The all-new Maserati Ghibli marks a turning point in Maserati's history. Unveiled at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show and arriving just months after the new Quattroporte, the Ghibli gives Maserati two four-door saloon models for the first time in its history.The Maserati Ghibli is smaller, shorter, lighter, more dynamic, less expensive and more economical than the flagship Quattroporte and provides a cornerstone in Maserati's plans to build 50,000 cars a year by 2015.
Maserati outfits its sexy sedan with one of four engine choices: a top-trim 404-hp, 3.0-liter bi-turbo V-6 in the Ghibli S rear-driver and all-wheel S Q4, a 326-hp tune of the same engine for the rear-drive-only base Ghibli. Europe gets a V-6 turbo diesel in one of two flavors; no V-8 engine will ever see duty in the Ghibli from the factory.
The interior is refreshingly simple, with few buttons on the center console and little complexity. You'll go hunting for the Chrysler family start button on the right side of the steering wheel the first time you climb in the car, and you'll note that most of the Ghibli's plastic switchgear is also Chrysler stuff. Still, that's offset by the beautiful natural wood trim on the Ghibli S.
The chassis of the Ghibli sedan is mostly steel, but the front clip is built around an aluminum casting with a reinforced cross-strut to save weight and add rigidity. Further weight savings are achieved with a cast magnesium dashboard frame and lightweight aluminum alloy skins on all four doors and the hood. Maserati says the standard Ghibli (3,950 pounds) has perfect 50/50 weight distribution. The slightly heavier all-wheel-drive Ghibli Q4 (4,125 pounds) is calculated at 51/49 percent.
