Check out our YouTube Video on the Maserati Quattroporte GTS Gransport
In this world of automotive homogenization, there are a few cars on the road today that make a defined statement. The Maserati Quattroporte is one that very clearly says how different it is. While there a lot of full-size luxury sedans out there, no other one has quite the styling, panache and elegance that this Italian legacy band offers.
Many high-end luxury sedans have become indistinguishable from each other, or from the lesser models in their own brand line up. Be it a Cadillac, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz, whose entry-level models have become clones of the top of the line models. Maserati keeps it exclusive, and yes they do have the smaller and cheaper by $30K Ghibli. The two come across as very different automotive statements. And their Levante SUV, while having a hint of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio (we just reviewed) offers its own outstanding Italian design and heritage, but is quite different in so many ways from this “baller” of high-line rides.
“The Quattroporte is like no other mass-market high production luxury car, 35k vehicles were produced in 2018, with a production cap of 75K globally. So exclusivity reigns with this brand. If you want a four-door sedan that makes a statement, the Quattroporte is the car for you.”
Quattroporte, Italian for “four-door,” is a full-size and quite a luxurious sedan (or saloon car, in European speak,) is exclusive, and indeed expensive. Our tester came with a $150,410 sticker, exclusive of the destination and delivery charge, for the Rossa Folgore over Black GTS GransSport model. With a base price of $138,980 (note the 2020 model has a lower base price), the must-have options are just that when you are buying this kind of car. The Quattroporte offers luxury touches in a very distinctive Italian design. This one was equipped with a 3.8 Liter 523 horsepower V-8 engine and an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission with rear-wheel drive. And all it wanted to do was run, and run fast.
Performance Car Heritage
Maserati has a long history of racing and performance in its bloodline since being introduced in 1914 in Bologna Italy. While one-hundred years ago, highly engineered automobiles were only for those who could afford the expensive and dangerous hobby of auto racing. While lesser self-powered vehicles, if you could afford one, were easier to manage than those powered by livestock, and considered an extravagance. Considering the lack of adequate roadways made travel difficult, even in cities, you can understand that mindset.
Maserati retired from factory racing participation after a tragic Mille Miglia accident involving a Ferrari in 1957. After that Maserati focused on building grand touring cars and not racing machines, leaving Ferrari to the competitive side of the business. Even though they still kept a close eye on each other.
Today Maserati is a part of the international Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group (FCA) recently it has become part of the sports car group including Alfa Romeo and Abarth. Maserati stands quite separate from other brands under the FCA corporate logo.
What Is it Like To Drive
The Quattroporte is a heavyweight luxury sedan with its twin-turbo V-8 engine, weighing in at 4189 pounds. You feel that when you open the door, this is not a car that is faint in any way, Solid is the best way to describe the overall feel of this sedan. Slipping into the rich leather seats makes you realize that there is a level of luxury and grade of leather that is much different than you might find in lesser or even cars at the same price point from the big European makers. The heated and cooled seats and interior trim is supple and sensuous to the touch and stitched more like a fine suit than a living room chair. Even the headrests are monogramed with the Trident Maserati’s logo.
A classic gauge cluster greets you set on a carbon fiber dash with a center console screen, as seems to be required in all of today’s cars. That screen offers a mix of touchscreen 
options that work well with traditional switches. The gear selector is a solid central grabbable stick with buttons to access the electronic transmission and a P button for parking. The keyless start button is not to the right, but to the left, which is different than other cars and took a moment to find. Yet another signal that this is not your mass-market luxury car.
Engaging the ignition, the engine fires up, though several times for me it took a while as the starter chugged a second or two more than one would expect to wait for full ignition. But once running, the engine roars with power, and we will not talk about fuel economy, because at this level, that is not a deciding factor in the acquisition of this car.
Dealers and the Ownership Experience
We got to experience the Grand Opening of Maserati of Arlington during our time with the Quattroporte. While this may be one of the newest dealership buildings, the ownership and staff go back decades to previous operations that have stood behind the Maserati brand. As exclusive as the car and brand are, is also how the dealerships are set up, they may not be in every town or even state, the dealerships are committed to their customers and their satisfaction with sales and service of the vehicles they sell.
Factory Delivery in Italy
Factory Delivery is an option, and a great one if you love to travel, cars and have a sense of adventure. Maserati offers two locations for factory tours, and each offers a different experience. Tours can be provided in English, Italian, German, French or Spanish. Chinese and Japanese are also available at the Turin factories. Both locations provide a guided walk around the assembly line, an opportunity to view the finished cars and a chance to browse the Maserati store. Tours last about 90-minutes but it is wise to plan two to three hours for the full experience. While the Turin Italy tour is more Factory focused, the Modena tour includes a showroom tour and a welcome reception and heritage presentation.
After the tour, there is an unveiling of your car, where you will receive a thorough explanation of its features and sign the documentation to officially take ownership of your new Maserati. Before you take to the open road a photographer will capture the occasion with pictures at the Maserati facilities. The photos from the tour will become a part of a commemorative album created especially for you.
How to book You can request a factory delivery through your authorized Maserati dealer when you place your order. Approximately one month prior to delivery, a date will be arranged for your Factory Delivery Experience. For more information, please email factorytour@maserati.com.
How about combining factory delivery of your race-bred performance car with a Master Maserati driving course designed to show you what it is like to unleash the full potential of a Maserati. Held at the Varano de’ Melegari (Parma) circuit, a track with first-class safety standards and excellent on- and offroad facilities nestled in the beautiful Italian countryside.
Every Maserati embodies the principles of GranTurismo and the Master Maserati driving courses can be whatever your ability or experience, whatever the terrain.
Courses are designed to reflect the principles of Maserati excellence tailored one-to-one instruction from championship-winning drivers who provide coaching from the passenger seat as you drive. If you want to go off-road, there is a course that takes you out in the Levante, the Maserati of SUVs. In this half-day course, you take on the challenges of the Varano circuit’s private nature reserve. This is real-world all-terrain driving, complete with deeply rutted trails, steep inclines, ramps, and natural obstacles. Your expert driver will show exactly how the high-riding, technologically advanced Levante keeps you in control
Maserati Master Driving can also be combined with cultural programs and activities, including a visit to the Panini Motor Museum in Modena, regional culinary experiences. Maserati offers a range of supplementary services, from organizing hotels to airport transfers. For information on availability, pricing, timing, and registration, please contact info@mastermaserati.it.
Overall
We loved our time in the Quattroporte and wished we had an opportunity to take it on a long-distance trip where we could have gotten to test out its high-speed heritage. Or better yet go over to Italy for the factory tour and driving schools. Alas, timing only gave us the chance to drive in on the twisty roads in our local National Park and got to enjoy it around town. Would we buy this car? Indeed, if we were looking at that price range, this would definitely be in the decision mix. Especially if we wanted something that stood out from the other top-dollar luxury sedans. But what excites us is the future as we heard from Maserati North America’s President and CEO, Alistair Gardner about the next generation of vehicles the brand will be bringing to market in the near future. That is where the excitement really builds for us here at Queer4Cars.
Bellissimo
Word and Images by William West Hopper Maserati provided us this vehicle with a full tank of fuel for the opportunity to review it. No compensation made for reviewing this vehicle, comments, and opinions are our own.
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