of leather and suede and the dash can be dressed in Titantex, a bizarre concoction that looks like gray carbon fiber. You can also specify some fairly interesting color combinations, including bright red leather trim that should really be named "tart's boudoir."
There are some lovely details. The aluminum pedals look like sculpture and the suede-upholstered rim of the steering wheel feels great, even if we'd worry about its long-term longevity. But for all its finery, too many bits have still been plundered from the Fiat parts bin. For example, the ignition key looks like it last found service as a treat in one of those exploding Christmas crackers the British love so much, while the multimedia system is irritatingly fiddly.
You also have to compromise on space. There is ample room in the rear seat for a pair of 6-footers, but they won't lounge in quite the same comfort as they would in the Merc or Audi. Nor will they be able to fit quite as much designer luggage in the trunk. You can blame the layout of the car for that, with its V8 engine significantly behind the centerline of the front wheels where it intrudes on the cockpit, although it does deliver the 49 percent front/51 percent rear weight distribution that delivers superior dynamics on the road.
Glorious V8
The GT S employs a version of the 4,691cc V8 featured in the Quattroporte S and Gran Turismo S coupe, Maserati's version of the same fundamental V8 engineered by Ferrari for use by Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati. Tweaks to the engine management system and a new exhaust have helped liberate an extra 9 horsepower, so the total output is now rated at 434 hp at 7,100 rpm and 361 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm. When you engage the exhaust system's Sport mode, the V8 is extraordinarily loud, especially on the final ascent to the 7,200-rpm redline. Your neighbors will either cheer or throw stones.
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