Quattroporte S makes early appearance in Singapore
Customers can get an early glimpse of Maserati’s tweaked flagship, with one example available for viewing here till September
By Leow Ju-Len
MASERATI’S SPORTIER VERSION of the Quattroporte is making a quick stopover in Singapore, months ahead of its official debut in November.
A left-hand drive example of the Quattroporte S is currently in the hands of Maserati importer Hong Seh Motors, and is available for customers to preview until September, when it will be shipped off to another market, most likely Hong Kong.
The car is a 4.7-litre version of the Quattroporte, Italy’s answer to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
The ‘S’ suffix denotes sportiness, which accounts for the car’s uprated brakes, extra power and 19-inch alloys (up an inch over the standard model, although Maserati offers extra sick customers optional 20-inch wheels to think about).
While the standard Quattroporte is powered by a 4.2-litre V8 with 400bhp, the Quattroporte S gets a modified version of the V8 from the GranTurismo S, tuned for 430bhp.
It drops the 0 to 100km/h time by 0.2 seconds to 5.4 seconds, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic, and bumps up top speed to 280km/h, a 10km/h increase.
At the same time, the preview car gives customers an advance look at minor updates to the Quattroporte itself.
A facelift gives the car a new grille with vertical slats (a la the GranTurismo), while the front and rear lamps incorporate LEDs. A reprofiled front end gives the nose a slightly more aggressive shape, which actually adds a bit of length to the car.
All new Quattroportes will be equipped with satellite navigation, as well.
Hong Seh expects most Quattroporte customers to opt for the S model, despite its $485,000 price tag giving it a $65,000 price premium over the standard 4.2 model.
Apart from the extra go-faster goodies, one extra feature will help distinguish the Quattroporte S from the regular model here. “If you want to spot an S, it will have a sunroof. It’s standard on the Quattroporte S here, so look out for it,” says a source from Hong Seh. “That, and the faster way the driver is going…”
