Maserati Ghibli (2013 – 2023) Review

The Maserati Ghibli is very glamorous in its looks and image, and that alone gives it some appeal. The desirable badge does no harm on that score, either, and neither does the fact that the Ghibli is a much rarer sight than its rather ubiquitous rivals, rivals that include the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Jaguar XF. If that sounds tempting, do bear in mind that it's a pricey option compared with the rivals mentioned, and what’s more, it trails behind most of them in several key areas. But, it’s an interesting and appealing car nonetheless.

Traditionally, Maserati has been a brand associated with style, glamour and exclusivity. With the Ghibli, however, the Italian manufacturer looked to change things up a bit. A more affordable offering to rival executive saloons like the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class, this car represented the beginnings of Maserati’s attempt to become less of a niche player, and more of a mainstream name.

There was already plenty of heritage behind the Ghibli name, too. It dates back to the 1960s, although back then, the Ghibli was a grand tourer designed to compete with cars like the Ferrari Daytona, rather than an executive saloon.

To keep Maserati purists happy, two Ferrari-built 3.0-litre V6 petrol engines with eight-speed automatic gearboxes were offered.

However, success in the executive saloon market hinges on the availability of a diesel, meaning that the Ghibli was the first ever Maserati model that could be fuelled from the black pump. The engine was the same 3.0-litre V6 unit used in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but unfortunately, from the noise it made, you’d think it came from an old Routemaster bus.

To be honest, the Ghibli wasn’t ideal in other areas, either. The ride was firm and lumpy, the handling was only so-so and the steering was vague.

Inside, meanwhile, there wasn’t that much luxury or safety equipment, or that much space, the infotainment system on early cars was a mess and the quality of the materials and assembly wasn’t quite good enough. It’s not a bad car by any means, but remember, these are all areas in which the Ghibli’s German rivals really excel, so the differences are brought into even starker contrast.

That said, the car isn’t completely without appeal. It looks good for starters, with a long bonnet and short rear-end, and aggressive, angular features similar to those seen on the Quattroporte luxury car.

The Ghibli is less impressive than many of its excellent executive saloon rivals when it comes to handling and comfort. Regardless of whether you select a sporty driving mode or a more relaxed one, the car shimmies and shudders over bumps and ruts that wouldn’t simply wouldn’t phase a BMW 5 Series or Jaguar XF, and that’s the case whether you’re plodding through town or blatting up a major A road.

The unsettled ride would be more forgivable if the firmness in the suspension turned the Ghibli into some sort of thoroughbred in the corners, so how does it do on that score? Well, it’s better, feeling assured and stable in a set of twists and turns.

However, weighing the thick end of two tonnes, you can feel the car’s considerable mass shifting about as you change direction, and the steering feels rather numb, so it’s not a match for the best executive saloons here, either.

The Ghibli does redeem itself somewhat on the motorway, with the jittery ride quality settling down on smooth road surfaces. That means the Ghibli is pretty good for long motorway runs, with a firm but comfortable ride quality. 

Entry-level models are usually powered by a diesel engine, which is not as quick as you’d expect a Maserati to feel, and that’s the case whether you're getting away from a standing start, or picking up speed on the move. Diesel models are noisy, too, with lots of clatter at start up and under heavy acceleration - a reflection of the fact the diesel has been lifted from cheaper Fiat Group vehicles. 

The diesel engine was axed from the Ghibli line-up in 2021 and replaced with a petrol hybrid powertrain. The Ghibli Hybrid is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, linked to a small battery, a belt starter and an eBooster unit that gives the powertrain a zap of performance at low-revs. This means you get similar power to the V6 petrol, with 330PS, while fuel economy is roughly the same as the old V6 diesel. 

The other choices are all petrol-powered, and these feel much better suited to a sports saloon. The V6 has 350PS, while the S version uses the same engine, but with the wick turned up to 430PS. We haven’t tried the S, but even the lesser engine makes the car feel properly quick, with plentiful pull right throughout the rev range.

All cars come with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and it’s pretty good, swapping gears smoothly and briskly. It reacts swiftly when you use the manual override, too. However, only the GranSport version gets paddle shifters on the steering wheel as standard. Using the manual override on the other versions involves mucking about with the gear selector.

The Ghibli scored the full five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests when it was assessed way back in 2013, but we’re sure it wouldn’t score the same rating if it were tested now.

The standards, requirements and thresholds for these tests get tougher year on year, and there are one or two things missing from the Ghibli’s roster of safety kit that you’d think would prevent it getting a perfect score under the latest standards.

The biggest omission by far is automatic emergency braking - which wasn't standard fitment until 2021. Early models can have it if an option pack is fitted that also includes active cruise control, lane-keep assist and blind spot monitoring, but you don’t get it as standard. On a car that costs this much, that’s borderline scandalous. Seven airbags, stability control and tyre pressure monitoring are included, but there’s a tyre repair kit rather than a spare wheel.

