Maserati Quattroporte sound (Trofeo V8)

Ferrari-built, but not Ferrari-sounding

The engine belongs to the F154 family that Ferrari builds in Maranello, the same basic 90-degree twin-turbo V8 found in models such as the Ferrari California T. Ferrari's versions use a flat-plane crankshaft, which fires the banks alternately and gives a high, sharp scream. Maserati specifies a cross-plane crankshaft instead, so each bank receives its pulses unevenly, and the note has the lower, rumbling quality most people associate with a V8.

In the Trofeo the engine is rated at 580 CV (572 hp) and drives the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Its torque arrives early and stays flat across the midrange, so in normal driving it rarely needs to rev hard.

What the turbos and the drive modes do

Both turbochargers sit in the exhaust path, so every pulse passes through a turbine before it reaches the mufflers. That smooths out the sharpest high-frequency content, which is why the Trofeo never screams the way a naturally aspirated V8 does near redline. Maserati compensates with valves in the exhaust: in the sportier drive modes they open, the volume rises noticeably and the car burbles more on lift-off.

In its default mode it is a quiet luxury sedan, which is the point. The Quattroporte is a large four-door, and its sound is tuned to be there when you ask for it rather than all the time.

Compared with older Quattroportes

The fifth-generation Quattroporte, built from 2003 to 2012, used naturally aspirated 4.2- and 4.7-liter V8s, also Ferrari-built and also cross-plane. Many enthusiasts consider it the better-sounding car because nothing sat between the engine and the tailpipes. The Trofeo trades some of that high-rpm wail for far more midrange torque. It is also among the last of its kind: Maserati ended V8 production at the end of 2023.