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| Maserati
Quattroporte |
Broadcast
dates : 10th October 2004
14th October 2004 |
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Quattroporte, as those of you
who didn’t doze off in Latin classes in high school will
realize, means simply "four doors".
This is the name given to Maserati’s large sedan, and it’s
a model that has been around in four previous renditions since
the early 1960s.
It has always been a high-powered luxury express, but the
latest rendition of the Quattroporte is the most striking and
most elegant example yet of this large Maserati.
At just over five metres in length, the Maserati Quattroporte
is in the same league as the BMW 7-Series and the
Mercedes-Benz S-Class in terms of size.
It’s also priced to compete with these cars, but as the
Ferrari-Maserati group in South Africa doesn’t have any
manufacturing alliances to off-set import duty using export
credits, it’s more expensive than the equivalent German
models.
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Nevertheless, there’ll be more than a few customers for this
car, despite its price of over R1-million.
It’s just so different from anything else in the large
luxury sedan market, with an unmistakable Italian flair allied
to impeccable build quality.
Each interior can be ordered with the customer’s specific
colour and trim options from the factory.
Generous use of walnut wood and leather is counter-pointed
with high-tech electronic gear, and this extends to the
underpinnings of the car.
It employs a so-called Sky-Hook suspension system, Maserati’s
rather quaint name for its active damping control.
Electronics are used for various transmission programmes,
ranging from fully-automatic to manual and sport settings.
The gearbox is a manual unit employing electro-hydraulic
clutch actuation.
While not as smooth as Audi’s excellent DSG unit used in the
3.2 TT, it’s much smoother than many similar systems.
It’s activated by the paddles behind the steering wheel, or
if the driver selects automatic, it simply functions as an
automatic ‘box.
Maserati claims a 0-100 km/h time of 5,2 seconds for this car.
And being an Italian exotic, it doesn’t have an artificial
speed limiter, so the top speed is 275 km/h.
This is thanks to the very special 4,2-litre Multi-valve V8,
which will be used in some Ferrari models due for release
shortly.
The engine produces 294 kW at a symphonic 7000 rpm, and 451
Newton metres of torque.
Impressive Brembo brakes are used to haul the car down from
high speed, and at a dry weight of 1860 kg, the Quattroporte
needs good stopping power!
The Maserati is certainly different, and this is what’ll
make it worth the extra money for buyers who want to stand
slightly apart from the conventional luxury express crowd.
Full technical backing is available from Ferrari-Maserati
dealerships in the major centres in South Africa.
Maserati Quattroporte
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Engine: V8,4 244cc
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Power: 294 kW @ 7 000 rpm
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Torque: 451 Nm @ 4 500 rpm
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Transmission: Six-speed paddle-shift manual with auto
mode, rear-wheel-drive
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0-100 km/h: 5,2 seconds
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Top speed: 275 km/h
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Fuel consumption: N/A
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Price: R1 190 000
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