The Maserati Ghibli name stretches all the way back to 1967, when the Italian brand launched a pretty grand tourer to rival the likes of Ferrari and Aston Martin. The nameplate has been used on several models since but from 2013, Ghibli has referred to an executive sports saloon pitched directly at cars like the BMW 5-Series.
In purely objective terms the Ghibli didn’t quite hit the mark, but it’s a stylish and likeable car nevertheless, instantly making any journey a little more glamorous than it would be in one of the German equivalents. A spot of depreciation has hardly harmed its appeal, either.
The Audi A6, BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class are the Ghibli’s more mainstream rivals, while the Jaguar XF and both the older Lexus GS and newer ES also compete in this class. If you appreciate companies doing something a little different, there’s always the Tesla Model S, too.
You might choose a Maserati Ghibli for the same reasons you’d opt for the Alfa Romeo Giulia over cars like the BMW 3-Series or Audi A4. Not because it’s Italian - though that will surely be a factor for some enthusiast buyers - but because you’re tired of the ‘usual’ offerings in the executive class, and want something a little more unusual and glamorous.
The Ghibli is a car you’ll buy with your heart as much as your head. It has to be, because purely rationally it doesn’t have the abilities of some of its (mainly German) rivals, their breadth of variants and engines, their practicality, a large dealer network, and many of the other things a pragmatic buyer might seek.
It looks like nothing else in its class though, not unlike a scaled-down version of the larger Quattroporte, and while the interior doesn’t have the high-tech flash of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class or Audi A6, neither of those cars make you feel like you’re in something exotic. You can’t get silk seat inserts in a 5-Series…
The Ghibli handles well but this is a heavy car and it doesn’t hide that weight quite as well as a 5-Series or Jaguar XF does, while its ride quality is best described as ‘sporty’ - not uncomfortable, but not completely cosseting either. There’s more engine noise than some rivals too, though maybe you expect that in a Maserati. And economy is only average even in the diesel and hybrid, but if that were a real priority, you’d probably be looking at an Audi, or a Tesla Model S.
Put simply, the Ghibli falls down in quite a few areas compared to more conventional alternatives, but if you’re on this page you may be willing to overlook all that and choose it anyway over the equivalent Audi, BMW or Mercedes, and even other left-field choices like the Jaguar XF, or Lexus GS and ES. You’ll certainly be making the roads a more stylish place.
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On the used market the world is your oyster when it comes to Maserati Ghibli trim levels. While we recommended the unbadged entry level model as a new purchase, we’d not steer you away from a Granlusso or Gransport at the right price, each getting its own unique items of equipment (such as rather lovely leather and silk seats in the Granlusso, or adaptive dampers in the Gransport).
Engine choice will be a more personal thing. There’s little wrong with the diesel, but unless you’re buying a Ghibli to hack up and down motorways then we’d assume you might be making a more emotive purchase, so the petrol versions - especially the V8 Trofeo, if it’s in budget - will feel more special. We’re not sure the same can be said of the Hybrid, but it does offer reasonable performance.
Maserati Ghibli V6: The Ghibli’s V6 petrol engine is a 3-litre twin-turbocharged unit which was offered with a range of power outputs. In 350PS form it gets from 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and achieves up to 24.9mpg combined.
Maserati Ghibli V6 Diesel: Economy of up to 35.7mpg made the 3-litre V6 turbodiesel a popular option in the Ghibli. Later models developed 275PS and could cover the 0-62mph run in 6.3 seconds.
Maserati Ghibli V8: The Ghibli Trofeo used a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8, making 580PS and ticking off the 0-62mph run in 4.3 seconds. Combined economy was quoted at 22.6mpg.
Maserati Ghibli Hybrid: The only engine still available new in the Ghibli is a 2-litre four-cylinder petrol with 48-volt mild hybrid assistance. It makes 330PS and has a 5.7-second 0-62mph time, but it only delivers 33.2mpg combined, not quite matching the older diesel.
The Maserati Ghibli trim levels can be split between the entry level variant (though that term does disservice to both the badge and its level of equipment), plus luxury, sport, and high-performance versions. There have also been occasional special edition models and other variants but the range below covers the basics.
The Maserati Ghibli was where the Ghibli range started, with 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic bi-xenon headlights, cruise control, chrome exterior trim elements, leather upholstery, 6-way electric adjustment for the driver’s seat, an 8.4-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (in later models at least), dual-zone climate control, and keyless go.
The Maserati Ghibli Granlusso upgraded to 19-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED matrix headlights, front and rear parking sensors, soft-close doors, premium leather upholstery with silk inserts, 12-way power adjustable comfort seats, power adjustment for the steering wheel, and heated front seats.
The Maserati Ghibli Gransport moved up to 20-inch alloys, and got red brake calipers, ‘Skyhook’ electronically controlled suspension, a sports bumper design, extra leather trim in the cabin, 12-way power sports seats, and a sports steering wheel and pedals.
The Maserati Ghibli Trofeo is mostly defined by its V8 engine while styling features are similar to those of the Gransport both inside and out, and Skyhook adaptive dampers join even larger 21-inch alloy wheels.
The Maserati Ghibli’s dimensions are:
Length: 4971mm
Width: 1945mm (excluding mirrors), 2128mm (including mirrors)
Height: 1461mm
The Maserati Ghibli’s boot size is:
500 litres
Taxing a Maserati Ghibli will depend whether the car you’re looking at was registered before or after April 2017. Before this date, VED or ‘road tax’ was CO2 based for both new and used cars, making the low-CO2 diesels comfortably the cheapest to tax - at 184g/km, the current annual bill is £320. This goes up to £675 for the 243g/km petrol.
Post April 2017, VED is charged at a flat rate, and any Ghibli with an original list price of more than £40,000 will cost £570 per year, hybrid aside which goes down to £560.
Don’t expect cheap insurance if you buy a Maserati Ghibli. While there will clearly be some variation between an entry-level diesel and the supercar-spec Trofeo, all Ghiblis can be found in the maximum group 50. This is closer to what you’d expect from a Porsche Panamera than a BMW 5-Series.
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36000