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Maserati announces two Quattroporte variants
Perhaps Maserati's split-personality Quattroporte will get to split into two different
versions. Maserati will unveil two new variants of its Quattroporte sedan, the Sport GT and Executive GT. The Sport GT
will receive a carbon fiber interior, 20-inch wheels, exterior badging, a sports steering wheel and aluminum pedal
covers. Sounds like NOPI to me, be we're sure the tastefulness of the Sport GT will be sufficient to warrant its price
tag. Where the Sport GT goes racer, the Executive GT goes luxury. The Quattroporte Executive GT will feature new colors
and wood finishes for the interior as well as chrome treatments for the exterior, 19-inch wheels, Alcantara in the
headliner, and additional comfort features for the rear passengers. The two variants should also receive revised
suspension and drivetrain enhancements, maybe to better match their intended audiences.
The current Quattroporte has been criticized for being too rough-edged to be a luxury sedan but
not quite sporty enough to be a sports car. With competition from other sporty luxury sedans coming down the pipe,
Maseratis Quattroporte needs to stake a serious claim in the current market if it hopes to survive the rush of new
competition.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
redman 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I really hope that they put an automatic transmission into atleast the GT Exective model. They need to remember that the people that buy these full size luxo sedans don't always want to do all the shifting themselves.
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Lee Gibson 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Many of these paddle-shifted manual transmissions have a fully automatic mode, which would scratch the "I'm too busy to shift my own gears" itch. To my mind, that gives the best of both worlds.
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redman 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
True, as you said,"many". But to my knowledge the this one doesn't. Which is why it lost out to the audi a8 with w12 engine in a car mag comparason.
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Lee Gibson 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I drool over the thought of an Audi A8 with the go-fast parts (RS8?) and their DSG transmission.
Yum-my.
Too bad it's not as pretty as the Maserati, but there's so. much. goodness. in that car.
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redman 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
http://www.forbes.com/vehicles/2004/02/09/cx_dl_0209feat.html
Check for yourself and see, just ctrl-f and look for transmission, you'll find where Forbes states that there is no auto mode.
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Tim 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Of course it has an auto mode, just not a very smooth one. Read the numerous reviews. Forbes is a biz mag, not a car mag.
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redman 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Very right you are, though the smoothness is still a problem, there is a auto mode. ma bad.
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Dan 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I test drove the quatroporte about a year ago. It acts just like an automatic by default. You have to take an affirmative action to do the shifting yourself.
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Dr Murray Rosenthal 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I have owned 2 Quattroportes! Maserati took my first back after several major problems including replacing the throw-out bearing and clutch. The second just completed the same surgery.
This repair will probably not be covered after 10-15k miles as Maserati considers it a wear item. According to service manager, he expects replacement will be needed between 20-30k miles.
Ill bet most of the people considering this car are like me and have never owned an exotic. Repairs such as this will come as a complete shock, hurt resale and undermine the cars image as a competitor w/ BMW, Mercedes and the new Porsche four door.
If you own a Q, put it on an incline in first gear, and accelerate gently. That rubbing noise you hear for the first split second is a bad bearing. Get it fixed now!
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casper damant 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
i've also had 2 new clutches on my q/p ( 7k miles in ) but ferrari uk seem to think that's all acceptable ! how did you get maserati to swap yours, dr rosenthal ? and that 1st gear on the hill thing is exactly right
any problems with the phone sounding like a road drill in a tunnel ?
lovely car, though
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Robert Loffredi 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Has anyone figured out how to stop the squeaking brakes? I just turned 5,000 miles and had the same clutch problem, dealer replaced with no problem.
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