For many people beautiful design is a crucial factor in their purchasing decision no matter what they are buying - something sleek and thoughtful is a mark of your own quality of character and discerning judgement. We all know someone with a fancy Italian espresso machine who forces house visitors into the kitchen to coo over it.
In many ways, the Maserati Quattroporte is an espresso machine with wheels - a good deal of customers might not even care if it drives well because you could park it in the living room and switch the television off. It is a genuinely stunning, evocative piece of car design in its own right, let alone amongst its luxury saloon rivals.
Alongside, the Mercedes S Class looks positively obese, the Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series saloons merely bigger models from a wider range that anyone could buy. A Quattroporte gives you something both beautiful and exclusive, unsullied by associations with cheap family hatches and city cars.
The quality of materials in the Maserati's interior doesn't necessarily stand comparison with some of the competition, however. The seats are comfortable but not brilliant, the boot is comparatively tiny and the dashboard layout is idiosyncratically Italian too, but in many ways these things don't matter because it's the way the car makes you feel that's really important.
Likewise, on the move the Maserati isn't quite up to the demanding standards of its German rivals, but the musical accompaniment from the 4.2-litre V8 engine is delightful. It sounds exotic, and delivers performance to match. There's no 155mph limiter on this car like the Germans, either, so you can happily wave arrivederci on the autobahn.
The car we tested was fitted with an updated version of the automatic gearbox that had blighted previous Quattroportes. The new 'box remains jerky from take-off, but has a much improved shift that now better suits the charisma and character of the car.
The handling of the car is quite impressive too - it has suitably weighty steering despite being such a large saloon and lots of grip to offer the willing driver. There are few premium luxury around cars except perhaps the Jaguar XJ where the owner could drive or be driven - and the Italian prime minister doesn't get shuffled around in a Jag.
The Quattroporte is effortlessly cool and would be a joy to own, so long as the outrageous running costs weren't a factor.