There are few car manufacturers that successfully combine the three most appealing things about any given car: performance, luxury, and style. Car companies that are able to check off all of those boxes are typically more expensive brands with expensive cars, and one of those companies is definitely Maserati. They Italian company has been producing some quality cars and are favorites among owners who want an alternative to a “really expensive German sedan” and there entry level Ghibli is a really attractive car.
Maserati first got started by the Maserati brothers who were all involved with motor vehicles in some way back in 1914. They originally started making race cars however they have since moved to producing luxury sport vehicles. They currently have four different models in their lineup and within those, various versions. Maserati produces a pretty limited number of vehicles each year and in 2014 they sold a record of over 3,000. Due to higher demand the company is upping its production of their cars as we speak. While Maserati is a respected company, you still do not see that many of them on the roads. You might say “well yeah, they are really expensive”, however their entry level vehicles start around $60,000. While that is not considered cheap, it certainly is not in the $200,000 plus supercar range, and you see plenty of Audi, BMW’s, and Mercedes on the road that cost more than that. Even certain Camaro’s cost more than a Maserati, and if I had the choice I would not pick the muscle car (that is currently being recalled). At the low end of their models is the Ghibli, and while it is one of their least expensive vehicles, it is still pretty great.
The first thing that you will notice with the Ghibli is its attractive body. Italians are exceptional at design in nearly all fields, and this notion holds true with this vehicle. The nose of the car is somehow perfectly balanced between being aggressive and sporty, while maintaining a luxury and classy feel. It is simple: this car is great looking. But not just on the outside, Maserati has done a great job with the interior ensuring the car feels premium and luxurious. Maserati allows customers to chose the interior colors, and all off their combinations are very attractive. Its modern and fresh, not to complex however not to minimalistic; its a perfect balance of the two.
The car is also packed with some decent specs, albeit not the best, however this certainly is not some glorified Lexus (sorry Lexus owners). The car has a twin-turbo charged aluminum intercooled 3.0 litre V6 engine providing the car with around 330 horses and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Buyers also have the option of choosing between more performance oriented Ghiblis, however they are obviously more expensive. While this is no Porsche, for a four-door sedan, it is not too bad. The engine allows the car to accelerate from 0-62 miles per hour in about 5.6 seconds and a top-speed of 160 miles per hour. I do feel that this could be a little better, however that is what you get with the entry level Maserati. But let’s be realistic, this is not a car that an 18 year old will street race. It’s a luxury sport sedan made for sophistication. When are you ever going to drive 160 miles per hour? Probably never.
Critics of the vehicle found that the technology within the car: the touch screen, the navigation, etc. to be a little dated as they often had glitches or performed their tasks slowly. But I suppose one would expect that Maserati did not go all out on their “budget” vehicle. Regardless of the quicks and not the best performance of all time, the Ghibli is still a very nice vehicle. Todays roads are oversaturated with BMW’s, Audi’s, and Mercedes and Maseratis are certainly competitive to some of the more expensive vehicles that those German manufactures make. It’s strange, in my experience most people who are not super into cars will look right through $120,000 dollar Mercedes S-class vehicles, however you will get a thumbs up from people in your $60,000 dollar Maserati. I think a lot of that has to do with how seemingly rare these vehicles are on the road. People associate Maserati with expensive luxury vehicles, as they do with their German counterparts as well, however these seem to more exciting to the common car driver. While the Ghibli certainly is not the best vehicle that Maserati makes, it is certainly a great alternative for those looking for a car in the $60,000 to $70,000 dollar price range who want to deviate a little from all the luxury cars you see on the road in that price range.
Photos from maserati.com
