Maserati Quatroporte S – Review

Is the six as good as the eight?

By Shahzad Sheikh

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

I recently reviewed the all-new Maserati Quattroporte in V8 guise – read that here – and concluded that it was far, far better car than its predecessor when it came to the requirements of a flagship luxury saloon, but that it had matured somewhat into a sensible and viable offering, compared to the slightly crazed but charismatic previous model. Read the review of the V8 GTS here.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

Now I’ve had a go in the V6, a new addition to the QP family, and frankly pretty much all of what I said applies to this car too, except even more so. There’s 410bhp from the 3.0 which, like the V8, is twin-turbocharged, designed by Maserati, but assembled by Ferrari at Maranello, mated to the 8-speed ZF driving the rear wheels.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

From that you get 405lb ft of torque, down only 74lb ft from the 523bhp V8, which means that the S, which weights 40kg less, will reach 100kph from rest only four-tenths of a second slower at 5.1seconds, and reach a top speed of 285kph, down only 22kph.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

And yet it consumes only 10.5L/100km on the combined cycle, 1.3 less than the V8, and you even save a whopping AED115k on the purchase with a base of AED410,000 for the sixer.

It’s cheaper, more economical to run, and almost as quick as the V8. So now you’re expecting me to say ‘yes, but…’ except that I don’t really have a but to interject here at all.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

Okay, sure, the V8 does feel a bit more gruntier and makes a properly deep and meaningful engine noise – but that’s only under hard acceleration, with the Sports mode pressed and the window down so you can actually hear it with the better insulation effectively muting the rumble.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

Turn the stereo down, and crack upon the windows on the V6 and with Sports pressed, it too snarls and howls with aplomb if not quite as much depth. It’s not as fruity as a V8 but it’s still just as entertaining to listen to. That’s of course if you can be bothered – as we’ve already established the new car is one in which you enjoy the cocoon of serenity.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

Nor is the performance dulled. You have to wait a tad longer with the Six, there’s a slightly lagginess, but in fact the peak torque plateau comes in earlier (at 1500rpm as opposed to 2000 in the V8) and last longer (up to 5000 instead of 4000 in the bigger engine) that again the performance has the measure of most, and steamrollers this big saloon into the horizon once the forced induction kicks in.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

It can be startlingly quick, and as befits and executive cruiser, it will fly along at motorway speeds with an air of calm, cool, climate-controlled comfort. Despite having the same suspension set-up as the V8, for reason our particularly car felt very stiffly sprung, particularly at the rear whilst slowly negotiating speed-humps, but other than that, there was nary a complaint.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

The handling – as we found with the V8 – is competent and reasonably engaging if not quite as delightfully balanced as the previous car, but again no issues to put you off. And likewise the interior ergonomics, switchgear, infotainment, seat comfort and space puts this car toe-to-toe with the established heavy-weights such as the BMW 7, Audi A8 and Lexus LS.

Maserati Quattroporte S V6 tested in Dubai

But these are not the rivals the V6 QP needs to fear, close in style and personality is the Jaguar XJ 3.0 V6 Supercharged. It might be slightly down on power producing 340bhp, and hence slightly slower, but we know it to be a quite sprightly thing and is starts at just AED289k, rising to AED329k. Might be worth a twin test.

Specs
Maserati Quattroporte S V6
Price: AED410,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6, 410bhp @ 5500rpm, 405lb ft @ 1500-5000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, rear wheel drive
Fuel Economy: 10.5L/100km
Performance: 0-100kph 5.1 seconds, Top speed 285kph
Weight: 1860kg

Let us know what you think of the V6 Quattroporte below

5 responses to “Maserati Quatroporte S – Review”

  1. Utk says:

    So since I asked you a question on the Ghibli review, but couldn’t include the Beemers and Benz’, here’s the Quattroporte Truth Test:
    Quattroporte S, M6 Gran Coupe, 2014 S63, RS7, Panemera Turbo, Rapide S, XJ Supersport.
    Which one would you run to? And do rank the others.

    Sorry for bothering you with these, I might be just a bit too exited. 🙂

  2. Utk says:

    Make that, “RS7/S8”

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