GTS 4dr Sedan
2014 Maserati Quattroporte

The First Maserati To Run Full-Time On All Fours About six months ago we tested the all-new 2014 Maserati Quattroporte GTS and its 523-horsepower 3.8-liter bi-turbo V8 engine, the latter being built in Maranello, Italy, by Ferrari. There were comments on both sides, mostly positive though, and we came away impressed by the sixth-generation Maserati sedan. This despite the fact that both we and you couldn't seem to get past the questionable aesthetics of the 20-inch Crono alloy wheels slapped on all of the test cars. Awkward looking they are, or is "distinctive" the word we're seeking? For both the crucial United States market and the rest of the world, the most important version of the latest Quattroporte is bound to be the less powerful (and less expensive) bi-turbo V6 model we have just driven here in northern Italy; both rear-wheel-drive and Q4 all-wheel-drive versions. We spent nearly all day in the 404-hp 2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4, and found a lot that we prefer in the six-cylinder powertrain versus the champing aggression and $140,000 price tag of the GTS bi-turbo V8 model. These long and lanky executive-style statements traditionally thrive on the V8 mantra, so it will be interesting to watch how Maserati's need to use stronger and more efficient V6 engines is received by its six-figure customers. It's a cynical thing to discuss so matter of factly, but descending into five-figure pricing for these rides actually damages their sales potential. It's bizarre, but keeping every trim of the Maserati Quattroporte north of $100,000 was crucial. So, is the 2014 Maserati Quattrporte S Q4 at a projected $108,000 base price worth it? To this stratum of clientele, apparently it is. Even the rear-wheel-drive S with this bi-turbo V6 will come in around $102,000 when it arrives in North America in mid-2014. (Or mid-2015, as yet to be decided.) The other serious novelty here is the Magna Steyr all-wheel traction system, called Q4. The essential changes made for S models naturally regard the all-new "156" bi-turbo 60-degree 3.0-liter V6 engine, sitting low and far back in the engine bay to aid dynamics during drives involving frequent weight transfer moments. We were on one of the more wonderful proving ground circuits near the Alps between Turin and Milan at the Fiat-Chrysler facility called Balocco, but we also hit real roads that cut through the widespread rice fields of the area. It was an on-again, off-again rainy day, so we also had a range of surface conditions. That last point is good, because the other serious novelty here is the Magna Steyr all-wheel traction system, called Q4 within Fiat-Chrysler, a system that closely replicates what xDrive does for the four wheels of any BMW model thus equipped. This weather fit in nicely with what we wanted to see from the Quattroporte S Q4. Under default normal highway cruising conditions, all torque is sent to the rear wheels, but it can be sent in varying proportions, whenever needed, to any of the four …
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