The Maserati Quattroporte: What the critics say

Automobile

The 2014 Quattroporte marks Maserati’s first step in a campaign to vastly expand global sales, and “it’s a big one.” Though lighter than the model it replaces, the new edition of the Italian carmaker’s flagship sedan has grown wider and longer, and feels much more spacious inside. Gone is some of the “hand-sewn, made-in-Milan quality” associated with the old Maserati, yet the new car remains “so beautiful that it takes your breath away.”

Motor Trend

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Even so, “it’s what’s under the hood that’s designed to leave the senses reeling.” The top-of-the-line Quattroporte now packs a twin-turbo V-8 that achieves a “staggering” 530 horsepower, and the new, less expensive V-6 is itself “something special.” The smaller engine can also be ordered with Maserati’s impressive first all-wheel-drive system, which helps leave memories of the quirky previous Quattroporte in the dust. This version “offers so much more,” including more power.

Car and Driver

The imminent rollout of the midsize Ghibli will also help Maserati make the leap from about 6,300 sales last year to their target of 50,000 for 2015. But something has been lost in the move toward the mainstream. Where once Maserati made “challenging art for connoisseurs,” it now is creating the equivalent of “wall art for corporate lobbies.” At least it’s still in business.