An elegant luxury car gets the transmission it deserves
By Bengt Halvorson
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January 10, 2007
What it Is
Maserati Quattroporte Automatic Sport GT Brief – 2007 Detroit Auto Show:
The Maserati Quattroporte is a beautiful Italian vixen in a
luxury sedan market dominated by German and Japanese (and American, if you want to be charitable) manufacturers. Yet since its introduction this lovely Italian has had a hitch in its step, a sequential manual transmission borrowed from Ferrari with jerky shifts that ruin the ambiance created by its sumptuous interior and elegant lines. For 2007, the Quattroporte is now available with a traditional automatic transmission that promises to make this car as pleasing to drive as it is to look at and sit in.
What’s Under the Hood The engine is the same, but installing the ZF automatic transmission required quite a bit of reengineering to the rest of the car. The automated manual was located at the rear of the drivetrain against the differential; the new six-speed transmission is mounted to the engine itself. However, Maserati says that the Quattroporte’s weight balance has been preserved, and boasts that the Ferrari 4.2-liter V8’s 7200 rpm redline is the highest of any automatic transmission-equipped car. The result is a sedan that should appeal to a much wider audience who previously wouldn’t have considered the Maserati.
Photos courtesy of Ron Perry
