Maserati Quattroporte review

The Maserati Quattroporte is a luxurious saloon car with left-field looks, a premium interior and plenty of Italian charm. It’s the car you’ll buy if the business-like sensibleness of German luxury saloons doesn’t appeal.

That’s not to say it’s all style and no substance. The Maserati Quattroporte also handles well and has a pair of smooth and sporty sounding V6 petrol engine options. There’s no longer a sensible diesel option, but there is now a 580hp 3.8-litre Ferrari-sourced V8 in the form of the Mercedes AMG-rivalling Trofeo model. You’ve gotta love the Italians.

It’s been around for several years now, but the Quattroporte has been recently updated to include a new, easier-to-operate touchscreen. It still doesn’t come with the same level of gadgetry and fit-and-finish as the likes of the Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7 Series, however.

This shouldn’t be an immediate dealbreaker, though – especially if you’re more into how a car looks than how speedily its sat-nav responds. The imposing Maserati Quattroporte definitely looks sportier than the rather understated Mercedes S-Class and its angular front end isn’t anywhere near as divisive as the BMW 7 Series with its gaping, nostril-like grilles.

Step inside, and you’ll find the Maserati Quattroporte’s cabin feels impressively posh but isn’t quite as modern as the Mercedes’ or BMW’s. Sure, there’s plenty of plush leather upholstery on the seats, dashboard and doors, but even with the latest improvements don’t bring the technology or features up to the best-in-class standard.

At least you’ll be sitting comfortably while you fiddle around adjusting the sat-nav. The Maserati Quattroporte’s seats are soft and supportive and there’s ample space for tall adults to stretch out.

The Maserati Quattroporte provides an alternative to the usual crop of upmarket German cars if you prefer your saloons to look stylish rather than come packed with sci-fi technology

Things aren’t quite so roomy in the back seats – your tallest friends will have more headroom in an S-Class or 7 Series – but it’s hardly cramped back there. And at least the Quattroporte comes with double glazing and special sound insulation to make it a very quiet car to travel in.

Smooth petrol V6 power means the Quattroporte is a relaxing car to drive, with a decent turn of speed when required. Those engines are again not the most modern, so many alternatives beat it for claimed efficiency, while the diesel option was recently removed from sale.

Still, the new range-topping Trofeo model offers an intoxicating blend of fun handling, huge performance and a cool image when compared to the ten-a-penny German equivalents. It’s not as sophisticated as those cars, though, and disappointingly the potent twin-turbo V8 is too quiet.

What you won’t find in the Maserati Quattroporte is quite as many clever driver assistance features in the two Germans. If you can live without these, however, the Maserati Quattroporte makes an interesting, left-field luxury saloon. Check out our Maserati Quattroporte deals to see how much you can save on one.