The small horizontal headlights are perfectly tidy, and make it all look so easy. Same with the fascia under the grille and the air intakes. The three portholes behind the front wheels aren't functional, but they look cool; we'd be tempted to say they're reminiscent of the classic 1955 Buick Roadmaster, except the ports are much better done, with three instead of four, trapezoidal instead of round, and closer together.
Unlike a BMW, which feels the need to sculpt swoops and scallops in its search for eternal beauty, the Maserati is smooth. And it works. There's nothing plain about the Quattroporte, but nothing gratuitous; and don't call us on those ports. The QP is simply the cleanest sedan with style that we can think of. Or maybe the most stylish sedan with clean lines.
The standard 18-inch wheels are 11 spokes. The optional 19-inch wheels are beautiful tapered nine-spokes, wagon wheels honed to fine art, and the 20-inch wheels are thicker seven-spokes.
There's very little overhang behind the rear wheels (or ahead of the front wheels), but again, there's mystery to that reality. You don't notice the short deck until you look for it, although you might notice the strategically placed Maserati emblem on the coupe-ish C-pillar. The tail is totally clean, no lip or spoiler, which makes you wonder if it's all true what they say about lips and spoilers being necessary to keep a car planted to the pavement at high speed. The Quattroporte can do 170 mph, and runs at 130 or more on motorways in Europe, a lot.
The taillights are kind of (forgive us) Acura-looking, but the smooth bumper fascia and cool double twin exhaust tips that peek from holes in that fascia make up for it. And right there above the license plate, in neat chrome script, it clearly says it all: Maserati. Next Page