Maserati Ghibli

The interior of the Ghibli isn’t as luxurious as their top-of-the-line sports cars, but it still has that premium Italian look and feel. The seats and the dashboard feature Italian leather-and-silk stitching, as well as a faux-suede headliner and a wood-rimmed steering wheel. Some of the design traits were also taken from the Fiat-Chrysler portfolio, such as similar window switches with the Jeep Cherokee and the steering-column stalks from Chrysler Town & Country. Cargo space in the Ghibli is pretty generous with significantly more trunk space compared to the Mercedes Benz E Class. However, the BMW 5-Series does beat it in this respect, having just a little bit more space to offer. A 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system sits in the center of the dashboard and operates on Google’s Android Automotive interface. While it does have an eight-speaker audio system as standard, Maserati is also offering two premium speaker upgrades with a choice between a 10-speaker Harman/Kardon system or a 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system. The most notable new feature in the Ghibli is its advanced wireless charging pad.

The Maserati Ghibli is a four-door mid-size sedan. While it’s characterized by its clean, sloping lines reminiscent of their coupe models, it also has aggressive features that are a trademark of the Maserati brand. On the front fascia is the radiator grille with the Maserati trident. This grille is inspired by the legendary Maserati A6 Berlinetta from the 1950s. It also includes triple side air vents, as well as rear twin tailpipes on the rear. The rear shape itself is very muscular, adding to the vehicle’s sporty look. Maserati is also offering optional Bianco Alpi and Blu Nobile tri-color paint finishes, as well as their Nerissimo Package for more black exterior elements.

The Ghibli can feel very stiff and taut on the road, especially in varying environments. Driving in the rain can make driving the Ghibli feel a little stiffly suspended at the rear, particularly when maneuvering. If you had high expectations for this one considering its Maserati badge, it might still not be the most ideal vehicle for habitual everyday driving. But the Ghibli does prove to be excellent when it comes to corners, managing to be incredibly stable even at high speeds. Its dampers do, however, often fail to keep this heavy vehicle balanced during quick direction changes. The steering grip can also lag a bit, making it hard to correct maneuvers mid-corner.

There are three variants available: the base Ghibli trim, the Ghibli S, and the Ghibli SQ4. The Ghibli is powered by a base twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine with rear-wheel-drive which generates 345 hp and 500 Nm of torque. The S Performance is capable of generating 424 hp while the SQ4 has an all-wheel drive. Maserati is also offering an upgrade to a 580 hp twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 engine. All are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Ghibli is outfitted with standard safety features such as a driver’s airbag, a front passenger airbag, side and curtain airbags, knee airbags, an anti-lock brake system with electronic brake-force distribution, and ISOFIX. It also has advanced safety features such as stability control, automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous driving mode.

The Maserati Ghibli is a beautiful sports car with the classic Italian style that the car brand is famous for. Besides its eye-catching design, the premium features and materials used allow the vehicle to live up to its namesake. However, while the Ghibli might make an excellent luxury sports car, it’s not the best everyday city sedan compared to the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes Benz E-Class. It could still use some improvement in ride handling should Maserati continue to compete in the mid-size SUV segment. The price for the Maserati Ghibli starts at P4.34 million.