So, the Bentley Flying Spur has arrived – time to say goodbye to the Quattroporte. What do you need to know about the Maserati if you are in the market to buy?

Bad: The auto gearstick is too sensitive – the hair trigger action drops you into neutral when you want reverse; the infotainment system doesn’t have DAB and FM signal is only average; steering isn’t what it should be for a sporting saloon; emissions and depreciation are high.

Good: the Quattroporte looks sensational parked next to any German machine; even the diesel engine performs and sounds fantastic; there’s acres of space for people and luggage; and, of course, it’s a Maserati.

And if you need another reason to try a Quattroporte, watch yesterday’s video post from the Intouchables…

Heaven forbid we should ever start talking about ‘residuals’ on Car Couture! Apparently, the secondhand prices of Quattroportes isn’t that good, while the smaller Ghibli is doing surprisingly well.

Personally, I can’t think of a better car to step into on a grey British morning. Even if you live in a mock Tudor pile and polish your shoes too frequently, the Maserati gives you serious cache.

You can pick up a low miles 2006 Quattroporte for less than £20k. Black ones are highly sought after and, despite alarming fuel economy, it will make you feel bloody marvellous.

Don’t believe me? Watch this piece of film from the French movie Intouchables… Enjoy your week.

I never, ever thought I would choose a four-door saloon over a benchmark convertible.

There are two cars parked on my driveway right now. A black Porsche 991  S Convertible, and a black Maserati Quattroporte diesel.

These are two of my favourite things. All that’s missing now is a black Morgan Plus 8 and my work here is done.

Anyway, surprising as it might seem on a damp Sunday in England, I can’t keep away from the Maser. I mean, I can’t give you a sound reason why exactly but it just looks such a beast, so cool and so, Maserati.

And there it is. That’s why you shouldn’t buy at Audi A8, a Mercedes S class or a BMW 7 Series. Logic goes out of the window when you see this Quattroporte in the metal…

There are plenty of Maserati ‘trident’ badges on the latest Quattroporte – you’ll see them everywhere inside the and outside the car.

But what you won’t find on the V6 is a badge saying ‘diesel’. Not sure why this is because the 275bhp engine is one of the highlights of the Quattroporte. It works brilliantly with the 8-speed auto gearbox. Press the Sport button and the diesel feels more like a V6 petrol.

This being a Maserati, they’ve managed to squeeze a decent exhaust note from the four tailpipes as well. I’m not a fan of rasps and pops (a la Jaguar F-Type) but the Quattroporte has a deep-throated grumble that is very satisfying.

The Quattroporte may be a little long in the tooth now but it’s still massively desirable. It will be a few years yet before a replacement comes along and driving this V6 diesel I can clearly understand why sales continue to rise…

Jeremy Clarkson and I have little in common – apart from the first name. He does lives around the corner from me and delivery drivers bizarrely get us confused. Although I don’t earn as much as him, or do double denim.

But we do agree on Maserati Quattroporte. Despite misgivings about his sartorial elegance, JC does agree with me that there’s no cooler executive saloon than a 2009 Quattroporte in black.

Driving back down the M40 from London last night, I could feel eyes watching me as I steered the big Maserati homebound. We passed them all – BMWs, Audi, Mercedes… Nothing stood a chance.

You see, the drivers of all those cars have worked out their benefit in kind tax, their fuel consumption and resale values and been frightfully dull. Whereas the Quattroporte is a massive statement of your determination to be different.

And besides, the v6 diesel was averaging 37mpg. Which isn’t that bad…

Buying a Maserati comes down to this. You either want to run with the pack and buy German – or you know that a genuine Italian masterpiece will trump anything else in the executive car park.

To be honest, the best of BMW, Audi and Mercedes is better than the Quattroporte. Better at most things – apart from making your toes tingle every time you slip behind the wheel.

The German trio has better engines, better handling and better depreciation. They are benchmark cars that need no introduction.

But what price being a little different these days? Around £69,000 it seems… There’s a Maserati parked on the driveway and I’m already excited…