First review of new QP
- Thread starter Andyk
- Start date
Andyk
Member
- Messages
- 61,371
Front good Frank..Back not.......It would be a deal breaker for me....I have to like the whole look to buy...(Not that I will be any day soon)...If I was to spend 100k it would be on Blox's shape QP for around 25/30k and then spend the rest on a toy.....75K can get you alot of toy...
Blox
Member
- Messages
- 1,057
I presume you mean by 'Blox's shape' you mean the car rather than my rotund self ?
Andyk
Member
- Messages
- 61,371
And thats the point....Maserati are expecting massive sales with the QP in China which is why it is moving away from what we know and moving into what that market expects...
npaskin
New Member
- Messages
- 506
I don't remember, but I looked up e.g. http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2005-maserati-quattroporte-first-drive-review : "The Quattroporte, due out in August, is close to being the great Italian sedan of Maserati's dreams, probably closer than we thought possible. Yes, it is flawed, but in so many ways the new sedan remains an irresistible combination". 4.5/5. Other reviews much the same, and of course the Duo Select was Marmite (e.g. May on Top Gear). But in general, a very high rating and a subsequent fix of most of the issues that got criticised in early years. So I think, better than the current "China" QP VI. Plus of course the QP V styling was so much of a step change from the QP IV, whereas this new one is just a tweak (in the wrong direction...
)
Andyk
Member
- Messages
- 61,371
If I remember right the QP was very well received back in 2004...The press loved the look and like the fact it felt like a sports car when driving hard....They didn't like the gear box and said it was hampered but it and needed an Auto...but looks wise it was loved...
NickH
New Member
- Messages
- 14
I attended the customer preview in London a couple of weeks ago and saw the car in the metal. Some observations:
The car shown was in Grigio with a dark saddle leather interior and wood finishing. First impressions - it is HUGE, somehow the extra five inches or so added a mid-ships makes the car look a foot longer. The roof line is considerably bulkier too. Overall the more angular styling makes the car look massive. It remains despite this a good looking car but it makes the current model look svelte.
The twin turbo 3.8l V8 producing 520bhp will cost c£110,000 the smaller V6 producing 410-420bhp will be c£90,000. The twin turbo car being a 100kg lighter than the current 4.7 QP Sport GTS should be and feel considerably faster. It has the same discs and callipers as the 4.2 and 4.7 QP GTS cars (which are great but at £2,500 plus VAT to replace front discs and pads every 25,000 miles they 'effin well should be). The model shown was on handsome 20" wheels with the same tyre combination as the current model - i.e. R20 245 fronts and 285/295 rears. The new QP won't be offered with different trim badging or options for now so no "Executive GT", "Sport GTS" etc. The interior is leaps and bounds ahead of the current car (think Bentley standards) and has an infotainment system built by Panasonic which runs on the intel chip from an Apple Mac. The car will therefore be very compatible and properly integrate the current generation of Apple devices. The sat nav used Garmin mapping. The car demonstrated did not have the optional rear "Captain's Chairs" but had a bench seat. The rear seat was heavily sculpted however and whilst it had a third seat belt the centre position on the tunnel was so high that an adult couldn't sit in the middle. Some of the details weren't quite right and seemed to be work in progress - e.g. the front centre cup holder size was tiny for example and couldn't be used for its purpose. To me the wood looks out of place today (other than in piano black). Overall the interior was very impressive and the quality was very high. The boot is considerably larger as the fuel tank has been moved. If you are a mafia boss it would definitely take the bodies of Fat Tony and Leo the Fish to their final resting place.
The driving controls were intuitively positioned and the driver's seat excellent. The paddles were smaller than the current 4.7 QP GTS and comparable to the standard QP 4.2 auto variant. The new 8 speed ZF gearbox used is being reviewed with high praise in other manufacturer's cars. The car has adaptive damping with three settings including a sport mode. The size of the interior gave one the feeling when stationery more of being in a big luxury saloon such as a long wheel base S class or Continental four door or Arnage. However I obviously didn't drive it and the key will be whether with its handling, weight distribution, gearbox and brakes it "shrinks" around the driver as the current car does so well.
