Courtesy car :) :) :)

Passions clearly raised here, and I don't think anyone's mind is going to be changed. However as Ferrari / Maserati read these boards I'll chip in.

Had a diesel ghibli as a courtesy car for my FF annual service. The car is just ok. It drives ok, stops ok and pulls adequately. It it had had a VW or BMW badge it would be unremarkable, what disappoints is that you expect so much more from Maserati. I loved my 3200 back in the day - that car felt special. The ghibli is trying to tell you it's special with lots of chrome and plastic, rather than just being special.

I can see it makes sense for Maserati to sell volume, but I'm expecting the newAlfa to show how it should be done...

 

For me the last real Maserati is the Granturismo Sport. Yes, it's a bit heavy, could do with another 50 BHP and the infotainment was out of date at launch, but it is a good car. Beautiful to look at even now 9 years old, an 'occasion' to drive every time and puts a smile on your face when you drive it. Also has probably the best factory exhaust sound I've ever heard in Sport mode.
As Maserati are now doing the Porsche thing, I'll forgive them the mediocre Ghibli but I hope the Levante is a real Cayenne rival and that they use the cash to develop a decent new Granturismo and forthcoming Alfieri.

 

A Jetta? Come on, be serious please.

You lot need to realise that the Ghibli is a 5 Series / E Class / A6 competitor. It's a much more involving car that those three. You are familiar with the flat (apartment) on wheels that the E Class or the understeery river barge that the A6 are, aren't you? Only the Jag XF comes close dynamically and the 5 Series trails them both closely. The Italian and the British cars may not be as clinically built as the German triad, nor have the same array of (unneccessary) gadgets, but are much better to drive spiritedly and much more exclusive and desirable. You can't compare the Ghibli to a Ferrari or even a Maserati sportscar though, just as you can't compare a Macan to a 911. Different cars, different purposes, different engineering briefs, different budgets.

You may find the following reviews more balanced compared to the aforementioned libel titled "The worst car I 've ever driven":
Road Test: Maserati Ghibli V6d 4dr Auto | Top Gear
Maserati Ghibli Review | Top Gear
Maserati Ghibli petrol review | Auto Express
2013 Maserati Ghibli review | Evo

 

All true. I currently own a 2012 GranTurismo. You forgot to mention the two spacious back seats that actually fit adults. Try that in a Ferrari California!

Very reliable car. I have 14K miles on it, 3.5 years old, nothing has broken, never in the shop.
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You think that the Ghibli is worse than, say, a 6 Gran Coupe of the same engine size? Now, let's see.

The Ghibli S is a 3 litre, E segment, sports saloon with 410 HP, does 0-62 in 5s, has a top speed of 177 MPH and over here costs £65,000.
The 640i M Sport Gran Coupe is a 3 litre, E segment, sports saloon with 320 HP, does 0-62 in 5.4s, has a top speed of 155 HMP and over here costs £63,000.

The Maserati is quicker (as it should) but that was not my point. My point is that it is the better driver's car! And if my word is not good enough, there is a car test that agrees with me (Okay, it's the 5 Series and they are both Diesels, but this is the closest we can get):

"One thing’s for certain though: the BMW’s chassis is less playful than the Maserati’s. The ride is plusher, and the body control is taut (in Sport mode), but the 530d doesn’t urge you on like the Maserati does, and you have to chuck the BMW into a corner to unsettle it in the dry, where the Ghibli showboats at all sorts of angles.
But there are plenty of people who might have owned a string of BMWs over the last ten years, who are desperate for something different, something more exciting. That’s where the Ghibli scores brilliantly"
Maserati Ghibli Diesel vs BMW 530d M Sport (2014) review by CAR Magazine

I also took as an example the best driving of the three German cars. A floaty Merc or an unyieding Audi are far from it dynamically. Like it or not, only the XF is nearly as fun to drive in this segment.

 

for $75k, one gets a base model ghibli (ugh...I hate even calling it a ghibli as it is just not right by any measure ) with some dumpy looking wheels and 345 hp.

for similar money you can buy a sexier looking jag xf w/ 510 hp or get on the waiting list for a new alfa giulia...rather have the foregoing hot rods than the Italian badged Chrysler.

 

The 640i is also a twin turbo mate and it's priced the same as the Ghibli S, thus it was a fair comparison. Regarding the rest, one could argue that styling and exclusivity wise, the Ghibli is a 6 Series competitor and that car costs as much as I showed earlier. Finally, it drives better and that has nothing to do with performance numbers.



PS: Masers were always expensive, especially compared to Jags.

