Best Handling Super Sedan in the World

Meet the new Quattroporte Sport GT. When we drove it, there were only two in North America, and you might have seen them at the major Auto Shows, where they have created enormous positive buzz. This is the first place you'll read about what it's like to drive one.

Can 20" wheels, cross-drilled brakes, revised suspension and transmission settings, a retuned exhaust system and some very stylishly aggressive exterior and interior trim alter the character of a great sport sedan? When the sedan is the Maserati Quattroporte, arguably the best handling and fastest sport sedan in existence, should you want to change it? The answer, in both cases, is a qualified "yes".

The character of the Quattroporte is not so much altered as refocused in both of its new variants, the Sport GT and the Executive GT, but its underlying ethos and capabilities remain the same. The Quattroporte Sport GT is designed for those who crave the look and feel of supreme sports car capability with four doors and elegance. Having so successfully sharpened the Coupe into the GranSport for drivers seeking the sine qua non of grand touring performance, Maserati's engineers turned their attention to the incomparable Quattroporte. As with the Coupe, their initial efforts had already produced the finest car in its class, the great trick being to make it even better for those who desire still more usable performance, that special driving 'edge'. Maserati magic triumphs again: the Quattroporte Sport GT lifts what is already the best handling sport sedan to a new level of dynamic capability and emotional affinity.

The most visible change is the 20" wheels and tires. Their bite is immediately felt when driving: faster turn-in, exceptionally direct response, mathematically precise feedback. The Sport GT feels every bit a track-ready car, but with real-world compliance; the latter is a pleasant surprise with such low profile tires. The excellent basic design of the Quattroporte is one contributor, and the other is masterful returning of the Skyhook adaptive suspension to take full advantage of the new wheel and tire combination with minimal sacrifice. Quattroporte's fantastically supportive seats should also be credited, for they maintain occupant comfort throughout the new car's increased range and speed of handling.

Is the Sport GT any faster? Yes: even fresh off the container ship and with only its factory test miles on it, as this one was. Cornering is improved, and so are both shift speeds and braking. Maserati engineers revised the already crisp DuoSelect transmission to provide 35% quicker gear changes, and cross-drilled brake rotors combine with braided metal lines for even firmer, incisive deceleration. A revised exhaust system provides freer flow and a more aggressive timbre. Opening the throttle unleashes the full power of the masterful 4.2 liter V8, the smoothest of its kind, and the Sport GT is like a bolt shot from a crossbow. A guided missile is the better analogue, however, because the Sport GT can turn, holding tenaciously to the street in immediate response to every input from the driver. On par with any sports car, and well beyond most sport sedans, we hustled the Sport GT along challenging roads with little drama but great excitement. It is a soulful, point and squirt saloon car, the largely unachieved goal of every major car manufacturer.

On the roads of Northern New Jersey, worn by heavy traffic and wildly varied weather, the Sport GT is a joy. The highway section of our loop demonstrated the impeccable road manners and creamy ride we know from all Quattroportes. Fulsome torque and traction make it is easy to escape knots of traffic, and quick lane changes are such a pleasure that we set the cruise control and settle into a lane to avoid the appearance of needlessly aggressive driving. Turning onto the rural byways that traverse the state's equine lands, we can put to good use about 400 horses for every one the ordinary riders can muster. The roads here follow natural topography with occasional blind corners, thrilling changes in elevation, and enough forestation to make photography impossible in the brief time we are allotted to assess the car. That's fine with us because the driving is such fun that there's no desire to stop and pose. The Quattroporte Sport GT's looks are arresting, with the new wheels, front grille, and subtle exterior trim, but it speaks loudest at 6000 rpm in third gear, making an old country lane just that little bit shorter. This car is begging for a revived Mille Miglia or Tourist Trophy race, with ballast assessed in passengers and luggage!

The Quattroporte Sport GT's capabilities inspire enormous confidence, and a justified sense of superiority to anything else on the road, and to anything a highway might throw at one. Inside, this feeling of automotive supremacy continues. Maserati's renowned quality is evident throughout, the Poltrona Frau upholstery and ergonomically incomparable seats providing complete comfort and support, and the new carbon fiber trim evidencing both technological performance and attention to detail. Carbon fiber composites are light, strong, beautiful, and difficult to produce. The immaculate carbon fiber within the Quattroporte Sport GT, like that of the GranSport and MC12, is a testament to Maserati's commitment to high technology, fine design, and premium quality. But so too are all the controls, from competition-level aluminum pedals, to the ergonomically designed information, entertainment and climate centers, all of which are refreshingly intuitive in comparison to those of many other marques.

So, should you want to alter so masterfully balanced a creation as the Quattroporte by creating a Sport GT? Yes, when the evolution is so organic and so brilliantly attuned to those drivers who desire a sharper edge in a car already ahead of its class with regard to luxury and performance. The Sport GT is another element in Maserati's tradition of providing clients with exactly the car they wish to own. Learn more about all the possibilities at your authorized Maserati dealer.