I was told by the MD of Maserati UK that the Ghibli WON'T be offered with the same high performance twin turbo V8 engine and isn't an alternative for the current QP owner. It will be at much lower price points to compete with the BMW five series, Audi A6 and Mercedes E class and will be mass produced in the new factory. The new QP won't be made in Modena either (Modena will carry on making the Granturismo) but will be made in the new Turin facility. I think this "don't wait for the Ghibli" may be a positioning statement to give the QP some room for sales before customers start waiting for an either/or when looking at replacing their current cars as the Ghibli won't be out for some time yet. I expressed the view that this just didn't make any sense to me and the obvious product position for the Ghibli was as a high performance sports saloon and as an exclusive and premium alternative to the BMW M5, RS6 and E63 AMG. I'd put money on it being available in a performance variant with a V8 engine - otherwise what is the point of having the Ghibli wear a Maserati badge - it might as well be a Lancia saloon.
So the new car is very impressive but the QP appears to have lurched in the direction of a chauffeur driven rather than a driver's car - not as far as the four door Bentleys but almost. Let's see what its like to drive before reaching that conclusion.
The car shown was in Grigio with a dark saddle leather interior and wood finishing. First impressions - it is HUGE, somehow the extra five inches or so added a mid-ships makes the car look a foot longer. The roof line is considerably bulkier too. Overall the more angular styling makes the car look massive. It remains despite this a good looking car but it makes the current model look svelte.
The twin turbo 3.8l V8 producing 520bhp will cost c£110,000 the smaller V6 producing 410-420bhp will be c£90,000. The twin turbo car being a 100kg lighter than the current 4.7 QP Sport GTS should be and feel considerably faster. It has the same discs and callipers as the 4.2 and 4.7 QP GTS cars (which are great but at £2,500 plus VAT to replace front discs and pads every 25,000 miles they 'effin well should be). The model shown was on handsome 20" wheels with the same tyre combination as the current model - i.e. R20 245 fronts and 285/295 rears. The new QP won't be offered with different trim badging or options for now so no "Executive GT", "Sport GTS" etc. The interior is leaps and bounds ahead of the current car (think Bentley standards) and has an infotainment system built by Panasonic which runs on the intel chip from an Apple Mac. The car will therefore be very compatible and properly integrate the current generation of Apple devices. The sat nav used Garmin mapping. The car demonstrated did not have the optional rear "Captain's Chairs" but had a bench seat. The rear seat was heavily sculpted however and whilst it had a third seat belt the centre position on the tunnel was so high that an adult couldn't sit in the middle. Some of the details weren't quite right and seemed to be work in progress - e.g. the front centre cup holder size was tiny for example and couldn't be used for its purpose. To me the wood looks out of place today (other than in piano black). Overall the interior was very impressive and the quality was very high. The boot is considerably larger as the fuel tank has been moved. If you are a mafia boss it would definitely take the bodies of Fat Tony and Leo the Fish to their final resting place.
The driving controls were intuitively positioned and the driver's seat excellent. The paddles were smaller than the current 4.7 QP GTS and comparable to the standard QP 4.2 auto variant. The new 8 speed ZF gearbox used is being reviewed with high praise in other manufacturer's cars. The car has adaptive damping with three settings including a sport mode. The size of the interior gave one the feeling when stationery more of being in a big luxury saloon such as a long wheel base S class or Continental four door or Arnage. However I obviously didn't drive it and the key will be whether with its handling, weight distribution, gearbox and brakes it "shrinks" around the driver as the current car does so well.
I was told by the MD of Maserati UK that the Ghibli WON'T be offered with the same high performance twin turbo V8 engine and isn't an alternative for the current QP owner. It will be at much lower price points to compete with the BMW five series, Audi A6 and Mercedes E class and will be mass produced in the new factory. The new QP won't be made in Modena either (Modena will carry on making the Granturismo) but will be made in the new Turin facility. I think this "don't wait for the Ghibli" may be a positioning statement to give the QP some room for sales before customers start waiting for an either/or when looking at replacing their current cars as the Ghibli won't be out for some time yet. I expressed the view that this just didn't make any sense to me and the obvious product position for the Ghibli was as a high performance sports saloon and as an exclusive and premium alternative to the BMW M5, RS6 and E63 AMG. I'd put money on it being available in a performance variant with a V8 engine - otherwise what is the point of having the Ghibli wear a Maserati badge - it might as well be a Lancia saloon.
So the new car is very impressive but the QP appears to have lurched in the direction of a chauffeur driven rather than a driver's car - not as far as the four door Bentleys but almost. Let's see what its like to drive before reaching that conclusion.
Last edited:
adam01
Member
- Messages
- 1,079
OZ drivers review of the car
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/first-drive-maserati-quattroporte-20121214-2bdih.html
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/first-drive-maserati-quattroporte-20121214-2bdih.html