auclutch

Although this story should probably go into the kill stories sections, or even better in the CLS55 section, i'm posting in here because i've been reading a lot in this forum these days (IC pump problem) so hope you guys don't mind.

I took out my wife's quattroporte for a spin today, one of the first time's i've ever really got to beat on it. at the time I bought our cls55 I had a choice between that and the quattroporte. although I didn't get to really drive (i.e. beat on) the quattroporte, it was just such a horrible car back then that there was really no decision. that coupled with the fact that the m5 just looks like asx and has such a horrible transmission, there was no choice but the cls55amg. boy do i love my car...

btw, at the time the quattroporte had the horrible manutronic which is basically a manual transmission with an automatic look gear box that shifts like my grandpa's grandpa's car with no transmission oil and barely any clutch left. i mean it's just so horrible that there was really no reason to even consider buying a qp at the time.

this year they released the new automatic transmission, which is actually driveable and which is actually, well, automatic. i mean the shifts are smooth, there's much less jerk on each shift and you don't have to be mario andretti to drive it through town. i'm sure that anyone that has been in this car will knwo what i mean.

so the question is which is the better ride? to be fair I drove the two cars back to back, and then side by side (With a friend) and then front and back... you get the picture.

Handling
There is no question that the maserati is a nice handling car. with the transmission in the back and hte engine in the front, the turns are quick and nimble. but on hard cornering, harsh u-turns, drifts and high speed chases, this car definitely is not as good as the cls. the cls feels so much more stable around hard turns and at high speeds. there is no question the cls wins in this category.

acceleration and power
okay, so the cls has 476 and the quattroporte has the ferrari 360 modena 400hp engine in it. the quattroporte is also shorter and probably lighter (not sure on this one). but nothing can beat bruit force. the throttle response time on the cls totally kills the qp and even with a full 1.5 second head start the cls passes the qp before the 1/4 mile is over. we tested it over and over to be sure. nothing beats raw power...

luxury
so this was a tough choice. after driving the qp and getting back into my benz, the cls steering wheel felt plain (not leather wrapped) and hte buttons actually felt cheap. i don't know how the italians did it but htey actually make better interiors and luxury than the germans... as with clothes too i guess. the back seat has massage function (instead of the front seat like in the cls) and some other tghings are backward, but overall the qp definitely just 'felt' more luxurious. the leather felt more refined, better and more beautiful stitching. the big problem is though that the qp has like absolutely no functions inside. i.e. the cls has the sbc hold multiple suspension settings, heated/cooled seats (the qp only has these in the back seat), etc... to be fair, we didn't buy the GT which had some more bells and whistles. but also to be fair the qp costs USD 21k more you get less power, less amenities, less handling, but a more beauatiful car...

Overall
you won't be seeing me driving the qp around because a) it doesn't fit my full size golf back, b) it's too slow and too loud, and c) doesn't have enough amenities.

hope I didn't babble on too much. i'll post some youtube vids of me beating on it soon. (just like all my other cars... heh.)

edit thanks for moving this to the right section

Vic55

Thanks for the review but this really needs to be in the CLS forum- Ill leave a redirect so anyone here can see the link.

Inf4life

I would suggest you work on your grammar and typing skills before you post a review of something again.

traumadoc

Thank you for the review.
We actually looked at the Maserati Grand Tourismo last week and were quite impressed with the interior. A friend has the Quattroporte and we really like the styling and interior.

Having owned a Ferrari, I was very hesitant to get another Ferrari drive train due to the routine upkeep costs. A F1 clutch was going to cost me $8,000
They did tell me that they did away with the timing belts therefore no need for the expensive services.

I have to agree with you on that old transmission. When not using the paddle shifts it reminded me of someone just learning to drive a stickshift. Poor decision on their parts for a luxury sedan. The residual values reflect that.

auclutch

sorry for the poor grammar. not all of us speak native english nor do we all live in english speaking countries.

150shot

No prob. about the grammar. Its a great review and real life comparision. thanks.

Vic55

Ease up a little as we have all seen much worse.

BenzoBoi

So yer from korea...nice!!!

Nice write up

traumadoc

Having a bad day. It's all good

I Like Soup

Dude, I wouldn't apologize. Some people are just tools. I actually enjoy other people's write ups and even though in my real life I am a bit of a grammar ****, etc., I really dial it down online and don't pay it much heed.

christiaan

+1

speedpeddler

Nice write up. Never had the opportunity to drive an Italian exotic so the comparison to the CLS was interesting.

Don't sweat the grammer douches. They exist on every forum.
Wonder how his Korean is?

E55AMGGG04

Are you serious? The dued didn't come here for an essay examination. Take it easy pal.

Mercutio.Mont

Great write up.

Ryanr317

His grammar and spelling is actually better than a lot of the people who post on here with english being their native language.

phatmitzu

Is that in a community garage or a business parking structure? I also see a R8 and Bentley in the background...

auclutch

these pics were taken at my office. there are some nice cars there.

djquix

Thanks for the write up, I have always loved the exteriors of the Maserati's never have seen the interior. Good to know the CLS is an amazing car, I have really yet to see a car with the sophistication, luxury, and styling to rival it. We are truly blessed to own these cars, too bad gas was not so expensive now days and I would actually drive my car more often. My 60 mile R/T commute in traffic really sucks.

Nero7

This is purely subjective. I own both cars a 06 CLS55 and a 07 Qattroporte sport GT with the f1 transmission. Yes the CLS is more powerful and refined, but with that said its also a bit dull compated to the Maserati. The Qp is an absolute thrill to drive! Beautiful body lines, Ferrari V8, sequencial transmission, rev matching followed by an intoxicating exhaust note. The Mercedes doesnt pull you into the driving experience as the Maserati does.

Flo1989

Wow, 7 year old thread lol. I guess action is action for this section of the forum.

Manofsteelpt

Lmao

StarvingArtist

Ha I didn't even notice!