2008 Maserati Quattroporte Performance Review

• Overall
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability
• Specs

Performance - What the Auto Press Says

The 2008 Maserati Quattroporte receives praise for its balanced combination of sports performance and handling comfort. According to Edmunds, the Quattroporte is "a beautiful luxury car endowed with ample power, sharp handling and two impressive transmissions that make it the closest thing available to a Ferrari sedan."

Acceleration and Power

The Quattroporte is powered by a Ferrari-built 4.2-liter V8 engine that makes 400 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 460 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm. According to Maserati, it has a top speed of 165 mph and accelerates from 0 to 62 miles per hour in just 5.6 seconds with a manual transmission and 5.2 seconds with an automatic.

Though critics believe the V8 has sufficient power, many point out that its competitors offer significantly more. According to Edmunds, "it doesn't offer the same straight-line punch as some of its full-size luxury sedan competitors." The Los Angeles Times explains: "The car's 4.2-liter, naturally aspirated engine puts out 400 horsepower, which is by no means shabby except when compared with the 507 hp of a Mercedes-Benz CLS55 or the 450 hp of the Audi S8." Automobile.com, however, argues that acceleration isn't what the Quattroporte is about: "If all you care about is dusting off the guy beside you at a stoplight, save your money and buy yourself a Chrysler 300C SRT8. The Quattroporte is more about balance."

Prior to 2007, the Quattroporte only featured a Ferrari-like manual DuoSelect clutchless transmission with paddle shifters. While enthusiasts were satisfied, its hard-to-operate nature didn't appeal to American consumers. The Orlando Sentinel explains: "Unfortunately, those drivers expected the transmission to operate like an automatic, and it doesn't: It is, after all, a manual transmission with a computer-controlled clutch. Shifts can be abrupt and jerky." As a result, a standard hydraulic six-speed ZF automatic transmission -- which Edmunds says may be "the world's best" -- is now available.

According to Car and Driver, "The car still steers, stops, and goes more like a four-door Ferrari than any of its competitors, but the automatic gives it a far more refined highway demeanor." Motor Trend adds: "No more hesitation on upshifts. No wiggling a toggle for reverse. No more hassle. Select drive and pedal easy, and the ZF melts from gear to gear. Select Sport or Manual and drive with authority, and it snaps off quick, crisp, confident shifts." Though Edmunds admits that it's "a little less sporty than with the DuoSelect's six-speed servo-actuated automated manual gearbox," many critics contend that's okay. In fact Automobile.com describes the transmission as smooth, "with seamless enough shifts as not to upset society's pampered, yet still positive enough engagements to feel confident about the job at hand, it's absolutely ideal."

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Quattroporte has a city/highway fuel economy of 12/18 miles per gallon -- which The Auto Channel says is "reasonable."

Handling and Braking

The rear-wheel drive Quattroporte leaves auto writers impressed with its sporty yet comfortable driving dynamics. "The QP is, after all, the four-door bastard son of Ferrari. Ginned up at a time when Maserati was owned directly by Maranello, the QP feels, smells and handles a lot like one of the Prancing Horses, which is to say: fierce, heroic, surgically precise, magically delicious," says the Los Angeles Times. Working to the Quattroporte's advantage is what Automobile.com calls a "near ideal" front/rear weight distribution of 49/51 percent (47/53 percent when equipped with the DuoSelect manual trasmission). According to the Orlando Sentinel, "Handling is excellent, overall balance is superb, and the ride is firm -- certainly too firm for some, but this is, after all, not a Buick."

Critics are impressed with the Quattroporte's steering configuration. While the Los Angeles Times says its "heavy but precise," AutoWeek writes, "The steering's immediate turn-in response and feedback and the favorable weight balance made the commodious luxury sedan feel much smaller and sprightlier than its actual size and weight would indicate."

Standard on the Quattroporte is Maserati's Skyhook suspension system -- which automatically adjusts the firmness of shock absorbers in order to comply with road conditions and driving style. "Controlled by a button on the dashboard, Skyhook can be set to the firm-but-comfortable 'Normal' mode or the noticeably firmer 'Sport' setting," explains Edmunds. "Both are set a little more on the supple side for the Automatic model -- once again for American tastes." The review continues, noting that "this is only a negative when it's pushed especially hard into a corner" -- because some understeer is felt. However, Automobile.com finds the Quattroporte's suspension "quite comfortable in stop and go traffic."

While the base Quattroporte is outfitted with Skyhook, the GT S features a lower, stiffer suspension system. "Maserati's fast-response, active-ride Skyhook suspension has been the signature of the Quattroporte up to now, but it has been replaced in the Sport GT S by conventional, stiffer-rate dampers and springs," says Edmunds. Car and Driver explains: "The suspension has been tuned to what Maser claims is a 'racing setup,' with new springs and shocks lowering the ride height by 0.4 inch in the front and 1.0 inch at the rear." According to Edmunds, "the suspension has been retuned to make it more responsive for sporting drivers."

Though little is said of the Quattroporte's brakes, the Los Angeles Times does call them "unequivocal." While the base model features four-wheel disc brakes and an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), the GT S comes equipped with Brembo disc brakes. According to Car and Driver, "it's the GT S' revised suspension and brakes that provide the extra spiciness."