ADVERTISEMENT
Maserati Quattroporte: A king of super luxuryRoaring to go
Sandesh MS
Umesh M Avvannavar
Last Updated IST
DH PHotos by Sandesh M S
DH PHotos by Sandesh M S
A race car derived and beautiful-sounding machine that has helped it earn a cult following, extra length body with colossal tyres, a sporty edge with muscular bumpers and gloss black side skirts and lastly the Maserati trident logo on the front grill are the foremost features of the Quattroporte that attracts many an onlookers on the road.
In Italian language, “Quattroporte” means “four doors,” but you don’t need to speak the foreign language to appreciate this car’s dramatic flair.
When Maserati presented the first Quattroporte in 1963, it not only launched the fastest four-seater car in the world, but also introduced a whole new category to the marketplace: the luxury sports saloon.
The concept was revolutionary for the times: take a successful Maserati racing engine and place it inside the body of a sedan; nobody had done it until then.
Superior handling
The Quattroporte we are driving offers superior handling due to a perfect weight distribution. This is the consequence of an engine mounted behind the front axle and a rear mounted, transaxle gearbox. The driver sits in a medium-height, wide, and well bolstered seats and the other three seat occupants have plenty of room all round, with luxurious comfort.
The long boot yields a useful 530 litres of luggage space. Switching the car to the driving mode, slow releasing of the brake pedal and high acceleration make the heavy wheels spin fast and pushes the car to a far distance that no other car does. The Quattroporte’s character owes much to its engines. With its exceptional handling and a race-bred V8 engine the Quattroporte was the fastest sedan in the world and still continue to be one of the fastest.
Over the years the Quattroporte hasn’t much changed the way it drives. Once you are on the road, the only work of the driver is to hold the steering wheel in nine and three rule by controlling the vehicle and get the race car feel with its bursting sound.
An eight-speed automatic gearbox that changes gear pretty quickly and smoothly will make your drive effortless on the highway roads, city limits and other areas.
Powerful braking system
The ability of the car is impressive. The extraordinary road grip, powerful braking system that brings down the car speed effortlessly, and six air bags that protect us from getting harmed or injured if an accident becomes unavoidable. Meanwhile, the Indian drivers need broad and scientifically designed roads to actually experience the thrill of driving the Maserati Quattroporte.
Smooth and muscular, this 530 HP monster growls into a snappy responsiveness that the trident badge promises and with a moderate traffic and many efforts, we were successful in attaining speeds of 250km/hr. Besides enjoying the race car drive on a formula track like roads, the unscientific road bumps, bad roads, potholes in India will be a concern for the car.
Though the company claimed to have increased the car’s height in India, compared to other countries, there are several other obstacles and hurdles that we never imagine when we are on Indian roads.
However, an experienced driver can control the car getting in contact with the ground with his driving techniques.
To conclude, the Quattroporte is more than just the finest sports sedan. It blends extraordinary beauty with that unmistakable Italian design and a must go car for the speed lovers and entrepreneurial connoisseur alike.
ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 18 April 2017, 21:37 IST)