If you need a sign that the automobile industry is nothing like it used to be, look no further than the fact that at least 70 percent of the two 2014 sedans (the Ghibli and the larger Quattroporte) that Maserati has sold in the U.S. have had all-wheel drive. Maserati sedans. All-wheel drive. Not exactly the trident company of yesteryear. You know, the one that specialized in delivering rear-driven coupes to playboys in sunny climes.
Like people, car companies do what they have to do in order to survive. If Maserati didn’t increase sales, which it did by 76 percent in the states last year, it wouldn’t be around to give us more expected models such as the Granturismo. Americans in the north who want “all-wheel drive with their horsepower” have helped hike up the Italian car maker’s numbers. Thanks, Yanks!
However, automotive journalists are much tougher customers. The Ghibli and Quattroporte S Q4s were going to have to be more than high-output road holders.
Scott Evans put both four-doors through their paces at the foot of Monte Cervino between Switzerland and Italy. Despite the snow, slush, and ice, the cars behaved themselves. The MT writer lived to deliver this praise: “Neither the Quattroporte or Ghibli could be bothered to put a winter tire seriously wrong… Grip: These cars have it.”
He even turned up the heat on the twins by taking them to the Breuil-Cervinia ice track. They were just as impressive and “equally balanced and controllable” with heavy throttle and no stability control turned on.
Much of the credit went to the seamless, rear-biased AWD system. That, and a 50/50 weight distribution.
Evans’ rose-colored glasses must have fallen off his face before he evaluated the feedback from the front tires and the interior materials, though.
For his ultimate summation of the pair of grippy luxury cruisers, follow the link below.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
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