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Road Test: 2014 Maserati Ghibli in UAE
Car Reviews

Road Test: 2014 Maserati Ghibli in UAE

·
May 8,2014
·
7 min read

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Maserati – a name associated with a niche community of buyers realized they needed to step up their game and cater to a mass market of sports-saloon buyers. Of course, this also means product pricing should be in range with the well-known German competitors. So, with a name which refers to an African desert wind and a starting price of 285k AED, let’s see how this all-new baby Maserati measures up.

Style

This car, without any doubt, is a looker compared to its closest rivals – the Audi A7 and Mercedes CLS. There is something about Italian design that makes their cars desirable. They really spend time in ‘crafting’ a masterpiece.

The design cues of Ghibli are indeed taken from its older brother – the Quattroporte – and fused in a considerably smaller package. But do not be fooled, it is still a proper mid-size sedan. It has the same bi-xenon headlamps and LED taillights (reminding me of the Kia Cadenza) as the sibling, in addition to the 19” alloys. The rear fascia is wide and with quad exhausts, thus satisfying the ‘mean’ criteria. The front, on the other hand, has that big crown on the grille giving it the ‘smug’ look. Moreover, there are the iconic ‘gills’ on each side to let any remaining nonbelievers know it is a Maserati. The car’s beauty was further attested on the road when people turned heads to give a second look to the car. This brought a smirk on my face.

Overall, the car looks mean and wide (like a sports car) but it’s definitely not, as squeezing through tight spaces was a breeze and did not make me take deep breaths while maneuvering in traffic. Of course, the park assist system was more than generous in helping me judge the surroundings.

Interior Materials and Finishing

The last car I drove was the GL500 and it had the most premium materials Mercedes had to offer so I assumed this car will have less or close to that sort of feel. But I was glad to find out that I was wrong. The moment I sat on that plush leather seat, I felt like sitting on a lounge sofa. The seats cushion so well and give a snuggly feeling – easily one of most comfortable car seats out there (especially during long hours in traffic). Also, with a substantial amount of wood and leather on the dash and doors, this car really felt premium. Sorry to say Germans, the Italians got you there.

Interior Features and Technology

Usability was definitely not at par with the Germans. For starters, there was no place for me to keep my cellphone as the cup holders were small enough to fit disposable tea cups and nothing else. The other cubbies were small as well so basically I had two choices – either keep the cell on my lap or keep it on the passenger seat. Now diverting attention to the multi-purpose touch screen (taken from Chrysler): even though the interface was well thought of and there was no lag in response, it was still distracting. I usually listen to the radio on long trips and I had to change channel by looking away from the road to the screen. Other cars also have a touchscreen but they have a secondary system in shape of on-steering audio controls which surprisingly, are not present in Ghibli. I am quite used to steering controls and what I found here were the cruise control switch on one end and the multi information display controls on the other. I was looking for the audio controls but I couldn’t find them – though I could be mistaken as I did not look deep.

Other options included in the test car were sunroof, rear camera, adaptive HID, front and rear sensors, dual zone A/C, CD/MP3/USB/AUX/SD, rear blind, auto-dimming mirrors, remote start and e-parking. The boot was surprisingly spacious for such a car thus making it a very practical automobile – impressive!

Interior Space and Visibility

The interior is roomy for four adults to sit comfortably. The front legroom is generous while the rear is adequate. No complains here as it is a ‘four-door coupe’. Although, adding rear A/C controls would have been a good option.

All in all, the interior was pleasing and if Maserati makes the appropriate changes then Ghibli would simply be the ideal choice for this segment.

Power

Maserati redeems itself in this section – and redeems quite well if I must say. Let’s look at the numbers:

      -  3.0 – liter turbocharged V6 (made by Ferrari)

      -  330 BHP at 5000 rpm

      -  500 Nm of torque at 1750 rpm

      -  8 speed automatic gearbox

As you can see, the torque is what stands out. Ferrari has done a great job in making this engine yet another example of their performance pedigree. This engine might look small and practical in size (some might think a Maxima has a better 3.5 V6) but don’t be fooled as it is definitely no sag. While testing, the car averaged 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds which is close to the claimed 5.6 second figure.

Like most premium cars, it also has normal, eco (read: ICE) and sports mode. There is not much difference in eco and normal mode. The fun starts when sports mode is switched on. The rpm needle goes high and you can feel the suspension stiffen up and when you floor the accelerator, the instant torque comes in play and you realize the V6 is not slow at all. Though, there is a turbo lag and it is felt considerably but that effect is gone soon enough when the exhaust notes kick in to bring a smile. On the other hand, the car did give an average mileage of 15.6 liter/100 km which I believe, can be improved.

Suspension, Handling and Brakes

The car behaves exactly how you want it to behave thanks to agile steering and suspension. When you want to just cruise, it behaves like any sedan and when you floor it then it becomes a sports car instantly. The electronics have a big role in this and they really do play well. The steering feedback is just right and gives you the confidence to push the car into corners at high speed. Moreover, thanks to the brilliant brakes, the driver is in sync with his/her intuition. I knew when I want to brake and where the car will stop in the given intensity and it did just that – which is wow.

Verdict

Maserati have built a mid-size saloon which is close to perfect. It is roomy, fast, has good boot space, handles very well and stops even better. If I had to explain the drive in one sentence it would be – Ghibli has just the right amount of power which can be utilized in any situation. If you’re not looking into reliability or resale factor and you have money to spend on the maintenance (as Italian cars are synonymous with technical issues in the long run) then look no further. 

Prices and Specs: 2014 Maserati Ghibli

Comparison: Maserati Ghibli vs Mercedes CLS-350 vs Audi A7

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