How might Maserati attain its worldwide sales goal of 75,000 cars a year by 2018? By adding new models and offering more diesels. To judge by the torque, CO2 average, economy and surprisingly burbly exhaust note of the diesel Ghibli, the firm might just hit its target.
This was my third Maserati test car, the others having been a GranTurismo and a Quattroporte, each powered by a Ferrari-built petrol V8. No prizes for guessing that I loved every second of driving them, but you couldn’t call either one a highly sensible choice if you need to keep an eye on running costs. The big sedan is now also available with a diesel V6 but not having driven its smaller four-door brother, trying that car with the same engine seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up.
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Diesel versions of the Quattroporte and Ghibli share a VM Motori-supplied 2,987cc V6. This is made at the supplier’s Cento factory in northern Italy, halfway between Modena and Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna. Power is 202kW (275PS), though there’s an alternate (184kW/250PS) version but this is just for the Italian market. Torque is a thumping 600Nm for each. In multiple other LHD countries, Q4 all-wheel drive is another choice, but only in combination with the top-spec 410PS biturbo petrol V6.
The 410PS and 330PS versions of the 2,979cc petrol V6 were designed by Ferrari. Another example of the ever-expanding co-operation between FCA divisions is the sourcing of this engine’s aluminium block. This is cast by Chrysler at its Kokomo plant in Indiana before being shipped to Europe for machining by Weber Automotive GmbH.
The former Bertone plant at Grugliasco, 10km west of Turin, is where all Ghiblis are manufactured, with the facility now officially known as Officine Maserati Grugliasco or AGAP for short. The car’s architecture is closely related to that of the Quattroporte’s, though both are derived from the Chrysler 300, which was itself based on a Mercedes-Benz E-Class from the DaimlerChrysler days. It’s unlikely that much remains, so it’s fair to call the Ghibli/Quattroporte’s platform bespoke. It will also be used for the Levante. This SUV is due to enter production at FCA’s Mirafiori factory in late 2015. It will be aimed at the Porsche Cayenne, which makes sense, when you consider how many Maserati owners no doubt also have a luxury brand SUV.
You can think of this big sedan as a rival for the BMW 535d, Mercedes-Benz CLS 350 BlueTEC, Audi A6 3.0 TDI & 3.0 BiTDI, with the Jaguar XF 275PS 3.0 D another possibility, but really, it’s found itself in a bit of a unique mini-segment. Without exception, every friend or colleague who saw the car was amazed at how cheap it was and that’s something which Mike Biscoe, the brand’s head of worldwide Sales and Marketing underlines. I spoke to him recently and he maintains that prospects often think of the cars as being in the same price bracket as Ferraris. That’s no doubt why on a trip to London, I saw four electronic billboards on the Westway, there to catch the eyes of all the international traffic heading to and from Heathrow. Each one had a large picture of the car and on the bottom right-hand side, the price.
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By GlobalDataThe least you can pay for a Ghibli diesel is GBP48,830, which does seem a good deal considering the prestige of the brand alone. Press cars usually have a load of options fitted and this one was no exception. These brought the price up to GBP63,568 and included things such as electric front seats (GBP980), aluminium shift paddles (GBP245), heated front seats (GBP370), ‘Urano’ 20-inch rims (GBP1,960) and pearlescent paint (GBP1,776). If you prefer the 330PS/500Nm petrol engine, that comes in the same spec as the diesel for just under fifty two thousand, with a higher model grade 410PS/550Nm S available for slightly less than sixty three grand.
Something else which helps to make the case for this car is the performance and economy mix. Given that top speed is limited to 155mph and 0-62mph takes just 6.3 secs, the 158g/km C02 average is impressive. All Ghiblis have ZF’s HP70 eight-speed automatic and in the diesel, it’s as smooth-shifting and responsive as any other applications I’ve tried this gearbox in.
