2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4 drive review

Maserati will build both rear-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of the V6-powered Quattroporte S.

At long last, a Maserati for the snow states. Equipped with the company's first-ever all-wheel-drive system, this is a four-seasons four-door and also the first Maserati packing the company's new 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 in its engine bay. This potent engine is destined to be Maserati's most important; it will serve in the new Ghibli sedan (to be shown in Europe in June) and the Levante crossover SUV going into production late in 2014.

The new V6's 404-hp output is 119 hp less than Maserati's equally new, higher-revving 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 bound for the Quattroporte GTS. But the six's 405-lb-ft maximum torque, delivered all the way from 1,750 to 5,000 rpm, is more than the naturally aspirated V8 of the superseded fifth-generation Quattroporte Sport GT S.

According to Maserati product-development engineer Federico Landini, the V8 and V6 are designed around the same basic combustion-chamber architecture. He dismisses speculation the six is in any way related to Chrysler's Pentastar V6. The Italian V6 uses the same coolant and oil pumps as the American engine, he says, but that's it. To him, using these shared components was just common sense: Why spend millions to design and develop new pumps when suitable components were readily available off the Fiat/Chrysler Group shelf, Landini asks. Design credit for the engine belongs to Maserati but Ferrari manufactures both the Quattroporte's V6 and V8. 

The Maserati Quattroporte has a cozy, handcrafted feel, but it does come with some ergonomic flaws, such as the too-close proximity of the indicator/w

Maserati will build both rear-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of the V6-powered Quattroporte S at its new Grugliasco factory near Turin, but only the latter will be exported here. The 130-pound AWD system was developed with help from Getrag, says Landini. The electronically controlled wet multiplate clutch inside the transfer case is bolted to the rear of the Quattroporte's eight-speed ZF automatic and has control software to provide a rear-drive feel. At maximum, 50 percent of torque can be directed to the Maserati's front wheels; at minimum, zero. The all-wheel-drive hardware has negligible effect on the sedan's 50:50 weight distribution.

Only a small 'Q4' badge distinguishes the all-wheel-drive Quattroporte from the regular V6-engined S. It, in turn, is next to impossible to tell from a V8-engined GTS. Until you hit the starter button, of course. …

What's it like to drive?

The V6 engine in the Quattroporte S has a more mellow character than the V8 in the GTS due to both the missing cylinders and their 60-degree arrangement, naturally, but also because the six stops around 1000-rpm short of the V8's wailing 7,200-rpm cut-out. In this case, though, mellowness is relative. The V6 feels strong and eager despite the 17-foot long steel and aluminum luxury limo's 4,230-pound weight. 

The driver is presented with several options to influence the V6's behavior: “I.C.E” mode dulls responses to improve efficiency. Normal is, well, normal. And the sport button (also affecting the transmission, steering and dampers) is really something. Engine and transmission responsiveness are both sharpened, and with the extra snap there's crackle and pop. Sport opens the valves in the Maserati's mufflers, and on a winding road through Italian hills the Quattroporte sometimes made it sound like hunting season had opened early.

So it's the right kind of engine for a Maserati, but the transmission's behavior could use some polish. Shifts were sometimes a little brusque and we noticed some light-throttle jerkiness. In normal mode, the eight-speed auto seemed a bit too manically eager to please, shifting down a gear, or two, with only a slight increase in pressure on the accelerator.

The all-wheel-drive system is excellent. It can sometimes feel like rear-drive when cornering with verve but the torque-distributing software is smart enough to keep the car's behavior mostly neutral. Generously dimensioned, grippy tires ensure this is one big car that can be really hustled without feeling a handful. The athletic agility comes at a price; even in softer-damped normal mode the Maserati rides more firmly than its obvious competitors. In fact, it occasionally verges on harshness over small, sharp road irregularities. 

The Maserati Quattroporte has already has almost 2,000 firm orders, and two out of three have selected the S Q4. It will have $102,500 MSRP when it go

Both the steering's weight and road feel are above the luxury limo average, right in character with the Quattroporte's handling. The big brakes are bitey, again consistent with Maserati's aim to make this sedan more of a driver's car than its same-size German rivals.

These include long-wheelbase versions of the BMW 7-series and soon to be superseded Mercedes-Benz S-class. Compared to these, the Maserati exterior's design language is more expressive. Its interior has some ergonomic flaws a German brand would never make -- the too-close proximity of the indicator/wiper wand to the left shift paddle, for example -- but the cozy, handcrafted feel creates a warmer ambience. 

Do I want it?

If you do, join the queue. Literally. With the Quattroporte's U.S. launch still months away (July for the V8, August for the V6) Maserati already has almost 2,000 firm orders. Two out of three have selected the S Q4. It has the same charms (and flaws) as the GTS, with a MSRP that's $38,000 lower at $102,500. 

Luxury-loving Italophiles living in climates where it's white several months of the year simply haven't had an obvious option before. Now they do.

MODEL: 2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4

ON SALE: August 2013

BASE PRICE: $102,500 base MSRP, tax and delivery not included

DRIVETRAIN: 3.0-liter, 404-hp, 405-lb-ft V6 twin turbo; AWD, 8-speed automatic transmission

CURB WEIGHT: 4,230 pound

0-62 MPH: 4.9 sec (mfr. claim)

FUEL ECONOMY ESTIMATE: 18 mpg city/21 mpg highway/19 mpg combined