 

Well, since we are all petrolheads here I would assume that "drives better" means that it is more lively, more light on its feet, more fun to toss around, less laden, less tank-like, less hushed. And the Ghibli is all that compared to the Germans.

Regarding your conclusion, I guess we 'll have to agree to disagree. I for one wouldn't want just another clinical, austere, "cold", german-like, entry in the segment. Great taxicab qualities but boring when it comes to actually driving for the fun of it.

 

Hmm, the Ghibli is a 5 seater, it shouldn't be compared to 4 seater cars like the Grandcoupe or the Merc CLS.

The 5 series and E and A6 class cars are what Maserati was after. And it failed miserably. Maserati dealers are stuck with tons of unsold cars and doing big promotions to try and move them out the door.

The Ghibli does not ride well or handles well, the engine makes a lot of 'noise', but the car doesn't feel like it's going anywhere quick.

Interior fit and finish are also not up to par with the Germans.

Infotainment system is a wreck.

Oh and that damn shifter that doesn't like being told what to do. That's very Italian btw, it will do what it wants to do, not what I want it to do.

Actually I called it the quantum physics shifter. At any given moment it has 4 states, PRND, you have no idea what state it's in, but when you touch the shifter, it changes to another state that you also have no idea what it is. Statistically, you have 25% chance of getting the correct outcome each time you touch the shifter. But I think some people will have better odds winning the Powerball than getting the correct gear.

 

I was given a Ghibli twice as a demo vehicle to try out as I was in the market for a new car, I ended up buying a CLS63 instead which was FAR better. The Ghibli felt cheap in many places. The shifter IS awkward although you can get used to that. It had decent pickup, I did enjoy the exhaust note, and I think it looks sharp though.

If anyone is curious the markets reaction to it just look at how much you can get them for. Practically new ones for $50k, brand new ones for $20k+ off etc.

 

Whoopsy, especially the new E-class, that car looks like a homerun IMHO.

 

If you get the Ghibli properly loaded up (extended leather, especially), there is nothing cheap feeling about it. Buttons and switchgear are all terrific. Signature Maserati analog clock is a nice touch. I honestly don't understand all of the b!tching and moaning. There are plusses and minuses to any car in this segment. Throw one out and I'll happily arrange a test drive and come back here to tear it to shreds for you.

You're right about the price point on the Ghibli. We got $21k off of $84k sticker and another $3k of aftermarket goodies thrown in. No $ down, 3 year lease with maintenance included ($580 before taxes, etc). We're just putting gas in the car and taking the tax write-off. Show me a better bargain from the Germans.

BTW, you can't find those deals now - they were mid/late 2015 calendar year deals. Yes, they were pushing them hard. This is what happens when:
- New dealers opening up all over the country.
- A brand that the vast majority of people have never considered (or even seen before!)
- A CEO who set very aggressive sales targets.

I get it though. Nobody ever got fired for buying MB, Porsche, Audi, BMW. Carry on.

 

Why don't you take this battle to a Maserati thread or some other forum?

 

LOL should be humble he even got a courtesy car

 

Yes it does, the Ghibli has a lot more presence than a regular 5 series, E class or Jaguar XF. And a QP is in a slightly different niche as an S Class as well.

By the way ever sat in the back of a 6 series; it's ridiculous (if you have legs).

Car reviewers say otherwise. And Maserati seem to have made an effort, it's the only brand that offers an LSD (as standard) in the segment for example.

Def. not as good as the 5 series or E class, but it seems to work well and easy to use, so it's not a wreck.

In some places it does a bit. But with extended leather (or the new Zegna interior) it's quite a nice place. The climate control thing + the satnav surround let's it down a bit.

But ever looked at the lower part of the dash of your CLS (or E-class), the seat bases, the cheap climate control in the back. The CLS isn't that much better, if at all.

Or look at the cheap standard seats that BMW and Merc. are putting in the 5 series and E-class, the 5 series business satnav, the stereo system, the part plastic optional leather (not the more expensive ext. one), it goes on and on. Everything needs at least 1 or 2 upgrades/options to make it the car everyone judges it on.

And the all new XF isn't exactly well received on that point either, on the contrary (ofcourse outside of the UK that is).

The Ghibli isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as some pretent it is.

 

I drove one before arriving at the FF, which is of course no contest.

Yet I used to have a 2009 CLS 550 and the new M-B cars are just cheaper. I prefered the 2009. They don't feel as solid anymore and the sales numbers since 2012 suggest they are simply too popular to be high quality cars. Maybe an S class. Maybe.