Harder edged Quattroporte GT-S review by CAR magazine

That car is awesome!!!

 

That car is a LOOKER. I love the interior!

 

Only available with the automatic. All the Public Relations BS about serious sportiness etc. is belied by the fact thet the cambiocorsa will not be offered, nor will it ever be available again on any Quattroporte, GranTurismo or any furure models. Automatics from now on due solely to the market demanding easier driving cars and less engagement in the driving dynamics. If you care about driving make sure you get a 2007 Sport Gt with duoselect because that is the last one ever. From now on Maseratis are strictly boulevard cruisers. On a related note i want to lower my quattroporte slightly. Any leads on the right components, installers to do this properly without adversely effecting the dynamics. Thanks. PS. Adding emoticons is addictive in a most juvenile way. I rather like it.

 

The Cambiocorsa Gb was junk in the QP. Horrible. I drove it for 3 days in traffic and it was jerking all the time even when you were standing still.

 

+1 here..
Driving 2007 cambiocorsa back to back with 599 or even 430 makes you wonder if these trannys were designed by the same engineers?
It's like comparing the handling of a 1975 Eldorado to the 2007 XLR...
Even M5's transmission feels absolutely perfect after driving Duoselect.
Now,going back to subject....
Absolutely love the GTS,if only I could figure out some reliable,significant increase in performance of that car.....

 

Love that car, its been getting rave reviews everywhere!

 

Love it.
How much in the US??

 

I REALLY hated the auto tranny in the QPorte. It really doesn't suit the somewhat frenetic nature of the car. It doesn't even want to hold gears in manual mode. I tried a Sport GT and the CCorsa actually seemed pretty good.

 

I guess it depends on what you expect and what you use the car for, if i lived in the mountains, id rather have the CC.

 

obviousely I disagree regarding the cambiocorsa. I'll only add it needs attention and technique to master. Remember when we did that with relish on manual transmissions. Still more fun than an automatic.

 

Right now, I own a QP Sport GT and I had a 2004 GS before that and I've never had any problems with the cambiocorsa. The Ferraris' of course is faster (I drove a F430 several times) and the Maseratis' tends to be a little jerky when you start the engine in the morning. But because I'm aware of that and find it to be better suited for the car's character I would choose it over the Auto anytime!!
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Great car-very classy and stylish.

 

one last cranky comment. Its fine if you prefer the auto but as always with Maserati as soon as they get something right they drop it. The CC in the 2006 cars is a vast improvement and a dealer I trust tells me the 2007 is even smoother. My 2006 Sport GT has pretty quick and smooth shifts. So of course from 2008 forward you won't be able to buy any Maserati without an automatic. Even if 85% of the people out there want the automatic shouldn't a company like Maserati at least hold out the option of something more engaging if you want it. By the way this goes for the 4.7 liter 450hp Quattroporte and GanTurismo in the pipeline as well. I'm in the minority but I've bought my last modern Maser.

 

The F1/Duoselect is a FerrariMaserati staple and will always be offered as an alternative.

 

first drives? when did this come out? I was riding around in one a couple of weeks ago.

 

The CC is not that bad - it's just totally unsuited to a luxury car.

My personal experience:

Quattroporte Cambiocorsa, March 2004: I pick up the car at the factory in Modena, and I drive it to Portofino. A friend (a magazine editor) and my wife came along for the drive. We loved the balance and aggressiveness of the car on the way down. It was hilarious seeing how the QP easily kept up with a Porsche 911 on the twisty highway that crossess the appennines down to the Med coast. We got to portofino for lunch, exilarated but a lot poorer - the QP had swallowed up a full tank of expensive Italian fuel in just about 250 miles!! On the way back, same fun again. Only that once we hit the highway between Parma and Modena, we got stuck in the evening traffic. And that's where the dark side of the QP emerged. The exciting sportscar suddenly turned itself into a recalcitrant Yugo, jerking and kicking like an old delivery van. That the CC is not fit for a luxury car only becomes evident in heavy traffic. The jerky behavior that's irrelevant on a Ferrari Modena (when do you ever drive a Modena in town anyway?) suddenly jumps at you in a luxury sedan that should be usable in all kinds of traffic.

Quattroporte Automatica, Summer 2007: I pick up the car at the factory in Modena, and drive it across the old Apennine mountain roads towards Tuscany. All the time I'm chasing a bunch of friends in Ferraris, and I never lose sight of them. Once in Sport mode, the automatic 'box is fast, smooth and responsive, both in the upshifts and downshifts. And when we hit traffic? No problem. The QP is as smooth as a Mercedes S-Class, only much more exciting when you floor the throttle and the roads become serious. For the entire summer holiday the QP performed flawlessly, never lost a beat against the Ferraris and was a hoot to drive. We loved it and it was just as fast as a Cambiocorsa in a straight line. The trade-off was 100% positive.

Conclusion: get the Automatica. Maserati is right to go this way. The latest generation of Steptronic gearboxes is just as good as the best manuals. Look at BMW - they use the "superfast" Steptronic on their 335 Coupe, it is actually faster than the manual and the torque converter stays locked most of the time, virtually eliminating the annoying "slip" that made traditional slushboxes anathema to real drivers. I consider myself a real driver, but I must admit - technology has moved on. The Cambiocorsa is now an 8-yr old technology. Audi has the twin-clutch DSG, BMW and Mercedes use the latest Steptronic automatics - these gearboxes are the future, and Maserati is right to follow this path.

