This is our most comprehensive photo look at the promising new Maserati Ghibli since the Italians blasted the covers off their BMW and Mercedes-rivaling sports sedan at the Shanghai Auto Show in China this past April.
More compact, lighter, nimbler, and let’s not forget, substantially less expensive than the more luxury-orientated, but also new Quattroporte, the Ghibli aims to give the Fiat and Chrysler Alliance a first foothold in the lucrative, but hugely competitive and diverse executive sedan segment.
There it will compete against the more potent versions of cars like BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Cadillac CTS, as well as the sportier-orientated and looking BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe and Audi A7 Sportback.
According to Maserati, “it shares much of its core architecture, including its crash safety, chassis, suspension architecture, engines and LED headlight technology, with the larger Quattroporte, though it is 50 kg lighter (110 pounds), 173 mm (6.8 inches) shorter in the wheel base and 291 mm (11.5 inches) shorter overall.”
Besides its semi-exotic label and elegant Italian styling, the Ghibli also has to offer an interesting, albeit limited for the standards of the category, engine lineup.
The launch range (depending on the region) consists of three turbocharged V6 powerplants, including two 3.0-liter petrols rated for 326 hp (330 PS) in the regular model and 404 hp (410 PS) in the “S” variant, and a fuel-efficient 272 hp 3.0-liter diesel that returns 6.0 L/100km (47 mpg UK/39 mpg US). The fastest model in the range is, of course, the S, with a 0-100 km/h time of 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 285 km/h (177mph). All models are offered exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission driving either the rear or all-four wheels.
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