Finally: A proper slushbox for the Maserati Quattroporte

Newswheel staff :: 08 December 2006 :: Filed under Saloon, Maserati, Maserati Quattroporte, Europe & UK, US

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Old tech gives new lease of life?

How close is the Quattroporte to greatness? It’s a question that might be answered thanks to the latest development of Maserati’s uber-saloon: a plain old torque-converter gearbox in six-speed trim courtesy of specialists ZF…

The only other significant change for the new Quattroporte Automatic is the transmission layout. Wave goodbye to the transaxle configuration of the robot-box DuoSelect in favour of a front-mounted solution. Consequently, weight distribution morphs from 47/53 (front/rear) to 49/51.

The current Quattroporte’s jerktastic robot box is widely regarded to be the car’s main weakness. So, there’s little doubt a smooth-shifting slushbox is a welcome development. Whether the relatively compact, highly strung Maserati V8 will have enough torque to provide convincing performance in concert with a conventional automatic box, however, is another matter.

The Quattroporte Automatic gets its first public outing at the Detroit Motor Show, with worldwide sales kicking off in January.