Maserati Quattroporte
Price: From £77,102
For: Most engaging of all the uber-saloons to drive; great engine; sumptuous cabin; full of character.
Against: Frightening fuel consumption; technically complex; long-term solidity still dubious; high running costs.
A true exotic, and thus suitably expensive to buy and run (how does £77,000-plus, less than 15-20mpg, Band G tax, the £25-a-day London congestion charge and crashing deprecation sound, for starters?) the Maserati Quattroporte is undeniably, achingly desirable. It's the nearest you'll get to a four-door Ferrari, unless Maranello suddenly decides to take on the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera.
The 396bhp 4.2 V8 now comes with a proper six-speed automatic gearbox (though the fiddly paddleshift DuoSelect automated manual is still on offer in some versions); pick of the range is the Sport GT S, which does without the Skyhook adaptive damping and is all the better for it. It's £9,000 more than the standard Quattroporte, but worth it. Treat yourself.
