It wasn’t such a very long time ago that putting a diesel engine in a luxury car would have been unthinkable but, given how incredibly popular oil burners have been - and of course their continual refinement and excellent economy has helped make them a viable option - it seems that even the better off among us enjoy saving money at the pumps.

It would appear, then, to make perfect sense for Maserati to fit the VM Motori unit from the diesel Ghibli in its big brother, the Quattroporte. There are some who might view the inclusion of an oil burner in the range as an act of betrayal, that diesels belong in either buses or tractors but, while it might be true that some compromises have to be made, Maserati haven’t entirely sacrificed their racing heritage.

The performance figures for the diesel are, of course, some way shy of the flagship V8 GTS but they’re certainly nothing to be ashamed of and, in isolation, there would surely be very few complaints about the 0-62mph time of 6.4 seconds and top speed of 155mph, particularly in a car capable of returning 54.3mpg. In fact, driven carefully, I would expect a range of close to 1,000 miles from a full tank of fuel.

Active Sound generators fitted to the exhausts filter the best sounds from the engine and amplify them back into the cabin and, it has to be said, it works. Inside there’s absolutely no hint that there’s a diesel engine under the bonnet and, while the audio track isn’t quite at V8-levels of excitement, under heavy acceleration it comes remarkably close.

At low speeds I found the steering a light on the light side but it weights up nicely as the pace increases. It’s quick, precise and predictable, too, and there’s plenty of information being transmitted through the steering as well.

In fact the handling is neat and tidy, and the big Maserati belies its size when tackling tight and twisty roads. The brakes are powerful and progressive, and showed no signs of fade after repeated heavy use.

The ride is on the firm side, unsurprising for a car with sporting blood pumping through its fuel pipes, but the occupants remain well insulated from all but the most unsettling of irregularities on our roads. What that means is, of course, a better understanding of what’s going on under the four wheels and, consequently, more confidence to push on and tap into the huge amount of grip available, particularly on turn-in.

What it also means is that passengers in the back won’t thank you for if you’re anything but delicate when you’re tackling speed bumps or uneven roads but, should you find their complaints irritating and want to show them exactly how uncomfortable you can make things for them, you can select sports suspension using a button next to the gear selector which stiffens the ride even more.

They will thank you for the massive amount of legroom, however, which is remarkably generous even with the front seats in their rearmost position. There’s ample headroom, too.

As well as sports suspension there's another button that allows you to select sports mode that substantially sharpens up the throttle response which, in default mode, I found to be a little sluggish with a sizeable dead spot which created a degree of uncertainty when I was attempting to exit junctions.

The Quattroporte shares its looks with its smaller brother, the Ghibli, with its long bonnet sweeping down to the large oval grille. The muscular curves continue to the back of the car culminating in a small spoiler integrated into the boot lid and four fat chrome pipes. The rear light clusters echo the styling of the ones on the Ghibli. My loan car was fitted with option 21in – yes, you read that correctly, alloys and they filled the wheel arches beautifully. It’s a stunning, cohesive piece of automotive design.

Climb inside and you’ll find that the seats are much lower that you’d expect for a car of this size. It certainly feels more sports car than luxury saloon. The electrically adjustable heated leather seats are incredibly comfortable and provide excellent lateral support. The driving position is spot on too, with good all-round visibility. My one complaint is that the seat belt buckles are awkward to get to, tucked away as they are between the sumptuous seats and large transmission tunnel.

The cabin oozes quality, with leather covering the dash and door panels, carbon fibre inserts and brushed aluminium paddles for when that sporting urge just gets too much to contain.

Cabin refinement is generally good with occupants insulated from unwanted wind and road noise creating a pleasing ambience where quiet conversation is entirely possible.

The centre console is dominated by a massive touchscreen which provides access to climate control, Bluetooth handsfree and audio, and the excellent sat nav which I found an absolute doddle to program without once having to refer to the owner’s handbook. The only physical controls are two dials – one either side of the screen – and the climate control panel just below. Even the steering wheel is wonderfully spartan. Too many manufacturers try to cram too many controls into what is, quite frankly, too small a space. This isn’t F1 after all.

A rear-facing camera and all-round proximity sensors help make parking a little easier. At more than 5m in length the Quattroporte is a big and anything that make manoeuvring easier is gratefully received.

There’s a stalk mounted on the right of the steering column for the cruise control which, sadly, isn’t adaptive and another on the left for the wipers and indicators.

Two big dials dominate the instrument binnacle either side of a multi function display which can be used to show supplemental driver information to aid navigation, for example, or audio, or trip information.

The stunning Quattroporte is a bit of a juxtaposition, with its limousine-like rear legroom it would appear to be a nirvana for passengers but the firm ride and strong handling suggest that Maserati have prioritised the driving experience over comfort. The truth is somewhere in between but, even with a diesel under the bonnet one thing is clear, Maserati have remained faithful to their heritage.

For more information about Maserati cars click here, visit Motorline Maserati, Bircholt Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 9XY or call them on 01622 233111.