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2014 Maserati Ghibli Review, Price, Interior, Exterior, Engine. - The all-new Maserati Ghibli is set to break new grounds for Maserati. With its debut at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show, it marks the first time in Maserati history that the Italian sports, luxury and prestige maker will have two four-door saloons on sale at the same time.
Whatever you thought Maserati stood for, you’re going to have to rethink it. In the space of three years, the brand will rediscover turbocharging, introduce a diesel engine, build an SUV (the Levante) and a second, smaller sedan (this Ghibli), and offer all-wheel drive in both of its four-door cars. All this in an effort to increase its 2012 global sales eightfold to 50,000 in 2015 and give Ferrari’s older brother the scale it needs to be stable (more detail on Maserati’s product plans here).
The plan doesn’t lack ambition, and the process has already started with the launch of the turboed, AWD-optional new Quattroporte. We’ve just driven the 2014 Ghibli, the smaller sedan based on the QP. Maserati hopes it will rival “four-door coupes” such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS-class, Audi A7, and BMW 6-series Gran Coupe, as well as their conventional sedan brethren, and provide about half of the sales growth.
The Maserati Ghiblis design ethos emphasises its more dynamic driving characteristics by maintaining visible links with the larger Quattroporte while delivering a more aggressive visual personality.
The outline of the body reflects a coupe-like philosophy for the four-door saloon, while there are strong feline hints around the Ghiblis grille and headlights. The grille takes its inspiration from the current GranTurismo and it can draw a line back to the classic A6 GCS of the 1950s.
The Maserati Ghibli will have a more-focused, sportier philosophy than the larger Quattroporte. It will be available with two turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engines, and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The most powerful of the V6s will be the twin-turbo unit in the Ghibli S, which produces 301kW (410hp) of power at 5500rpm and 550Nm of torque from just 1750rpm.
The rear-wheel drive Ghibli S will reach 100km/h in 5 seconds flat, and has a quoted top speed of 285km/h (177 mph).
The second turbo-charged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine available on the Maserati Ghibli not only has an impressive power of 243kW (330hp) and 500Nm of torque, but delivers a fuel economy figure of just 9.6 litres/100km (28.8 mpg). It is much more than a fuel saving car, though, because it is capable of accelerating to 100km/h in just 5.6 seconds.
Both of these engines, with their parallel turbochargers, were developed by Maserati Powertrain in partnership with Ferrari Powertrain and will be built by Ferrari in its world-leading engine construction facility in Maranello.
Price :
With roughly 4150 pounds to motivate, the S ought to hit 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds and will be able to top 177 mph. The 4000-pound base car likely needs 5.4 seconds to reach benchmark speed and tops out at 163 or so mph. Prices have yet to be confirmed, but expect to pay $65,000 for the base model and about 10 grand more for the S. There is a diesel-drinking V-6, but it won’t come to the U.S., and we won’t miss it.
Interior :
Inside the emphasis is on craftsmanship and classy materials. Two examples; the instrument panel -- totally different from the Quattroporte -- has been designed to highlight the perfect stitching of the leather covering it and the column-mounted shift paddles are smooth and sturdy metal castings. Customization options for the Ghibli will be many. Six interior colors and 19 interior trim combinations will be offered at launch.
Engine :
A Maserati-designed but Ferrari-manufactured twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 will power both models. The Ghibli S Q4 has the same 404-hp and 404-lb-ft engine, eight-speed ZF automatic and all-wheel-drive system as the Quattroporte S Q4 on sale in August. The rear-drive Ghiblis engine is a softer-tuned, 345-hp and 369-ft-lb version of the 3.0-liter V6, again driving power through a ZF eight-speed auto.
Commonality with the Quattroporte extends way beyond drivetrains. The Ghiblis wheelbase is almost 7 inches less, its nearly a foot shorter overall and weighs 100 pounds less, but much of its body structure and all of its chassis hardware -- suspension, brakes and steering -- are the same as whats found on the Quattroporte. While the A7, 6-Series Gran Coupe and CLS are all derived from lesser, lower-priced models, Maseratis engineers like to point out theyve done it the other way around.
MASERATI Q4 ALL-WHEEL DRIVE :
With the Q4 all-wheel drive system both Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte are capable of finding traction on the slipperiest surfaces thanks to its state-of-the-art, on-demand engineering.
The Q4 system delivers the responsiveness of a rear-wheel drive combined with the added security that only an all-wheel drive can bring in critical situations, without creating extra fuel consumption.
That is what Maserati has achieved with the Q4. The system leaves the front wheels passive until they are needed to help with traction and then they are instantly and intelligently engaged.
