Anyone here looking at the Quattroporte?

I have had a lot of time behind the wheel of a Q-Porte. Here are some of my views in response to some of your concerns;

Quality-wise, the motor has been around since 2002, and it is a fabulous motor. It is as good a motor I have ever experienced, and I have driven pretty much every Ferrari model since 1979. Your new 430 has a derivitative of that motor, as does the almighty Enzo. Being normally aspirated, it has a nice linear power delivery, no lag anywhere. The only way to fully utilize the motor's power is to paddle shift yourself, that way you are total control. Which brings me to my next observation; the transmission. It is very unique in this type of car, and I must say, it is not for everyone. I would describe the car as being very luxurious, yet very sporty as well, much of this due to the tranny. Test drive the car in the city, on the highway, using the tranny in both auto and manual mode, that will be the only way you will know for sure.

Speaking of quality; I have heard of numerous people specifically with the Benz 12-cylinder, locked in lemon lawsuits, mostly because of electronic gremlins......have you experienced this at all?

Resale? Your guess is as good as anyone's. Pros; waitlisted currently, very low production volume. Cons; Maserati is still in the re-establishment mode making many people uncertain of the brand, also unaware.

Your Benz is truly a rocket, but the Maser will never have you wishing for more power. Where the Q-Porte shines the most is in handling. It'll run circles around your Benz, or any other luxury car in the twisties. Why? It is the only sedan that has its weight biased towards the rear. This gives you similar handling characteristics that you would have in a mid-engine sports car.

Drive it...............I am curious to hear your feedback.

 

the benz is a fabulous machine, well engineered to a tee, but for driving purposes, the Qporte is a notch above the rest in the executive car lot. It has a certain duality to it that u mite have to accept

 

I have a 2002 Spyder Cambiocorsa, so I'm very familiar with the powertrain that will be used in the Q. With the latest software mods from Maserati, the transmission is finally a better fit for use in the Q - the wife says she is completely satisfied with it's smoothness in Auto mode. Quite a statement for a computer-driven manual!

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of spending about 15-20 minutes driving a pre-production Q on the road in Southern California. The Q definitely has a more European (firm) feel than our Lexus LS430. More a driver's car than a luxo cruiser. Interior fit and finish was top-notch.

In Sport mode, the car was a joy to hammer through the gears. The same explosive acceleration from that wonderful engine was readily apparent. Maserati hit a home run with that engine!

It was obvious that the pre-production model I drove hadn't yet had the latest CC software mods applied. While more fun in the manual modes, it wasn't smooth nor prompt when shifting in Auto. That should be fixed by now, but I'd recommend driving a final production unit in full Auto before you purchase to make sure you're satisfied.

Here in the states, the Maserati dealer has been nothing short of wonderful, bending over backwards to make sure we're satisfied. My service writer says he is raked over the coals if my answers to a follow-up survey shows anything other than top ratings. They've updated (at no charge) my used 2002 to the latest suspension, engine, and transmission pieces. In fact, they have performed at a level equal to, or exceeding, our Lexus dealer. Quite a statement.

As far as depreciation, that's a gamble. While fine cars, Mercedes reputation in the last few years must be making their long-term value retention a gamble as well. If you like your dealer, like the car, you'll love the Maserati owner experience. To me, it's worth the gamble to own something unique with a grand history.

Brad

 

mine is sitting at the dealer now. just need to sort out the errors in ordering the options they made.

the QP's resale is questionable. you are dealing with a very specific car with options that can vary, especially the individual color options on the leather and trims. you might like the color combo but the new buyer might not like the piping color..

from my 5 min test drive which is not enough, i can tell you the fit and finish is great. the trunk, imo, is very small compare to the S.

 

Scottsdale Maserati have their demo QP in and I drove it last week. The car is a revelation! I owned a Mas Spyder for about two years and I loved the engine, but had the car in the shop several times for updates to the Cambiocorsa software. It improved a bit over time, but was never great. I was curious to see if they managed to get it right in the QP.

In short, the car blew me away!. The transmission is perfect. In auto mode it is not discernible from a regular large sedan auto tranny, but the huge plus in favor of the QP is that when you select Manual mode and then Sport on top of that, you have a Ferrari with four doors.

I have an S55, with nearly 500HP and I love it, but driving the QP gave me a new sense of perspective. The QP's steering is crisp where the Benz is soft, the suspension in manual/sport mode is tight and very predictable, where the benz is comfy. The Auto mode experience is just smooth as silk.

The front seats are perfect and surprisingly the rears are very comfortable, with more than enough legroom. Maserati obviously took apart a few Benzes, Bimmers and Audis, because the fit and finish is excellent and the standard list of features is very impressive. I liked the nav system and the car is simply intuitive - the polar opposite of BMW's I-Drive.

As much as love my big Benz, and I really love it, I am getting a QP when the Benz lease is up.

 

the s class mb depreciate very quickly and they do have a great deal of electric gremblins... also , dont forget that the maser q is a beautiful car, inside and out, and i have rarely heard anyone call the s class beautiful...also, with the maser, you get the italian passion that is missing in german cars, which can be very cold.....

