The 2020 Maserati Quattroporte Has Opulence to Spare

What is it?

The Quattroporte is Maserati’s flagship full-size luxury sedan.

Is it new?

In a word, no. Maserati has been in stasis recently as it seeks to recast its brand identity and hopefully find a profitable way forward without Ferrari engine power.

The current generation Quattroporte entered production for the 2013 model year. It was last refreshed for 2017. Maserati has added driver assistant features and other add-ons, but the car remains much the same as it has been in the past.

What makes it special?

Most people will never see a Maserati, much less drive one — few would even recognize the Maserati logo, or pick one out of a lineup of fancy cars. But almost everyone has heard the name Maserati; people recognize it as something rarified, stylish and Italian. By sight or word of mouth, it’s a car people will notice.

Many buyers may drift over to the Levante crossover, while others can save an incredible amount of money buying a very lightly used GranTurismo. But the full-bore Quattroporte remains the quintessential modern Maserati experience. And (for now at least) the Quattroporte still offers turbocharged 424-horsepower V6 and 523-hp V8 engines built by Ferrari. Both can propel you from 0-60 mph in under five seconds.

How does it drive?

Sort of…discordantly. Maserati’s main identity crisis is deciding whether it’s a luxury or performance brand; the Quattroporte embodies that duality. It has the size, bearing and insulated cabin of a Mercedes S-Class style full-size cruising sedan. Yet you also get massive, racing-style paddle shifters and a ton of power and agility.

You’re drawn into letting the Quattroporte rip…but then you realize you can’t really hear the exhaust note, and wonder why you’re trying to hoon a pleasure barge. My tester also had all-wheel-drive, for reasons not altogether clear.

What’s it like inside?

Opulent. If you like fine Italian leather, intricate detailing and more than a fair bit of flashiness, the Maserati Quattroporte is the car for you. It’s the sort of car you’d like being chauffeured in as much as driving, provided your chauffeur isn’t too fond of the paddle shifters.

What it is not, compared to many of its full-size brethren, is spacious. You get the gravitas and comfort of being in a large sedan but not the voluminousness.

What’s it cost?

Maseratis are expensive. The base MSRP for my S Q4 trim tester with a V6 is $106,690. You’ll likely spend much more than that. We might point out the smaller Ghibli will be nearly indistinguishable to most buyers, and costs $30,000 less to start.

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