- Maserati Quattroporte, 2013
The flagship Maserati Quattroporte is larger, lighter, more luxurious and more practical than the globally acclaimed car it replaces. With a 307km/h (191 mph) top speed, it's also as fast as most two-door supercars.
The sixth-generation Maserati Quattroporte delivers a leap forward that not only sets the high-technology tone for Maserati's upcoming new-model onslaught, but also remains faithful to Maserati's long history in luxury sports saloons.
The powerful engine and the large cabin at the core of the Maserati Quattroporte's design, dominated by a long, powerful nose and a concave Trident grille, provide a clear link to both the outgoing Quattroporte and the GranTurismo.
Even with all of its new technology, the new Quattroporte remains true to Maserati's roots. Its V8 twin turbo makes it not only the fastest four-door Maserati ever built, but also the most powerful and the most fuel efficient.
The direct-injection engine family will boast a 3.8-litre V8 and a 3.0-litre V6, both of which are all new, twin turbo charged, designed by Maserati Powertrain and assembled by Ferrari at Maranello.
The 3.8-litre V8 engine provides Maserati's new performance benchmark, reaching 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds and achieving a 307km/h (191 mph) top speed. It is 20km/h faster than the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S and delivers up to 200Nm more torque as well. The V6 twin turbo doesn't lack in performance, either, reaching 285km/h (177 mph).
With an eight-speed automatic transmission and both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations (V6 only, AWD not available in RHD markets), it is also the most secure all-weather performance car in Maserati's history.
To offset its scintillating performance, the V8 Maserati Quattroporte has lowered both its fuel consumption and emissions by 20% over the outgoing Quattroporte.
The all-new architecture retains the Maserati Quattroporte's traditionally exquisite handling thanks to its 50:50 weight distribution, a double-wishbone front suspension and a state-of-the-art five-link rear suspension. It can now deliver the added security and all-weather assurance of all-wheel drive as well.
It also delivers new standards in quality in every area from design, development, fabrication and process controls. It is produced in a new plant that combines Maserati's traditions of craftsmanship with cutting-edge technologies that are able to guarantee outstanding quality by controlling even the tiniest details.
Traditional hand crafted detailing continues in the Quattroporte's cabin, now more spacious and featuring both four and five-seat layouts.
Cabin luxury leaps forward technically too, with features like the Maserati Touch Control screen, adjustable pedals (left hand drive only), reversing camera and the optional 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, as well as WLAN-based WiFi and compatibility with most modern mobile phone systems.
With the original Quattroporte in 1963, Maserati invented the concept of the luxury sports saloon and the new Quattroporte continues to be the benchmark for high quality engineering, supercar performance and comfort.
EXTERIOR DESIGN
Maserati has been considered a master of sports saloon design from the day the original 1963 Quattroporte became the first automobile to blend speed and luxury with four doors.
A powerful engine and a large cabin are at the core of the Maserati Quattroporte's design, dominated by a long, impressive nose with its short overhang.
"The design of the Quattroporte is inspired by Maserati's core stylistic principles: harmony of proportions, dynamic lines and Italian elegance," Head of Maserati Centro Stile, Marco Tencone explains.
"Every new model is a step into the future, but for a brand with the strong heritage of Maserati it is fundamental to bring on the most distinctive features as a signature: the contour of the air intake in the front, the three small outlets on the front wings and the strong triangular C pillar bearing the logo".
But the Maserati Quattroporte body design isn't just about looks; it has delivered a 12% improvement in drag (Cx), down to 0.31, and an enormous 24% reduction in lift. These figures reduce fuel consumption and increase high-speed stability.
A large part of the Quattroporte's aerodynamic work is out of sight, beneath the car. It has a flat floor that contains several aerodynamic features with the scope of optimising performance by lowering drag coefficient and keeping the proper cooling of all systems (engines, brakes, and transmission) at speeds over 300 km/h.
ENGINES
At the heart of the new Quattroporte is an entirely new engine grid, which follows recent Maserati tradition as it is designed in-house by Maserati Powertrain and manufactured under contract by Ferrari at Maranello.
