MASERATI found many admirers with its previous-generation Quattroporte, a high-rolling limo with the brash beating heart of an Italian Stallion and the sort of look-at-me styling its understated German rivals at Benz, BMW and Audi had no interest in matching.

This new one, tested here in entry V6 S (gasp!) guise, keeps some of the flair, but makes some concessions to good-sense, notably in its vastly improved rear legroom and fuel economy.

With a few exceptions — a touchscreen borrowed from the Chrysler 300, for instance — this car is new from the ground up, and its architecture will carry over to the smaller Ghibli due this year and the Levante SUV due in 2015.

Together, this trio will drive Maserati sales into the comparative stratosphere, to levels six-times greater than ever.

But our question is not whether the Quattroporte will sell well — big pre-order banks in Australia and from all over the world, led by China, prove that it will — but rather to determine if it retains the flair and style that made its predecessor so unique, even with a V6 under the bonnet.

With a sticker price $80,000 below the V8 GTS, and a specification list with nary any differences beyond the engine, this V6 S is off to a good start.

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