 

Goog to hear positive comments on the QP. I was wondering if the model your drove had the latest software made for the US market?

 

I haven't driven one, but I was on my way up to the Ferrari dealership last week and saw Kizdan driving their demo not far from the dealership. It looks STUNNING on the road. I had seen it in person several times, but seeing it on the road is when you really get to appreciate how great the car looks. This one was navy blue with sabbia interior (I think, correct me if I'm wrong Dan), which is a great color combo for this car.

 

ya that color combo seems just about perfect for that car, im sure it has alot of road presence

 

This was a US spec car with speedo in MPH,and is what the finished product should be delivered as.

 

we dumped my wife's S600 when the service manager [well known authorised MB dealer in LA] told her how bad they really are and "strongly advised" her off the record to get rid of it. their build quality and reliability sux. Mercedes is a brand of the past living on fumes. i will never buy another.

her Q arrives in a week or 2; for a combination of sport driving feel, beauty and reliability, it's unmatched by the usual common crap from MB and BMW. it also is exclusive.

i rode in a lexus 430 sport the other day, and much as i hate the boring soccer mom/mini van image of lexus, the interior and build quality was amazing.

M/F has a major hit on their hands with the Q

 

none of you fear buying the car in its first year of production?

 

not particularly. first, the engine has been in the coupe / spyder. the transmission is programmable. there are updates already.

most importantly, Ferrari / Maserati really want this segment of the market. If anything, the buyers in this segment are very particular and will not put up with any **** that the service dept give them. I strongly feel F/M will make this car work and their owners happy.

 

Our Spyder was one of the first delivered and it had some issues, specifically with the transmission and a particularly bad squeak coming from the soft top frame. Our dealer, along with the Mas factory rep went out of their way to ensure that we were happy. I'm certain that they will lavish the best level of attention on the initial QP buyers particularly.

 

At present I have the BMW 745 Li and it is a great car. However, it can't come close to the looks of the new Q-porte. I ordered mine last summer and should be getting it around Feb-Mar of 05. The production is slower than originally thought (per my salesman). I don't mind the slow output since I like the idea of having an exclusive car. At many of the events that I attend, you can find numerous mercedes and bmw but never a maserati. This car will be different and I think that this is a good enough reason to have it right there. The car is beautiful, especially compared to my bmw. In addition, you are getting a car that you can drive and I do mean drive. The other luxury sedans can almost drive themselves and you don't have the same feel. The resale will probably be abyssmal like all other cars in this category so just accept it. Hope this helps.

 

Well said. You can tweak the handling characteristics but you can't totally eliminate the compromise. Its being marketed as a driver's sedan. From the posts from those who have driven it, it sounds like it lives up to its reputation.

I wouldn't say its a notch above the rest without first hand experience. I haven't ripped the Q through canyons yet (I personally feel if you can't afford the price of admission, don't go shopping). My XJ6 is modified and it lives at the limit, so I have high expectations. I modified out some of the comproimise, everyone else's level of compromise is different and why we drive what we do.

I can't wait to get my hands on a Q for a full afternoon.

Sunny

 

Drove one yesterday at FCI. Had also driven one in Milan over the summer. It's a great combo of luxury and sport that brings back the old tradition of Maserati from decades ago [ala Ghibli and Indy]. I always found myself shifting automatics in my MB's, Bimmers and Audi sedans. And they were definitely Teutonic in design. Now the Qporte comes along w/ style, luxury, sufficient HP and crisp handling. Finally a way to have luxury and sporting fun at the same time.
I saw 12 lined up at a the dealer in Milan. That has helped me pick the color and interior. Somehow the internet site just does not quite cut it. Have my options picked. My deposit has been in for a few months. Can't say I have ever been excited about taking delivery on a sedan.

 

Would you prefer a sedan with 47/53 front/rear or 51/49 front/rear based on balance?

To paraphrase reviews, its ride quality and gearbox are hardly top of the class but buyers of the Q won't care. Thats what has me intrigued. Its sacrificed a lot to out perform its rivals.

Anyone care to loan me a Q for half a day? I'll have a 20 page essay critiquing the tangibles and intangibles when I'm done.

Sunny

 

Not all cars of this type have bad resale numbers. My 2000 BMW M5 is still worth $50k or so, and I only paid $69.9K in 2000. That's not that bad for a four door sedan,

 

Here is someone that recently bought a Quatroportte. I'm sure he could answer some of your questions:

http://www.maseratiforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=229

 

I saw one at the dealer yesterday. It was blue with a camel colored interior. That was one beautiful car.

 

That person would be me.

///M! = Kewpie (=QP = Quattroporte)
I post on several forums under the id ///M! or M! for obvious reasons, but since i move to Maserati.. haha.. thought i adopt another name (instead of running the M! thing on a ferrari forum)

I would pick up the car in a week or so. just they need to sort out some minor issues.