The previous generation Maserati Quattroporte was the child of compromise. The early ones were stuck with a herky-jerky single-clutch paddle shift transaxle shared with Maserati’s two-door models, but even after a mid-cycle refresh that replaced that rear-mounted gearbox with a conventional torque converter automatic bolted directly to the engine, the Quattroporte still had another, arguably more damning mark against it: Its size. Specifically, its proportions were about halfway between those of the competition’s mid-size and full-size sedans. This odd size probably wasn’t the only thing holding sales back, but we’d be surprised if it wasn’t a factor.