V8 TWIN TURBO ENGINE AND PERFORMANCE
The flagship 3.8-litre V8 engine is a perfect representation of Maserati's performance tradition combined with a 20% reduction in emissions.
It is almost a litre smaller in capacity than the 4.7-litre V8 in the Quattroporte Sport GT S, yet this is more than countered through twin turbo charging and direct fuel injection to deliver 18% more power and 39% more torque.
The engine produces 390kW (530 hp) of power at 6800rpm and accompanies this with 650Nm of torque from 2000rpm to 4000rpm.
This maximum normal torque figure can be overboosted to 710 Nm from 2250rpm to 3500rpm.
These figures represent the highest specific power output in the class, with 139hp/l, and the best specific torque as well, with 171Nm per litre.
It also has a considerably more powerful engine than the finely balanced 4.7-litre engine in the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S, with a full 59kW (80hp) more power and an astonishing 200Nm more torque (on the overboosted output). The torque peak also arrives at less than half the engine speed of the Sport GT S's V8, too, peaking at 2000rpm versus 4750rpm.
In addition, its combination of a lighter body design and a stronger engine give the Quattroporte the best power-to-weight ratio in class, with just 3.6kg for each horsepower.
These engine figures help the Quattroporte reach 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds faster than the previous Sport GT S, making the new Quattroporte the fastest accelerating four-door car in Maserati's history. This also makes it 0.6 seconds faster to 100km/h than the outgoing Maserati Quattroporte S and almost a second faster than the 4.2-litre Quattroporte.
Another ground-breaking figure is the Quattroporte's top speed, comfortably breaking through the 300km/h barrier to reach 307km/h (191 mph). Again, this makes it the fastest four-door Maserati in history and second amongst all Maserati production cars behind the mighty V12-powered MC12.
However, the new engine is not just about big performance numbers or high torque. Maserati engines have always been known for their incredible throttle response and that unique Maserati sound - and this engine is no different.
The new engine generation's smaller capacity does help with the Quattroporte's handling too, but Maserati's engineers concentrated mainly on delivering the brand's traditional crisp pickup and low rotational inertia.
The most technically advanced engine ever fitted to a Maserati, the 3799cc V8, uses a pair of low-inertia, twin-scroll parallel turbos to increase its output.
Its architecture retains the over-square, free-revving nature of the outgoing V8, with a bore of 86.5mm and a stroke length of 80.8mm, and it has a slightly lower compression ratio of 9.5:1.
It has been specifically designed to deliver exceptional performance at all engine speeds, combined with lower consumption and emissions. The engine diagrams show that the V8 engine's torque is very high, even at speeds as low as 1500 rpm.
It uses high-tumble cylinder heads with four cam phasers, (doubling the number of the naturally aspirated V8), in a concept refined by Maserati Powertrain for optimal combustion control to deliver high performance and low consumption.
With hydraulically adjusted roller finger followers and two continuous cam phasers for each cylinder head, it can advance or retard the inlet and exhaust valve timing independently in real time and it also reduces friction losses compared to old valvetrain systems.
Another characteristic feature of the new Maserati engine family is the 200 bar direct fuel-injection system. This very high pressure, coupled with seven holes laser drilled oriented holes injectors and multiple injection, helps atomising the fuel directly in the combustion chamber, thus improving the fuel-air mixture and the combustion process at any engine speed.
The new V8 engine is boosted by two small parallel twin-scroll turbines, (one for each bank of four cylinders), which provide the high performance expected of a Maserati engine while reducing inertia. Maserati Powertrain focused on integrating the turbine housing into the exhaust manifold for a compact, light-weight solution.
Each turbocharger is fed by its own air-to-air intercooler. The Quattroporte has two intercoolers, each mounted low and wide of the main radiators to catch a constant supply of fresh, cool air.
The engine also uses a state-of-the-art ECU, with integral high-speed processors, which handle an array of shifting functions in real time.
Maserati Powertrain has also switched to on-demand ancillaries, with a variable displacement oil pump that works under electrical control for improved consumption and performance.
