Designed by Italy's Pininfarina design firm, the rear-wheel-drive Maserati Quattroporte is available as a standard luxury model or as a sport model.
The 4.2-liter continues in the base Quattroporte, while the Quattroporte S and Sport GT S get a 4.7-liter V-8 with varying outputs. Mechanical features includeCall it the 2011 Maserati Quattroporte, however, and suddenly it doesn't sound so plain.
The 2011 Maserati Quattroporte delivers a smooth and quiet ride that rivals that of cars from any other luxury brand, along with that certain little Italian ingredient -- passion. This car's handling is also noteworthy, even in its base-model configuration.
The 2011 Maserati Quattroporte is a performance luxury sedan offered in base, S and Sport GT S trims.
Standard equipment on the base Quattroporte includes 18-inch wheels, adaptive bi-xenon headlamps, foglamps, power-folding and heated outside mirrors, a power-actuated trunk lid, power-assisted doors, rear parking sensors, a sunroof, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column, auto-dimming mirrors, leather upholstery, wood interior trim, 14-way power-adjustable front seats with driver memory, a refrigerated storage compartment in the front armrest, dual-zone automatic climate control and a power rear sunshade. The S model adds the 4.7-liter V8, 19-inch wheels, larger brakes, adjustable "Skyhook" suspension dampers and polished Wenge wood interior trim. Also offered is the Plus Pack, which includes all of the Base Pack's features plus front parking sensors, ventilated front seats with massage functions, heated rear seats and a wood and leather steering wheel. Additionally, buyers can add tinted glass, four-way power-adjustable and heated rear outboard seats, window blinds, rear-seat climate controls, fold-down trays in the front seatbacks and a rear-seat entertainment system.
The base 2011 Maserati Quattroporte is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 that produces 400 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. Maserati estimates 0-60-mph acceleration at 5.6 seconds for the base model and 5.4 seconds for the S. Standard safety features for all 2011 Quattroportes include antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.
The base model Quattroporte delivers a luxurious and tranquil highway ride.
The smoothly sculpted roofline tapers into an elegant tail, marking a high point in the perpetual compromise between a sporty stance and elegant sedan bodywork. Unlike the bigger German sedan rivals, the Quattroporte is more like a four-door sports car. A 425-hp Quattroporte Sport GT S model can hit the same mark in about 5.0 seconds. The Quattroporte's cozy interior suffers from limited head room in back, but the front seats have ample room surrounding them. There aren’t any independent crash-test results for the Quattroporte, but with seat-mounted side airbags up front and head-protecting curtain bags covering the front and rear, the car at least covers the bases. Anti-lock brakes and stability control are standard, as are great bi-xenon HID headlamps.
