Maserati QP-great car, but I'm disappointed!

There is DEFINITELY a difference. In the back of a S500, three people (19, 15, & 14 y/o) can site comfortably but not when I went to test drive the QP.

 

If 5 person comfort is what you're after then get a BMW 5/7 series or MB S class, otherwise, there is a reason behind the beauty of the QP.

Could it be possible that Maserati did not want a family image sedan and prefer a sporty executive theme.

 

Neither a 7 or an S will sit 5 in "comfort". They are all designed as 4 seaters, but equipped to handle 5 on occaision.

 

well i will have to agree with parker on this issue. i too have 3 children and have been eyeing the qp. i used to have an m5 and they all fit fine. i now have an s benz and they all fit fine. i would love to have the new m5 but that thing is so ugly that i cant do it. so the qp would seem to be an alternative. however, i have not taken it for a drive, just oggled it at the dealer. my biggest question was whether i would like the tranny, but if the size is an issue, i may not bother figuring it out. also the trunk space of 15 cubic feet seems way smaller than what the benz or m5 are, and this might be an issue, even if you only have 2 people riding in it (and one of them is my wife) then the luggage is going to take up more than 15 cubic feet.....

another car that is on the scope is the cls. i saw one the other day and it looks great. i have not seen any tests yet though.

 

holy cow, give it a rest man... If you don't like something for whatever reason, don't buy it.... It's as simple as that.. Apparently you are a BMW loyalist, there's nothing wrong with that... Put yourself on the waiting list for the E60 M5 and be done with it already...

 

Kenny-Totally agreed

It's like saying the new 612 is a bad car because it does not fit four as nice as a MB CL or new BMW 6 series.

The QP is what it is! A fast sporty stylish executive sedan. Now if it did not deliver on the performance or looks area then those are more valid reasons to knock it.

 

you guys dont get it. parker (and to an extent myself) are not knocking the qp for everybody. it is a great car, no doubt. it just is not the right car for frank's purposes. he makes that plain, and explains what his purposes are. he was disappointed (as was i) that the italian answer to mercedes and bmw is unfortunately lacking in some of the things that he requires in a four door sedan, namely that it seats his particular 5 people, and that it carries his luggage. this is not an apples to oranges comparison, it is a function within form comparison.

the qp is great, and if i wanted a car that only really adequately seated 4.5 people, and never needed to carry more than 15 cubic feet of stuff, then it would be perfect.
but i need to carry 5, and load more like 25cubic feet of stuff.
so i will look elsewhere, unfortunately.

btw, i also like the scaglietti (after originally hating it), and think it seats 4 people just fine

 

Luggage? I thought you guy's used The Shooting Brake for luggage...

 

quite right jim, when i am seriously hauling stuff around along with kids i use the mercedes station wagon, best payload for the footprint. now if maserati wanted to make an 'estate car' that could get interesting....

 

An S500 is not bad. It handles 5 people pretty well. It is not ULTRA ROOMY but it is nicer than the Maserati. I wish the Maserati had the same amount of room.

 

I did not even know about the trunk. Wow. I can not believe they made so many things small in this car. Darn shame. I loved that car. My main concerns were the back seat and bringing the car in for service and not getting a rental.

 

You want something with the looks and performance of an M5, QP, E55, XJR, RS6 etc right?

You want to be able to carry 5 people comfortably, right?

The RS6 has as much room in back as the M5, so what is it a challenge of, ergonomics? Never played Tetris with children before?

You want to store 25 cu ft of luggage. Wait, what? In a sedan? Hope you have a luggage rack.

What we are trying to say is that your expectations are unrealistic.

S6 Avant
Porsche Cayenne Sport or Turbo.

Its a SHORT list, fellas.

 

i can imagine some of the maserati engineers in italy reading this thread and go:

"No no no... we got 47:53 weight distribution on this fabulous sedan and the americans want to load 3 kids in the back and 25 cu ft of luggage in the trunk? no no no.."

 

you are right that my desire to put more than 15 cubic feet in back is probably unrealistic. so i will forget that. but the other stuff is still valid. i also thought about the audi. do the still make an rs8?

 

there was never an rs8. you mean rs6? you can possibly find some used ones (2003 US models, 2004 Canadian models).

 

Ross
The RS6 is about as good as it gets. VERY FAST. Drives well. Only thing I didn't like was the nav system.
You may also want to check out the Cayenne Turbo. My wife's is super. A wonderful vehicle for hauling 5 plus luggage and if you have to drive to Dakar this puppy will make it.
Her's has 36K miles with NO problems.
Best

 

there was an S8 but no longer, the new A8L 6.0 will replace it i think.
i just went through this, looking at everything MB, Maserati, Jag, BMW and the Maybach. ended up ordering a A8L it was the largest sedan i could find only exception being the maybach. the quattro drive is great since i go up to Taho and Mammoth every winter. for a big car the aluminum construction makes it feel lighter than it is and the handeling is superp. even with only the 300 or so HP it has it feels like more. the trunk space is suprisingly large don't 'have the specs but it holds ALOT.

 

As it is only my wife and I right now, the back seat issue shouldn't be a big deal. I saw three of them on the road in Tokyo this week, great looking car. Plan on test driving one when I get back to the states as a daily driver (back up plan is a W140 S600). The Maser just looks better.

 

Hopefully the 4.2L V8 will be a little more reliable than the turbocharged POS...

 

Originally posted by parkerfe

I don't think Americans are quite as different as you think! Clearly you enjoy a very much higher standard of living but, taking Europeans as an example, only a small minority appreciate the virtues of performance cars. Unfortunately there is an ever-increasing 'poseur' segment in the richer parts of the world, but they soon tire of their toys and revert to the more conventional automobile.

I understand your annoyance over the implication that the QP seats five, but surely this is down to the prevalent philosophy of convenient marketing, plus degradation of the English language? Thirty years ago the term would have been "Occasional Five", but alas such subtle nuances have disappeared. The simple fact of the matter is that the centre back seat must be something of a compromise where intrusion of the drive train is a factor (due to lower ride height than you might find on a conventional sedan).

In any event Maserati would not expect their customers to buy the car for the conveyance of an entire family; the QP is after all aimed at the enthusiast sector of the market where such considerations carry little weight. I offer you two suggestions: buy a pair of enjoyable 2+2s and take both of them with you when you travel 'en famille'. My wife and I have always found it a useful bonus to have two cars at our disposal when we reach our destination. Altenatively, as others have suggested, take a long hard look at the Cayenne Turbo. It is a magnificent machine, and would meet your needs to perfection.

As to price and Maserati's future, I think you probably do point up the 'American difference' because we in Europe look upon their products as something of a bargain - certainly where the Coupe and GranSport are concerned. Having never bought or even considered a four door sedan in my life I am in no position to pontificate on that subject! I would ask, however, that you elaborate upon your assessment of the Fiat empire's financial prospects under the guidance of Luca di Montezemolo. Your detailed views would be extremely interesting.

 

The outcome of the Zurich meeting certainly wasn't encouraging. You may already use the source below, but I've included it just in case!

http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200412151147-1042-RT1-CRO-0-NF30&page=1&id=agionline-eng.bnessitaly

Although remote, the prospect of GM controlling Ferrari/Maserati would be horrendous. Let's hope the Dollar and Euro rebalance, and that Italians return to buying Fiats in reasonable quantity.