SINGAPORE – Maserati has done it. It’s successfully gone from niche, passionate Italian brand to a less niche, passionate Italian brand.

In 2011, it sold approximately 6,000 cars. This year it’s on track to move 30,000 units, and by 2018, says CEO Harald Wester, to ship 50,000 cars to new homes a year, around the world.

The new Quattroporte (QP) and Ghibli, which have debuted in Singapore in the past year and a half, are representative of that, but perhaps none more so than the newest model, the QP 330.

Along with the base Ghibli, the QP 330 is the most modest model in the Maserati range, arguably, keeping it mind it consists currently of the QP, Ghibli and GranTurismo.

Compared to the fire-breathing ‘a sports car that just happens to have seats in the back’ feel of the old QP, the 530bhp twin-turbo V8 of the current QP GTS and 410bhp of the QP S, it’s kind of easy to see why.

The 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 makes 330bhp, hence the name, and Maserati is aiming this car at the middle of the luxury limo segment, where it’ll be duking it out with cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S 400 and BMW 740Li.

With an eight-speed automatic transmission and smooth fuelling, the QP 330 feels easy at low speed, and that also says a lot: Keep in mind it’s been less than five years since it was a big deal to find a ‘real’ automatic tranny in a Maserati, rather than a kidney-punch-lurching-drunk automated single-clutch unit handlings shifting duties.

330bhp is plenty of power, in this age of good gearboxes and sticky tyres, so the modest-est QP isn’t slow, far from it: 0-100 happens in just 5.6 seconds. Given the decent refinement of the car – and the new QP is a luxury limo first and foremost nowadays – it doesn’t feel fast, at least until you engage the proper modes: the Sport mode changes the throttle, gearbox and exhaust characteristics.

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While it’s a far cry from the old, fire-and-air-breathing 4.7-litre V8, the biturbo V6 is still throaty and loud, especially compared to the German competition, and adds a bit of the expected Latin temperament to the car.

The handling and ride are also very good, perhaps not as effortless as the new S-Class, but on the other hand, the QP is still one of the more driver-focussed offerings in its segment, perhaps even more so than the 7 Series.

There’s plenty of interior space and the boot is positively cavernous too. Up front is a mixed bag though, as while the leather and wood quality is good, some parts are still a little plasticky. The infotainment system also lacks the sheer polished nature of those found in German cars, but everything you could ask for is present and works well.

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Where it makes up ground is its involving drive and, if you enjoy it of course, the extrovert styling. Maserati may have changed tack, but the huge shark-like grille and sinuous lines of the QP do draw much more attention than any German car ever could. If you enjoy that sort of thing, then the QP makes a solid choice.

It might be the least expensive and it’s still a lot of money – $480,800 with COE – but the only thing it really lacks over its brothers are engine power and minor specs. If the trident badge on the QP GTS is actually a pitchfork, then the QP 330’s is surely less pointy and diabolical, but not entirely without poke, especially compared to its rivals.