It also uses an innovative, computer-controlled alternator, which monitors the vehicle's electricity consumption and manages the alternator's workload to suit.
The engine also operates in both Normal and Sport modes, along with Manual versions of either mode, operated by elongated shift paddles fixed to the steering column.
The new Quattroporte also introduces the I.C.E. (Increased Control and Efficiency) strategy, a function aimed at reducing consumption, emissions and noise.
It is a user-select strategy and delivers a softer throttle pedal response for smooth driving, cancels the turbocharger's overboost function and keeps the exhaust's Sport flaps closed until 5000rpm. It also adjusts the gearshifts to make them softer and slower and reduces torque at each gear's take-up point.
Besides delivering the Maserati Quattroporte's peak fuel efficiency figure, the I.C.E. mode is also very useful for driving on low-grip surfaces.
V6 TWIN TURBO ENGINE AND PERFORMANCE
The Quattroporte's all-new V6 twin turbo engine is a close relation of the V8, sharing most of its core components.
With 301kW (410hp) of power at 5500rpm, it still provides a tremendously powerful driving experience, especially with 550Nm of flat torque between 1500rpm and 5000rpm. In Normal mode the torque is smoothed at 500Nm in the lower rpm range, reaching the 550Nm threshold at 5000rpm to guarantee the 301KW of maximum power.
The engine shares the V8's bore and combustion chamber design, the same valves control technology (i.e. roller finger followers and four cam phasers), the same twin turbocharging approach and direct injection-ignition system. The engine auxiliaries are identical (alternator, starter motor and power steering pump) or very similar (variable displacement oil pump).
Nonetheless it has a character of its own, revving to a lower 6500rpm maximum speed and delivering its torque level of 500rpm sooner than the V8.
While its specific power output is slightly lower than that of the V8, at 137hp per litre, its specific torque is actually higher than the larger-engined car's standard specific torque, at 183Nm per litre.
It is also a lighter car, with 1860kg in its rear-wheel drive configuration (+70kg in all-wheel drive).
In rear-wheel drive mode, it accelerates to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds, while the all-wheel drive V6 twin turbo manages the sprint in 4.9 seconds.
Both cars are still as fast as people would expect from the Maserati brand, with the rear-wheel drive's 285km/h (177mph) top speed matching the outgoing Sport GT S and the all-wheel drive V6 twin turbo reaching 284km/h (176mph).
The rear and all-wheel drive models are also very similar in their fuel consumption, with both cars posting 10.5 l/100km on the combined cycle, with the rear-wheel drive car claiming 244 grams of CO2/km and the all-wheel drive 246 grams.
EXHAUST SYSTEM
In the best Maserati tradition, the sound and performance of the Quattroporte's exhaust system is controlled by pneumatic valves in the pipes of each bank in order to maintain the classic and rich sound characteristic of the brand.
In the default Normal mode, the bypass valves are closed up to 4,200 rpm to give a comfortable and discreet engine sound.
In Sport mode, not only does the car adjust a variety of handling parameters, but the exhaust valves are opened, giving the shortest possible high-energy route for the exhaust gases. This gives the Quattroporte its maximum engine performance and the unique Maserati engine sound.
Beneath the rear bumper, the V8 version finishes its exhaust system with trapezoidal tips with two double pipes in polished steel.
DRIVETRAIN
All versions of the new Maserati Quattroporte are fitted with the ZF AT8-HP70 eight-speed automatic transmission.
Pre-engineered for both rear and all-wheel drive configurations, the transmission delivers increased comfort, faster gearshifting, reduced fuel consumption and reduced NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) values compared to the six-speed automatic in the outgoing Quattroporte.
By delivering two over-driven gears, the transmission alone delivers relevant fuel economy benefit and also weighs 4kg less than the outgoing six-speed transmission.
Befitting Maserati tradition, it features five dedicated shift modes: Auto Normal, Auto Sport, Manual Normal, Manual Sport and the I.C.E. mode (Increased Control Efficiency).
Auto Normal is the Quattroporte's default setting and performs its gear changes with fluid shifts at low engine speeds to emphasise the car's comfort and minimise fuel consumption.
