2009 Maserati Quattroporte Performance Review

Reviews read by TheCarConnection.com rave about the performance capabilities of the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte, which, as TheCarConnection.com's editors point out, is more a four-door sports car than a luxury GT cruiser.

The not-so-secret reason for the Maserati Quattroporte's sporting prowess is the Ferrari-sourced engine sitting under the hood. According to Edmunds, the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte lineup is "powered by one of two V8s: a 4.2-liter and a 4.7-liter," with the smaller engine turning out "400 hp and 339 pound-feet of torque" in the base version. The Maserati Quattroporte S gets some engine massaging that increases power output to 425 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque, while Automobile Magazine notes that the Maserati 2009 Quattroporte GT S's 4.7-liter V-8 "receives a re-mapped engine computer, boosting power to 433 hp." With the Quattroporte GT S, Car and Driver reports that "some 85 percent of the 4.7-liter's 361 pound-feet of torque is available from 2500 rpm, and there are 40 more pound-feet on tap in the crucial 3000-to-3500-rpm neighborhood." Despite these impressive numbers, Jalopnik reminds us that "this Maserati isn't about numbers, it's about experience"—and behind the wheel, it's second to none. The unrivaled driving experience is largely due to the engine's sound, which Automobile Magazine says is "among the best of any production car on the road" and Jalopnik remarks that "if the color red could be embodied by a sound, this would be it."

For 2009, Maserati rethinks the transmission for the Maserati Quattroporte lineup, and the result is a much more appealing automatic. The 2009 Maserati Quattroporte lineup is available exclusively with what Road and Track calls a "crisp ZF automatic with paddle shifters" to help you cycle through the six available forward gears. Automobile Magazine deems it "one of the best automatic transmissions in the business," while Edmunds reports that the Maserati 2009 Quattroporte's sonorous engine "has found a soul mate in the six-speed ZF-built automatic transmission." Edmunds adds, "in Drive, the shift action is effortlessly smooth, or you can slot the level into manual and make use of the shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel."

When you make the decision to buy an exclusive and expensive sports car like the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte, fuel economy usually doesn't enter into your decision-making process. For those who are interested, however, the official EPA estimates for the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte are 12 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway.

The 2009 Maserati Quattroporte is a true driver's car, and despite its luxurious trappings it is meant to be driven hard. This is most clearly evidenced by the hard suspension, which makes living with the Quattroporte on a daily basis something of a chore. On the positive side, Car and Driver notes that the Maserati Quattroporte is "now regarded as one of the sportiest luxury sedans ever," and Road and Track raves about the "excellent suspension tuning." Automobile Magazine reviewers are clearly impressed by the fact that, when driving the Quattroporte hard, "you'd never guess the four-door weighs nearly 4,400 pounds" since it offers "spectacular grip." However, as mentioned earlier, Automobile Magazine warns that the Maserati Quattroporte's "ride quality, especially at low speeds, might be a bit rough on crumbling US tarmac." Other accolades from reviewers include Car and Driver's assessment that "steering is about as spot-on and stable as any luxury proposition could ask for" and the Maserati Quattroporte's "brakes proved as impressive as the rest of the chassis."