Maserati Ghibli review

Think Maserati Ghibli and memories of a coupe and GT car come to mind, not an executive saloon. Still, Maserati claims this Ghibli saloon has what it takes to rival the best at the sporty end of the executive car class and, sure enough, it proves able when driven quickly. The Ghibli feels sufficiently sporty to justify its three-pronged badge – even with a diesel option under the bonnet.

The Ghibli isn’t as well built as the established, mostly German, opposition and the ride is on the firm side too.

This Maserati certainly looks the part, however, making the opposition appear rather ordinary by comparison.

Although shorter than the Quattroporte, the Ghibli shares its double-wishbone front and five-link rear suspension set-up, plus it’s available optionally with Maserati’s Skyhook adaptive damping. New electronic steering was added as part of the 2017 facelift, along with a subtle facelift, improved safety tech and the introduction of two new trim levels.

Prices start from £50,000 and there are three versions to choose from: the standard Ghibli, Ghibli S and Ghibli Diesel. In addition, buyers can upgrade their Ghibli via GranLusso and GranSport trim levels. The prices are identical, but each one others a distinct flavour, one focused on luxury, the other on sport.

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With the Ghibli, the iconic Italian supercar manufacturer now has a challenger in the big-selling executive car class. The car’s arrival also saw a diesel engine offered in a Maserati for the first time.

Maserati badge or not, the Ghibli rivals the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes E-Class, looking sharp and interesting in comparison. The heritage that comes with the Maserati badge means it should deliver on the road too, although fans will remember the Ghibli as both the glamorous Giugiaro-designed and V8-powered GT car launched in 1966 and the boxy mid-1990s four-seat coupe styled by Gandini - rather than a saloon available with a diesel engine!

All the talk has been about the 271bhp 3.0-litre diesel, but there’s also the choice of two 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engines, with up to 424bhp. In fact, that 424bhp version has been developed by Ferrari while an eight-speed automatic gearbox is standard across the range.

The newer BMW 530d M-Sport costs almost £3,000 less when compared to the 3.0-litre V6 diesel Ghibli and is a keener drive with state of the art technology. So the Italian company will be hoping that the Maserati image and exotic styling will still pull at the heartstrings of buyers. They certainly won’t want for equipment, with leather seats, auto climate control, xenon headlamps, parking camera and touchscreen sat-nav, all included as standard.