Maserati Ghibli review

The Maserati Ghibli proves you can teach an old dog new tricks – its entry-level diesel engine has been replaced with a far greener hybrid one. Not that you'd call this powerful luxury saloon an old dog (although it does have a fine Italian pedigree).

Ditching diesel might seem brave considering that 80% of Ghibli buyers used to opt for one that supped from the black pump, but rivals including Porsche did the same a few years ago and you wouldn't describe them as struggling, would you?

Whether it will be successful for Maserati remains to be seen. It's fair to say that, despite being on sale since 2013, the Ghibli is still far from a common sight on the road, unlike the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class it's up against. That may be because the Ghibli is priced to compete with high-end versions of those cars.

Alongside the hybrid choice, there are some suitably potent petrol engines filling out the rest of the range. You can have the 345bhp and 424bhp 3.0-litre V6 engines found in the Modena and Modena S models, or – if you're a particularly well-heeled petrolhead – there's the twin-turbo 572bhp 3.8-litre V8 Trofeo.   

Maserati has made a number of other changes to the model, too. There's now a new infotainment system, extra safety kit and improved sound insulation to help keep it relevant in today’s fiercely competitive luxury car class.

So how does the Maserati Ghibli compare with the 5 Series, the E-Class and other rivals, and which version is best? This review will answer those questions and more, so read on for our full verdict.

When you do decide which car is right for you, make sure you get it for the best price by using the free What Car? New Car Buying service. It can help you save thousands of pounds on hundreds of makes and models without any haggling, and has some tempting Maserati Ghibli deals.

We expect most Ghibli buyers to look towards the model with a hybrid engine, called the GT. What Maserati means by hybrid is actually a mild-hybrid. The system offers a small boost to the engine when setting off from a stop, but can’t power the car on electricity alone, unlike plug-in hybrid versions of the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class.

Still, with 325bhp on tap, the part-electric supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine gets the rather hefty Ghibli up to speed in a swift fashion that will please most enthusiastic drivers.

It's worth noting, though, that the 5.7sec 0-62mph time is almost matched by the less powerful P300 Jaguar XF and isn’t that far ahead of the 530e 5 Series, let alone the 389bhp 545e. The 5 Series should sound a bit more fruity than the rather flat four-cylinder in the Ghibli, too. 

If you want your Ghibli to sound and go like a traditional performance saloon, you need one of the petrol V6 versions. Even the less powerful 345bhp one feels quick, helped by an automatic gearbox that responds sharply when you’re using the (optional) paddles.

What lets it down is refinement. It makes the right noises when you rev it, but transmits too much vibration through the floor of the car. Even the hybrid has some issues in this area, with a steady background boom coming from the exhaust at a constant cruise. That's not ideal for long trips.

The Ghibli has three driving modes – called ICE (Increased Control and Efficiency), Normal and Sport – but none of them really fits their billing.

Sport primes the gearbox, weights the steering and, on models with the optional Skyhook damping control, stiffens the dampers to the detriment of ride quality (the Ghibli occasionally skips sideways over ruts mid-bend).

Sadly, softening the dampers in Normal mode doesn't help the ride – the extra breathing space means the body shudders more. The wheels pick up on too many scars in the asphalt too, whereas the 5 Series with adaptive suspension and the XF both have better blends of ride comfort and handling agility.

On the plus side, the steering in the Ghibli is pleasantly precise with a reassuring amount of heft as you turn the wheel, although it could do with being quicker to respond to really fulfil the remit of being a sporty luxury car.

Again, the 5 Series and XF are better in that regard. They feel far more eager to change direction, and are more comfortable being pushed through bends.

The Maserati Ghibli now comes with a revised 10.1in touchscreen infotainment system that’s a marked improvement over the original one. It's relatively responsive and logically laid out, and the BMW iDrive-style rotary controller and shortcut buttons make the system quick to navigate on the move. You also get the latest smartphone integration, which is a huge bonus.

It's a shame, then, that the materials surrounding it are not so slick. Maserati prides itself on luxuriousness and exclusivity, but too many of the plastics in the Ghibli feel lightweight and rather cheap-feeling in standard GT guise. Pricer Modena and Trofeo versions get extended leather covering the dashboard and door cards that improves matters.

More positively, the driver gets a generous amount of electronic steering wheel and seat adjustment as standard, so most people will be able to find a comfortable driving position.

All Ghiblis are automatics, and the two pedals line up nicely with your right foot. The view forwards is good, but over-the-shoulder vision is less clear because of the car’s high rear end.

You get parking sensors and a rear-view camera as standard, and an upgraded 360-degree system is available with the Driver Assistance Pack Plus package.

Two tall adults travelling in the front of a Maserati Ghibli are well looked after. There’ll be no complaints about head, shoulder or leg room, and the generous cubby under the central armrest provides them with good storage. There are deep pockets in the front doors too, but you can't fit a bottle of water in each of them as you can in the BMW 5 Series.

The rear seats are a different story. Three adults will be a proper squeeze and even two sitting on the outside seats will find leg room tight if those in the front are six-footers.

The Ghibli’s swooping rear window-line means a more claustrophobic experience for adults in the back because it cuts away to the side of their heads. What’s more, the headrests for the outer seats don’t adjust, which is unusual in the luxury car class. In short, the 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class do a much better job of accommodating their rear passengers.

Those two rivals have better boots, too. The Ghibli’s is slightly smaller on paper and certainly can’t be accessed as easily – the opening is quite narrow and shallow. You get a couple of tie-down hooks, a 12v power outlet and a small bit of netting to the side to hold loose items in place, plus a slim underfloor storage area to hide a laptop in.

Luggage capacity can be increased by pulling a couple of leather straps on the outer edges of the rear seats and pulling them forwards, but the seatbacks don’t lie flat.

Most of Maserati's competitors, including Audi, BMW and Mercedes, offer a plug-in hybrid for similar or less money, making the Ghibli quite a pricey choice in comparison. However, the Ghibli is expected to hold on to its value against depreciation as well as all its competitors except the Mercedes E-Class.

Sadly, while the official 34.9mpg figure for the hybrid Ghibli is better than its petrol-only stablemates, it can’t get anywhere near the claimed figures of the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) alternatives, which can all provide a useful amount of electric-only driving to reduce running costs.

Not being able to run in an electric-only mode also means that emissions are higher for the Ghibli than for a PHEV. Company car buyers will be pay 37% benefit-in-kind (BIK) rate, while if you opt for any of its less expensive plug-in hybrid rivals, you'll be paying a fraction of that.

You can save some money on servicing because the first three are included with all hybrid and V6 models as part of Maserati’s Premium Service Plan.

While Maserati charges you a lot for the entry-level Ghibli, it’s not stingy with equipment. You get luxuries including leather upholstery, keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone-charging, xenon headlights, as well as important features such as sat-nav with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring and Bluetooth and USB connection.

Euro NCAP gave the Ghibli the maximum five-star rating, although it’s worth pointing out that it was tested in 2013 under a much less stringent regime. You can add a suite of safety tech, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assistance and blind-spot detection, as part of the Driver Assistance Pack.

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