Maserati Quattroporte GT S

It’s the new Maserati that blurs the line between performance and luxury. The Sport GT S is the fastest, most focused version of the Quattroporte ever built – but does it still have the elegance and grace that makes the car so special? To find out, we drove it exclusively on UK roads.

Under the big bonnet is the same 4.7-litre V8 as in the S, yet it benefits from a performance exhaust. This liberates an extra 9bhp, taking the total to 434bhp.

Engage Sport mode and a set of pneumatic valves opens up in the tailpipes, giving the GT S a throaty sound at low revs and a supercar shriek at the 7,200rpm red line. Throttle response is sharper, too, and gearchanges become more ferocious.

Power is channelled through a ZF semi-automatic gearbox. In full auto mode and with Sport turned off it blurs the ratios perfectly, as you’re wafted around in hushed refinement.

However, engage Sport and use the column-mounted paddles, and it fires through the six ratios, blipping the throttle on downshifts. Subtle styling changes include concave fins in the front grille, red detailing on the trident badge and gorgeous 20-inch wheels.

The interior has part-leather and part-Alcantara sports seats, as well as carbon fibre-style ‘TitanTex’ trim. UK drivers get lower and stiffer non-adjustable suspension.

In town, the ride is certainly more fidgety than on softer variants, but the trade-off is stunning body control when you up the pace even slightly.

Turn into a fast corner and the grip and balance on offer have more in common with a full-bore sports car than a two-tonne saloon. So the GT S is a luxury model for all occasions.