 

Regarding Dave Fonz' comment. According my dealer 2008 Q4 and Gran Turismo are only available in automatic. And Gran Turismo was developed with engine mounted automatic architecture only. CC/diff will never be offered. Is he wrong? Hope so. Thanks.
Regarding Maranello71's comments. As I mentioned: 2004 bad, 2005 pretty bad, 2006 pretty smooth, 2007 silky smooth (at least according to dealer. I haven't driven 2007) Your experience was with first year model which nobody would defend. That's why Maserati has upgraded software and hardware several times. I do see an inherent contradiction in your comments. On the one hand you mention the ease with which the Q4 kept up with a 911 and on the other say the CC isn't compatible with a "luxury car". My Khamsin, Ghibli and Sebring SII were all luxurious by exotic car standards of their era and much less stressed and stressful to drive than other Italian exotics and they all had fully manual transmissions. I wouldn't have owned them otherwise.
If anyone is interested I'll be installing the remapping service from Eurotek. According to the owner, Phil, in addition to more HP/torque and smoother throttle response I should experience quicker and smoother CC operation. I'll post my impressions next month.

 

I'm thinking of getting a GS (space for the baby...), and I'm keen to make sure I can keep up with cars such as the new M3 (0-100 in 9.8s, 1/4m in 12.6s, according to Car&Driver). The only way to do this IMO is to squeeze more power & torque out of the engine, make the CC faster and raise the rev limiter. Is the Eurotek (+15HP) all that's available in the US? I know in Europe I can get the Modena Tec kit which gives a more substantial 432HP.

 

I think the real solution to this debate is to fit a proper manual to the car. Forget automatic and Cambiocorsa boxes.....give me an old 6-speed manual and the car can do whatever/whenever...because I'm the one in control. Simple, direct, easy. The way to go.

 

I concur with Mr. BJWHITE. I've never driven a GS stick but I haven't heard anything bad about it. If I was only offered a choice of either fully automatic or fully manual I'd chose the manual.
regarding Maranello71's query. I believe you may be thinking of the Novitec Tridente program. I agree a remapped computer AND exhaust for 13HP? Yikes and big bucks!. I can't vouch for Eurotek's products but others have done research on this chat and narrowed their aftermarket performance options to Eurotec http://www.eurotekdesigns.com/main.html and FormulaDynamics http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/ecu/ecu.php . I emailed formula dynamics and got a response. they seem professional and reliable. I spoke to the owner of Eurotek and his description of what he does, why he does it, why others aren't doing it right all seemed reasonable to me though I'm not an expert. His website does I believe illustrate that he is not fly by night, regularly works on many higperformance exotics and their are links to several magazine stories about his products. None of this is a gaurantee but he works regularly with a couple of other aftermarket companies that I know do the highest quality work ( suspension and coachtrimming. I'm having my Q4 interior done like the optional '07 with contracting seat inserts. I'll post a couple pictures when it's done) and he is close enough for me to annoy if i'm not satisfied sooooo I thought I'd take a leap of faith. His HP and Torque numbers are probably more what your looking for and it's all done with reprogramming at your location. There are two other options that I know of. http://www.dmsautomotive.com/index.asp?upid=1 in england and there was an article in Modified Luxury and Exotics Magazine (how's that for a classy imprint. It's rife with bling) About a guy on the west coast who opened the block and now gets 512 reliable hp. The vendor was BK Motorsport. I don't have contact info. I'm curious so let us know what you find out. Jeff

 

Hi Jeff, actually I am referring to modena-tec. See this weblink and cry: http://www.modena-tec.com/

It's an amazing little company that has been doing some serious tuning for several years. I believe Walter Baumer here on the forum can testify to the performance of the 590HP 3200GT that I heard he drove once at the Nurburgring...

But sticking to the newer cars, you'll see that they have a multi-step development program for the Gransport. The best value for money is probably the 432HP variant (6200 Euro) combined to the lowered, modified set-up which improves handling (2980 Euro). Then if you want to blast AMG 63s into the weeds there's always the 551HP twin-compressor monster engine, but it's a bit steep at over 50K. As I'm planning to move to the US and buy a GS next year, if it's legal (is it? - advice needed) I would import from Germany the engine + suspension kit and have it installed by a good Maserati garage in the USA.

Andrea

 

The only Coupe I've driven is a 6-speed manual....however, I just had some great seat time in my friend's Quattroporte DuoSelect, and those who call it jerky and ill-suited for a luxury car are sadly mistaken in my opinion.

I really like it actually! The trick is to use the throttle like you would in a true manual car....NOT like an automatic. That means letting the clutch engage, etc..etc..

My one complaint though I think could be applied across the Ferrari F1/Maserati Cambiocorsa-DuoSelect range which is MAKE THE DAMN PADDLES MOVE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. Grrr.....can't tell you how many times I was in a turn, wanted to shift but the paddle was long gone far away.

In the end, I'd certainly daily drive a QP with DuoSelect....and in fact, I'd prefer it over a slushbox. It's all about technique.

I still stand by my "wanting a regular 6-speed manual if it were available" comment.

On another observation what is with the WAY oversized HomeLink logo and numbers on the HomeLink unit?! haha...looks cheap. Want to see a nice looking Homelink integration? Check out any 2004+ Audi.....