[essfive]

Hi all,

New member here, and potential new owner. I was excited to come across this forum, and glad to see so many good questions and answers. While I've read throughout the archives, I do have some items I'm hoping can be addressed by this group.

I currently have a deposit on an S Q4 order, but am still debating some options before finalizing. My car will be Grigio Maratea with the Rosso interior, 20 inch Uranos, premium package, luxury package and the carbon bits. I am up in the air on the sports suspension however (the one with the Koni FSD shocks that comes with the sport package, not the Skyhook suspension). I've driven both, and while I do feel the handling is better with less body roll while ride harshness over rough roads is still minimized, I can't quite make up my mind. The steel suspension is quite competent as is, and I'm really not partial to the colored calipers or paddles (or spending more than I need to). Any input one way or another would be appreciated, but right now I'm leaning towards leaving this off my order.

I'm coming from an Audi S5, which is a pretty decent handling car itself. It seems a lot of people on here are either former/current Mercedes or BMW owners, but as a long time Audi driver I would be interested to know if there are those who have made the switch from an //S car and what their impressions are.

I'm also curious if the auto entry seat feature can be disabled, as I often shuttle my kids around and don't want to crush them as I get out. I'm tall so my seat is pretty far back as it is. My dealer is looking in to it, but anyone know if this is possible?

Sorry for the long first post, and thanks in advance for any help!

essfive

 

[Etodd31856]

The auto easy entry seat can be disabled via the MTC (Maserati Touch Control). I cannot speak to the suspension as I have bought skyhook blind.

 

[essfive]

Good to know - thanks!

 

[colleyt]

Spend more than you have to? Its around 2% of the total cost. I have Jordans that cost more than the this sport package.

For me it was simple, the overall stance is better because of the lowered ride height and how the **** could I order a Maserati without the 'sport' package?

 

[ugggh]

Get the sports package, would be my suggestion. The shift paddles are more fun and useful than I originally imagined, plus you get the metal pedals. Once you drive the car off the lot, you'll never think about the extra money again. But the paddles and pedals are two ways you constantly interact with your car - why wouldn't you upgrade those?

 

[essfive]

Ok, so maybe I mis-represented myself when I originally asked my question. This isn't about the money, as the sport package is relatively low-cost compared to other packages and is easily affordable, but my feeling was why pay for something I do not feel I want/need? I'm not a big fan of colored calipers (though I do recognize the appeal), the metal pedals are just going to be under my feet most of the time, and while the paddles offer another option for quick shifting I have an issue with these being fixed versus moving with the wheel. Just my viewpoint...

So let's assume all else is equal and make this about the sport suspension itself. Anyone have experience with the Koni FSD's? Any concern about reliability or longevity that I wouldn't need to worry about with stock dampers? Living in the northeast where sub-freezing temperatures is often an issue, could performance be affected by the cold?

I appreciate the opinions so far - keep 'em coming!

 

[Luciano]

new member - question

As you order the car you can anyway choose to not buy the colored calipers.
I have the Q4 with sport suspension and everything loaded, except B&W.
This is of course subjective: but if you want to have a real Maserati I think that the sport package is a must. I drive outside the town and with the exception of cruising on the motorway only with the paddles. But we have in Switzerland a lot of wending streets where the sport package is ideal. Even on the german motorway ( no Speed Limit) I used sometimes the paddles in sport mode and flew the M5's etc. away.
Sport suspension from Koni is certainly reliable.
It depends therefore on your driving style, the streets you are mostly using etc. There is no problem with cold weather also not because of quality.
There are a lot of Youtube videos with driving in winter.

In my point of view it's a great car but even greater with all packages and extras.

 

[Etodd31856]

You can now order paddles only if you so choose (at leasT in the US). The car is designed to be a dual personality car..........touring sedan and a sports car........so what look are you interested in.........for me I love sports cars but also like the luxury look.........so I got skyhook......so I can have a touring ride and a sports ride (assuming the marketing is real LOL!!).......I do not see the appeal of lowering the car by a small amount but that is just my opinion....the Koni's are supposed to be automatically adaptible but who knows (like skyhook as this is so new not a lot of actual experience out there!)...I also got 19" Poizione elegant wheels.......in the end you will have to decide what you really want because that is the beauty of this kind of car.........personalization make it what you want it to be..........good luck.

 

[Wrecked Em]

I think the paddles are still a no charge option with standard suspension. I used the paddles on my car once, but now I'm considering having them removed.

 

[essfive]

Luciano - good post, thanks for sharing.

Etodd - I'm coming from an Audi S5, so this is a big change for me (coupe to sedan). In that sense I feel I should go for the sport package, but really just want it for the suspension and not the calipers or paddles. In the end I'll probably go for it, but it's nice to get other's opinions just in case I missed something.

Wrecked Em - that's just the situation I'm trying to avoid...

 

[caranthoo]

The paddles are definitely fun and worth getting.

 

[Wrecked Em]

I guess you'll just need to decide why you are buying the car. I wanted a nice cruiser that wouldn't bore me to death. I have no intention of hitting a track, or ripping up a mountain pass. I don't need to the car to hold a gear in a corner.

In the past, I'd always sneered at paddle shifters on a planetary slushbox. I took it as the manufacturer assuming I was gullible enough to believe it was a true sequential or dual clutch box. When I saw them installed on (pre) my car, the poser in me took over though, and I decided to leave them on. I've since considered removing them, but apparently it requires some dealer reprogramming. I've learned to ignore them mostly (except when I try to flash the high beams), and they might help with resale down the road.

 

[ReefDiver]

Why not try them out? Take another test drive, depress the Manual button and the Sport button and try using the paddles. (crack the window open to listen to the exhaust notes.) If that doesnt do anything for you, skip the paddles.

 

[Etodd31856]

my understanding is skyhook when engaged is similar to the sport suspension. You could buy Skyhook but not paddles or calipers.............

 

[JamesMay]

I have the sport pkg with silver calipers on a nero ribelle. The silver calipers looks great, i.e., they don't distract or stand out much at all.

Personally, I like the paddles. Like any car, it takes a bit to get used to where all the knobs and controls are, so I don't feel they get in the way of the turn signal stalk.