It’s a Maserati, so it’s strange to see a tacho ahead of you that’s redlined at 4,500rpm. But, the engine is so quiet that you begin to forget what kind of fuel it’s running on. That’s until you hit SPORT, one of several buttons beside the transmission selector. This lowers the gearchange points and awakens a second stage of the active sound generator. This is a concealed speaker near the muffler of the exhaust system and it blasts out an incanny impression of a petrol V8. Me? I’d drive round in SPORT all the time, but you’ve also the choice of M (manual), ESP Off, or if you’d like maximum fuel savings, I.C.E. (Increased Control & Efficiency).
Stopping at traffic lights and seeing the rev counter drop to nothing takes some getting used to in a Maserati but that’s one of the reasons why I saw an average of 34mpg – drive at a more leisurely pace and for sure you’d average in the low 40s if you wanted to. This, despite the relatively heavy kerb weight of 1,835kg. This is a big car, stretching to 4,971mm end to end, with a three-metre long wheelbase.
Rear seat room is abundant but one fault is putting hard plastic against the backs of the front seats. Perhaps the salesman would suggest you instead consider a Quattroporte if there isn’t quite enough space to stretch out in. Those in the back have a pull-down armrest with integrated cupholders as well as a handy socket to charge their MacBook/iPad. Each rear seat also has ISOFIX points, but the seats themselves don’t fold, nor is there is a ski hatch. Still, a snowboard and skis on the roof is way more cool than having them stashed in the boot. As with the Quattroporte, there’s no electric closing for the bootlid, but at least it opens either via a push on the keyfob or a button on the driver’s door.
The whole interior feels very upmarket and even without the optional Executive Pack (GBP2,125 for special leather and velour floor mats), you get high quality carpeting, perfectly grippy seats and comfy-soft head restraints. Each is embossed with the Trident symbol and this also features on the steering wheel, brake pedal, tacho, speedo, and the ‘Maserati Touch Control’ screen (it’s the same system as in several Jeeps) when it comes to life. The word Ghibli is picked out in silver letters below the infotainment screen and MASERATI is on the sill plates, while outside, the trident is on the C pillars. At the front, the badge sits on the soft-plastic nose cone with a big trident symbol below it and this is what anyone in the overtaking lane will see just before they skedaddle out of your way. Ciao.
Spend a lot of time in the fast lane, and you might be surprised at how low you can make the instant consumption read-out fall. Playing around I made it dip to just over 9mpg for a second or two but of course, back off at 70mph+ and you’ll soar into the 90s. It really does take some getting to, this idea of a Maserati that’s cheap to run.
As well as the tingly noise from the four exhausts in SPORT mode, the best thing about the Ghibli is how it handles. Floor it even when there’s a lot of damp leaves on the road and for just half a second, the back end begins to slide gloriously. The ESP catches it in the blink of an eye, however, and magically straightens you up – never does it feel dangerous but I love that Maserati has clearly allowed that to be programmed in for keen drivers. On a Mercedes-Benz, the warning light would be flicking dementedly but not on this car. Which more or less sums it up. Yes, it’s a diesel, but if you can’t justify the turbo petrol V6, then there is absolutely no feeling of having settled for second best. As 600Nm of torque attests. As in 50 more than the 410PS petrol and 100 more than the 330PS engine.
Britain continues to be one of Maserati’s best two markets in Europe, the other being Germany. The brand’s UK sales are up by 285% for the year to end of September with 921 registrations versus 239 as at 30 September 2013. Last month saw 158 64-plate cars delivered. We can safely assume that the magic 1,000 vehicles threshold was crossed in October. Maserati is also overflowing with black ink, FCA having just announced a 90 million euro operating profit for the third quarter, and 210 million euro for the year to date. Global sales are also doing well: the total more than tripled to 26,428 units compared to just 7,548 cars sold during the first nine months of 2013.
Clearly, the Ghibli is bringing a whole new group of people into Maserati showrooms, and this is echoed by the observations of Mike Biscoe, the Sales & Marketing boss.
“Of course Ghibli is attracting younger customers but we would look at this in psychographic terms – attitudes and aspirations – rather than demographic terms. We are attracting a similar type of person: a successful individual, driven, ambitious and looking for something distinctive,” he notes.
A footnote: if you somehow missed Strike, the Ghibli superbowl ad earlier this year, here it is again. Do turn your speakers up for the final few seconds.
