Business Car Manager Verdict
In case you didn’t know, Maserati is hell bent on becoming a small but still ‘volume’ manufacturer (targeting 75k units by 2018, including an SUV), rather than a blue blooded GT counterpart to Ferrari with just a few thousand cars a year.
In the rush to make it happen, this diesel Ghibli turns up out of the blue.
Ask Maserati whether it is a competitor to the BMW 5 Series, and they will spurn the comparison, insisting it’s a Maserati.
They are wise to eshew the comparison, because the Ghibli diesel is inferior in almost every regard to the BMW 535d, which is faster, has lower emissions, better dynamics and a much, much better interior and technology, yet costs the same.
A similar comparison can be extended to the equivalent Mercedes CLS and Jaguar XF.
Perhaps the worst characteristic of the Ghibli is that other than looks, it ceases to offer what until now has been a birthright of Maser ownership: aural drama from a charismatic engine.
The engine has been worked on by V.M. Motori but it is essentially the same unit found in the Chrysler Jeep, and it shows. For all that, the car is very rapid and will devour motorways as any other large diesel, albeit not quite as quickly as its German opponents.
On twisty open and empty roads, if you are lucky enough to encounter any, the car reveals various flaws including a slightly nervous gearbox and a bulk that makes it feel larger than its actual dimensions.
Power delivery is not linear as in a 5 Series but comes ‘on’ above 2000rpm, a bit like older turbo-charged diesels, although we reckon this is a quirk rather than a flaw.
All that aside, Maserati UK is only hoping to sell 1500 Ghiblis this year, ensuring that it will remain a special sight.
Despite all the flaws this remains a tantalising proposition if only because of the Ghibli looks and bragging rights. After a few glasses of Prosecco, who wouldn’t want a Maser instead of another German suit?
Sober up, though, and this is a hard car to recommend, particularly considering how ‘normal’ Maserati accoutrements such as fine grain leather upholstery are options. Buy them and you quickly load the price up towards £60k, at which point you have migrated over into a whole new segment of fiercely competitive alternatives.
Read more about Maserati’s business car ambitions.