Those in the front will have no worries, with head-, leg- and shoulder room to spare. However, those in the back aren’t nearly so well looked after.

Legroom is tight compared with rivals, and if those up front are six foot or more, a similarly sized rear passenger will find their knees digging into the back of the chairs ahead. Headroom is fine, but the high window line makes sitting in the back quite a claustrophobic experience, and there’s not much natural light there, either.

A comparatively narrow cabin makes seating three across the rear bench something of a squeeze, too, and because there’s a big hump running down the middle of the floor (caused by the transmission tunnel) and a middle seat that’s harder and higher than those either side, whoever finds themselves in the centre seat will not be in for a comfy time. The Ghibli is more competitive with its rivals on boot space, but it’s still slightly behind, and the space isn’t as easy to get at, with an opening that’s narrower and shallower.

The Ghibli’s interior has many choices of colour scheme, and the more lurid and dramatic of these certainly give a more flamboyant feel than the conservatively designed cabins of rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Unfortunately, though, the Ghibli simply can’t match the rest for sheer quality.

The quality of the other materials on show varies as you look around the cabin, where in rivals, everything is of a uniformly high standard. What’s more, the standard of the Maserati’s assembly doesn’t feel as dense or as substantial as the German cars’, either.

Buy an early Ghibli, and the infotainment system is poor. Trawling your way through the various menus was too difficult, the touchscreen functionality had hit-and-miss responses and was overly distracting, while the graphics also looked dated.

However, the overhauled system brought in with the 2017 facelift improved things considerably. The graphics were smartened up, the menus became more logical, the screen became more responsive and - perhaps most importantly - a BMW-style rotary dial controller was added so that you didn’t have to bother jabbing at the touchscreen at all. Much more like it. The later system has all the functionality you’d expect, too, with navigation, DAB radio, Bluetooth and Apple Carplay/Android Auto.

As part of its 2021 update, the Ghibli was given a smart and frameless 10-inch touchscreen system. This is arguably the best infotainment system of any Maserati on sale. Not only is it easy to use, with a crisp widescreen display, but it also features wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto - this lets you pair your phone and its apps, like Spotify, without having to mess around with a cable.  

At the time of writing, a brand new Ghibli would’ve set you back somewhere between £53,000 for an entry-level diesel, and £65,000 for a petrol GranSport/GranLusso. Compare prices to those of equivalently powered high-end versions of the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XF and Mercedes E-Class, and the Maserati is the priciest car of the bunch, only a little bit more than the Merc, but considerably more than the rest.

Bear in mind, too, that Maserati doesn’t offer more humble variants of the Ghibli that are less powerful and more affordable, while all its rival cars do. The Maserati also sheds its value marginally quicker than the rest, but to be fair the difference isn’t big enough to make a huge difference in prices on used examples. 

Like buyers of most other cars, Maserati customers usually buy on finance, and it’s always worth checking the manufacturer’s website for any current deals and promotions that might be running.

For example, at the time of writing we saw the entry-level diesel model being offered for £690 per month on a four-year PCP deal following an initial customer deposit of around £8,500. That represents a deposit contribution of £5,000 from Maserati, and a £2,000 contribution from the retailer, which isn’t to be sniffed at.

Obviously, the diesel will be best for high-mileage drivers, but even its best WLTP figure of 35mpg is no great shakes, especially when compared with those of rivals. The petrols are said to get around 25mpg, meanwhile, but if you get anywhere near that in the real world, you’re not driving them like a Maserati should be driven.

No surprise, either, that all versions of the Ghibli lie in the most expensive group - group 50 - for insurance. However, if you can afford to buy a high-end car like the Ghibli, then forking out a few quid on insurance probably isn’t going to ruin you.

If you’re unlucky, repair bills might, though. Maserati is too small a manufacturer to figure in many reliability surveys, but where the brand does appear, it doesn’t exactly dazzle.

Look at the manufacturer standings of Warranty Direct’s Reliability Index, for instance, and you’ll find Maserati rooted firmly to the foot of the table, with a considerably worse score than its next-nearest rival. Frequent faults and astronomical repair bills are to blame.

Three trims are available, and the basic one provides most of what you need. That includes two-zone climate control, leather upholstery, cruise control, four powered windows, powered front seats, keyless entry and automatic lights and wipers.

That’s as well as the safety and infotainment gear mentioned earlier. Both the GranLusso and GranSport trims add soft-close doors, additional styling bits, a powered steering column and LED headlights with automatic high-beam assistance, but the GranLusso up the luxury with upgraded leather and heated front seats, while GranSport cars take a sporty approach, with the Skyhook suspension and paddleshifters for the automatic gearbox.