The current generation of Maserati’s Quattroporte (Italian for four doors) full-size luxury sedan came out in 2013. It hasn’t gotten any major revisions since, and it hasn't gotten any big updates for 2020, either. It’s still a handsome and fast standout even if it isn’t as sophisticated as its German rivals, but the Quattroporte’s high price can be hard to justify.

It shares much of its underpinnings with Maserati’s Levante SUV and smaller Ghibli sedan, and it's available with drivetrains labeled S, S Q4, and GTS along with trims labeled base, GranLusso, and GranSport. The Quattroporte comes with either rear-wheel drive (S) or all-wheel drive (S Q4).

All versions of the Quattroporte get a powerful, exotic-sounding engine assembled by the fine folks at Ferrari. In the S and S Q4, the unit is a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that makes 424 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque. The GTS, meanwhile, gets a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 523 hp and 524 lb-ft of torque. All get an 8-speed automatic. Each engine delivers rapid acceleration and a raspy exhaust note, but neither is particularly frugal on gas. The base S version manages just 17 mpg city, 24 highway, 19 combined. The SQ4 drops 1 mpg in each category, and the V8-powered GTS gets just 17 mpg combined.

Maserati doesn’t offer the latest and greatest in terms of tech and gizmos, but the interior is a lovely space, and the analog clock in the center of the dash is a nice old-school touch. Leather upholstery and heated front seats are standard, while heated rear seats, 4-zone automatic climate control, and folding backseat tables are all optional extras. The GranLusso trim adds a power adjust feature for the pedals along with wood trim and available upgraded leather. The GranSport trim, meanwhile, gets a sport steering wheel with paddle shifters as well as sport seats and piano black trim.

Maserati updated the Quattroporte’s infotainment system for 2019, making the system more user-friendly. Centered on an 8.4-inch touchscreen display, the system operates functions like climate control and the stereo, which comes standard as a 10-speaker Harman Kardon system. Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto compatibility are also standard, and both a 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo and a backseat entertainment system are available options.

The Quattroporte hasn’t been crash-tested and probably never will be, but all versions come with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, while optional extras on the safety front include a 360-degree surround-view camera, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking, traffic-sign recognition, and forward-collision warning.

With a price tag stretching past six figures and climbing steadily as the options list stacks up, a Quattroporte is not the best value among large luxury cars. The Audi A8, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, and even the Jaguar XJ are all more modern, more competent executive cars. Buying an Italian car is rarely about what makes sense, however, and the Quattroporte offers exotic engines, sexy looks, and a sumptuous interior with a long list of options in a package that stands out from the usual pack of German four-doors.