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2020 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4 Drivers' Notes | Lost that loving feeling

The 2020 Maserati Quattroporte is the Italian brand’s flagship sedan. ThereÂ’s only one other Maserati sedan — the Ghibli — but the Quattroporte commands the big bucks with its blend of opulent luxury and performance, all topped off by a Ferrari-sourced engine. We drove the Quattroporte S Q4 in GranLusso trim, which is the less powerful and cheaper partner of the GTS. Since it's the GranLusso, it added silk-and-leather upholstery, heated and cooled seats, a chrome front fascia insert, 20-inch wheels and glossy black brake calipers. An impressive, high-tech 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine lurks under the S Q4Â’s hood making 424 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, both respectable numbers for a boosted six-cylinder. ItÂ’s paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission thatÂ’ll send this big sedan from 0-60 mph in just 4.8 seconds. The all-wheel drive system is no slouch. It sends 100% of the power to the rear wheels in most driving conditions, but can quickly send as much as 50% of torque to the front wheels if it detects a loss of grip. It also has a limited-slip rear differential. At about 207 inches in length, thereÂ’s no disguising that the Quattroporte is a large car. ItÂ’s about the same size as a BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 or Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan. When youÂ’re competing with those names, the standards for excellence tend to be off the charts. Of course, Maserati comes with its own expectations and standards of performance. This carÂ’s electrically-controlled adaptive dampers, Brembo brakes and unique exhaust note go a long way toward enhancing the driving experience, but read on to see what our editors think after spending a week in the driverÂ’s seat. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: Hearing the word “Maserati” evokes something. A sense of exotica and exclusivity, notions of performance and luxury, whiffs of elitism and maybe even envy. When people see a Maserati Quattroporte in person, very little of that happens. People will eye a Bentley, give a thumbs-up to a passing Porsche, and straight-up gawk at the right Jaguar. By contrast, no one seemed to notice this Maserati, be it on the highway or when parked next to them in the parking lot. I canÂ’t blame them. Its design doesnÂ’t really scream, well, anything. Under normal driving, the 3.0-liter V6 under the hood doesnÂ’t either. In Sport mode, though, the twin-turbocharged Ferrari-sourced engine raises its voice in a sonorous growl.

2023 Maserati MC20 Folgore planned with three-motor electric powertrain

Maserati's first new model of the 2020s, the MC20, strays from the path that's leading carmakers towards electrified and connected vehicles. The brand is nonetheless headed in this direction, and Autoblog can reveal it's planning to release a range of battery-powered cars called Folgore, a name which means "lightning" in Italian. Developed in-house, the 800-volt Folgore powertrain consists of one electric motor mounted over the front axle, and two electric motors installed over the rear axle. Sandro Bernardini, the man responsible for the second-generation GranTurismo, told us this configuration is not going to be reserved for high-performance, high-end cars. It will be the norm. And, although the rear motors are bolted into a single unit that's about the size of a modern four-cylinder engine, there is no mechanical connection between them, meaning Maserati's electric models will benefit from true torque vectoring. Ditching gasoline isn't an excuse to stop chasing performance. As we've previously reported, Maserati's first series-produced battery-powered model will be the next GranTurismo, which is tentatively due out in 2021. Motorists who don't want or need an electric car will be able to order the coupe with a version of the 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 engine that powers the recently-unveiled MC20. Speaking of, the mid-engined coupe will become a mid-motored, zero-emissions coupe a little bit later in its production run. It was developed with both electricity and gasoline in mind from the get-go. Bernardini couldn't share concrete technical specifications, but he noted his team is designing the powertrain to achieve maximum range. Engineers notably went to significant lengths to make the motors smaller, lighter, and more efficient, we're told, and the technology will be compatible with 300-kilowatt fast-charging. While performance details are also under wraps, Autoblog learned the electric version of the MC20 will "absolutely be more powerful" than its 621-horsepower gasoline-burning counterpart. It will be heavier, too, but the power hike will more than make up for the weight gain, and its handling won't be adversely affected. Chassis mock-ups confirm the MC20 Folgore will share its basic underpinnings (including its carbon fiber tub and its subframes) with the gasoline-powered model. Its front motor will occupy the space normally reserved for the frunk, while its rear motor will slot neatly between the two wheels.

Maserati MC20 supercar will debut in May then hit the race track

In the mid-2000s, Maserati was at the top of its game and at the top of performance car mountain with the Ferrari Enzo-based MC12. Today, Maserati isn't even in the foothills, let alone at the summit. The company is hoping to regain its credibility and status this year when it releases a new "super sports car" that we now know will be named MC20. We first caught a glimpse of the MC20, which is the spiritual successor to the MC12, in late 2019 via four murky photos of a camouflaged test mule. Judging by those photos, it seems the car will not look like any previous concept or model we've seen, which should help establish Maserati's insistence that 2020 marks the start of a new era for the company. However, test mules often have bodies and shapes that do not represent what the eventual production car will look like (the mid-engine Corvette started as this crazy Holden ute). Although it's alphanumeric, the name MC20 has some depth to it. MC stands for Maserati Corse, and 20 indicates the year 2020. But the MC12 wasn't released in 2012, so what's up? Maserati did this as a nod to its first race car, the Tipo 26, which was produced in 1926. Again, new era, back to its roots, etc.  The MC20 will have an all-new powertrain that has been developed and built by and for Maserati. It is unclear what type of powertrain the vehicle will launch with, but Maserati has confirmed the car will eventually be available as an "electrified version," just like every other Trident from here on out. A Ghibli PHEV is expected to kick things off when it arrives this spring, and we've already heard the sound Maserati's electric vehicles will make. As the MC indicates, Maserati plans to return to racing with the MC20, just as it did with the MC12. Following development in the Innovation Lab we recently featured, the MC20 will be built at the Viale Ciro Menotti plant in Modena, Italy.  The MC20 will debut at the end of May in Modena. More details to come. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.