MoneywebDrive: Feature
Even more impressive than the
sheer grunt of the big car was
the sound and feel of the engine. Even when not pushing
hard there is a tremendously
charismatic engine note, being
mellifluous at low revs and partial throttle openings, extremely smooth, and never shrill. Yet
when you punch it, especially
when the “Sport” button on the
console is engaged, the note
becomes more gruff, giving
the feeling of a V8 with a much
larger capacity than a mere
3,8 litres.
Talking of the Sport button,
ironically I found the car to be
happier with the sport setting
engaged over varying road
surfaces. It gives a firmer ride,
but rather than upsetting the
car over rough tar it seems to
8
offer more composure with the
stiffer suspension setting – the
opposite of what is often the
case with dual-setting damping systems. In the softer setting the car is a bit too “loose”
over bad tar road surfaces.
Unlike Quattroportes of some
generations ago, there is none
of the baroque feel to the cabin that I first experienced with a
champaign-coloured example
way back in 1984, a big charming barge of a car sold from a
Pretoria dealership. This 2015
example is quite business-like
in the design of its instrumentation and trim inserts, which are
in wood and quite prominent in
the cabin.
The seat leather looks durable
and un-fussy, and the cabin is
obviously designed as a working executive express to last a
long time. Speaking of which,
CEOs and the like who employ
drivers to whisk them to the airport or to summit meetings will
really appreciate the rear leg
room of this car which enjoys
a 3 171 mm wheelbase. Maserati claims its leg-room to be
class-leading when measured
against (standard wheelbase)
competitors in its class. And
the boot at 530 litres could be
said to be “more than adequate”.
There is some seriously clever
technology inside the car, including Wi-Fi hot-spot capability, Bluetooth connectivity, a
large touch-screen to navigate
a raft of on-board equipment,
and of course, a high quality
sound and DVD system. The system can also view images via an
SD card reader. Other hi-tech
include four different light settings, including a “town beam”
for wider and shallower illumination, and one for driving in countries where people drive on the
“wrong” side of the road. A rear
view camera is also standard on
the car.
This is one super-quick luxury
sedan, and if you want to stand
out from the crowd of Germanic offerings, you should give
this car careful consideration.
The asking price of R2 477 000
includes a three-year (unlimited distance) warranty, roadside assist, and a 5-year/100
000 km maintenance plan.
By Stuart Johnston