Maserati Quattroporte
When's it coming and what is it?
Summer 2004 will see the launch of Maserati's answer to luxury, high performance sports saloons from Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes.
Why should I care?
A quick, luxury four-door saloon with Italian style and pedigree is a rare beast. How quick? The Quattroporte has a 400bhp, 4.3-litre V8 claimed to power this Italian stallion to 172mph and 0-62mph in 5.2sec. How much luxury? Maserati reports an extraordinary four million interior trim combinations, but the main choices will leave a Quattroporte dripping in traditional wood - you can specify briarwood, rosewood or mahogany - and butter-soft leather. And unlike tight-fitting previous Quattroportes, this one will allow a six-foot-plus passenger to sit comfortably behind a similarly tall driver - back seat occupants can even enjoy the luxury of a TV tuner and DVD player.
What makes it really special?
Rarity and exclusivity - just 400 will be built each year with a handful coming to the UK at a price of around £65,000. Compare that to the thousands of Jag XJs, Merc S-classes and BMW 7-Series sold every year. And don't forget that indefinable Italian individuality and quirkiness. The big Maserati gets all of the mod cons, either, including front seats with a massage function as well as internal heating and ventilation, and an adaptive system that alters seat padding according to the occupants' movements. Very clever.
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