Maserati’s trident symbol is taking on new meaning. We covered the international launch of the new Quattroporte luxury limo back in CB206 and found it to be a much broader spread of the knife than the razor-sharpness of the previous version.

Last issue, Ju-Len took his pasta-filled hands (he gets his hands on all the Italian stuff, see?) to the same V8 Quattroporte I tried back in Nice and found it to be enjoyable. Sure, when that V8 has ‘only’ 3.8-litres, 530bhp and two turbos, it’s hard to not enjoy yourself, even if everything else isn’t to your taste.

But the transition to turbo-power is something all luxury carmakers have to bridge, yet what’s even more crucial is how this happens with the offerings that aren’t the tip of the spear. In this case, the first V6 version of a modern Quattroporte. Maserati wants to sell 50,000 cars a year by 2015, and if it wants to achieve that, models like this are a keystone in that business goal.

In a case of really close divergent evolution (that is, two separate things taking the same path to the same goal – like bats and birds both being able to fly the Porsche Panamera S (which we reviewed last issue) follows very much the same track: the previous model with a big, naturally-aspirated V8, now made into a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6. That displacement is the sweet spot for modern engines, Audi has its supercharged model, BMW its ‘TwinPower’ turbo straight six, JLR also opts for a Roots-style supercharged V6, and so on.

The Maserati V6 shares similar architecture with the muscular 530bhp V8, it’s been shorn of two cylinders and under-stroked to produce 2,979cc, but still makes plenty of firepower for any (sane) person: 410bhp and 550Nm means this is a firmly upper-crust model, with Maserati’s inbuilt aiming high.

It has two modes of interest: Sport, which engages an active flap, and I.C.E which is, in short, Italian for ‘Eco’ mode. However in both modes, relaxed driving is rewarded with smooth and composed progress, and the ZF eight-speed gearbox does the same magic it does everywhere else.

The V6 acquits itself very well, as a modern forced-induction engine it’s got masses of torque everywhere, but it’s also generated in a heady swell that doesn’t become overwhelming. The V8 might have 120bhp more, but it’s only got 0.4 seconds up on its lesser-engined stable-mate in the 0-100km/h sprint.

Even better, when it’s time to hustle, the V6 is the best-sounding mill of the lot, a little more throaty, vocal and well, generally Italian than its contemporaries, and it does so over a wider range, too. While doing exterior dynamic shots, the car howled by with a near-V8-burble in what I assumed what Sport mode, until Ju-Len admitted he’d been in Eco mode.

The V6 variant weighs 40kg less than the V8 (and the new car itself 100kg less massive than before), so it handles a little lighter as well. It packs the same suspension setup (double-wishbone front, multi-link rear, ‘Skyhook’ electronically-controlled adaptive dampers) as the V8, which the driver can adjust (sport and normal), but in most situations, normal is the best compromise. That it can sit and cruise all day is something new to the QP name, given the red reputation of the previous model, and the new one is positively, nearly German in its ability to dole out calm mile-munching.

Yet, the V6 is no straight-line only barge, with an enjoyable and involving dynamic to invoke when things get bendy. Body movement, especially roll, is well-controlled, and only a hint of understeer make life enjoyable for the driver, although the platform evolution means that the sheer mama-mia-ness of the old one is never quite reached.

The interior has masses of space now (105mm more legroom and comparable wheelbase to a 7 Series) and the design elements gel well with Maserati’s new-age makeover. But one gripe is that it doesn’t have quite the imperious sense of spit-and-polish of the German big three. In this sense, the QP has become a little more American than German, the fruits of parent company Fiat’s tie-in with Chrysler.

But there’s plenty else to occupy you, since the QP is one of the more generously-stocked cars in its class, and it is a class where a $500,000 price tag is often just the starting point. A snappy 8.4-inch infotainment system (touchscreen) with navigation and Bowers & Wilkins sound, powered rear sun-shades (three), four-zone air-conditioning, Alcantara head-lining are all just the beginning.

So, a big luxury Italian with a V6 engine, does it work in practice? Given the performance of the twin-turbo V6 we’d say yes. But to concentrate on the engine would be to lose sight of what else the new, broadly-talented QP has to offer.

Maserati Quattroporte S

NEED TO KNOW
Engine 2,979cc, 24V, twin-turbo, V6
Power 410bhp at 5500rpm
Torque 550Nm at 1750-5500rpm
Gearbox 8-speed automatic
Top Speed 250km/h
0-100km/h 5.1 seconds
Fuel efficiency 7.7L/100km
CO2 244g/km
Price $515,000 without COE

Also Consider: Audi A8 L 3.0 T, BMW 740Li, Porsche Panamera S

Photos by Derryn Wong