2014 Maserati Ghibli First Drive

Edmunds.com

2014 Maserati Ghibli First Drive

Edmunds' First Drive of the 2014 Maserati Ghibli. Includes driving impressions, specifications and photos of the all-new midsize luxury sport sedan.

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agentorange

The styling looks good in some colours and not so clever in others. That character line running from the vents along the doors and droops just before the rear door handle is not working for me. The front end seems OK in some pictures and not in others. Angle? Model? Colour? Different camera lens? Dunno. The interior has a touch of the blahs compared to the last Quattroporte. This car looks oddly generic whereas the old one was like stepping into the library of an Italian stately home. I'm not into the small, squinty looking headlights that are becoming the new fad. They give too many cars the face of a weird genetic experiment about to win a dog show. It's a shame because the car looks so nearly there. I guess I just love the old Quattroporte styling too much. ;-(

zoomzoomn

If there's a flaw, it might be in the steering, but it's also that this car is so non-descript in it's appearance that it will not hold you in awe if it were to pass by you. This is one un-inspiring Masser to look at!

d550

A handsome design vs. the German squares, but still too conservative and noticably clumsy from certain angles- if any marque should be doing a "4 door coupe" style sedan, certainly Maserati is one of them.

The various renderings of the Ghibli were quite a bit more stylish:

http://put.edidomus.it/auto/mondoauto/attualita/foto/406538_8160_xl_2013-Maserati-Ghibli-11.jpg

http://i.auto-bild.de/ir_img/1/0/5/7/8/7/1/Maserati-Ghibli-729x486-4252752b204f9312.jpg

This production design is nice, but Callum's Jaguar XF remains far and away the style leader of the class.

d550

A handsome design vs. the German squares, but still too conservative and noticably clumsy from certain angles- if any marque should be doing a "4 door coupe" style sedan, certainly Maserati is one of them. The various renderings of the Ghibli were quite a bit more stylish:
http://put.edidomus.it/auto/mondoauto/attualita/foto/406538_8160_xl_2013-Maserati-Ghibli-11.jpg

http://i.auto-bild.de/ir_img/1/0/5/7/8/7/1/Maserati-Ghibli-729x486-4252752b204f9312.jpg

This production design is nice, but Callum's Jaguar XF remains far and away the style leader of the class.

duck87

Looks aside, I think the main thing Maserati was trying to focus on (other than downsizing while maintaining the "sports sedan" focus) is longevity of the interior materials. Seriously, if you've ever seen a 5-10 year old Maserati, you'd understand that these things don't age well- the interior might be beautiful at first, but that's only true only parts literally start falling off. If Maserati improves on that while maintaining fit and finish, I think a lot of owners can deal with slightly more "conservative" designs and a downrent appearance on their entry-level model.

aaronleong

The front 3/4 view looks like Scion FR-S, and I don't mean that as a compliment for a $65k car.

huisj

The back looks like a new Kia Forte.

cjasis

I'm glad I'm not the only one that isn't swooning over this cars looks. Couple that with expected worse than average reliability and horrendous depreciation and I'd pass.

bsegalis

Looking and it and the Quattroporte, I can tell you guys what's bothering you about the styling. There are rules about proportions that are pleasing to the human eye. The designers here appear to have violated those rules, meaning that, for example, the wheelbase looks too long for the car's size, and the wheel arch size also seems out of proportion. It's hard to judge the car's styling when you can't comprehend it visually as a single piece. It just doesn't work.

cbrandi_

Guess we have to see it in the flesh before casting final judgement. The photos don't have that "wow" factor. It's certainly no Jaguar XF, a truly beautiful car. It looks not unlike the generic German cars it will compete with. Could this be intentional, trying to appeal to the uber-suburbia crowd? I will take a spin just to tryout the Ferrari engine. Could be a real drivers sedan? Hope so.

gofortheneck

From a distance, looks like a Buick.

gofortheneck

From a distance, looks like a Buick.

ecomora

I'm 63 years old now, and I finally can afford the Ghibli S Q4.
Will I buy or lease one? Maybe after a couple years, while they
get the car up to full standards in a number of facets. You see,
I'm a Maserati aficionado since I was a little boy back in Brooklyn.
It seems that the trident always hinted at a different lineage of automobile, sleek, different, usually fast. especially its racing models... although there were faster cars always around. The first Ghibli won my heart at first sight, and then Maserati fell into the same hole that auto manufacturers were all in when the squarish 1980's biturbo came into being. Now I will go through the automobile with a fine tooth comb. I do not want Chrysler parts bin items in an $80,000 vehicle. I like properly-weighted steering and a sumptuous interior with nicely laid out gauges and fine to the touch switchgear... Are you listening out there in Maser land. So, from what I have been reading and exposed to know is a half-baked cream puff of a car. Get it fully right and you may see 25,00 to 30,000 on the road... but I think, under all circumstances now, 50,000 units may be an optimistic number. I'll just bide my time, read the reviews, take a couple test drives and, somewhere down the line, decide whether I want to fulfill my dream of owning the Ghibli, or taking a pass for some other affordable exotic, which I just know is in the making right now by other manufacturers. Build it right and they/I will come. Keep it the same and possibly suffer the consequences. It's Maserati's choice.

cbrandi_

Just returned from the Maserati Dealer, the car has presence, but from the rear its fails to make a statement, looking like any other car. Not unlike BMW. Other prestige brands do a better job of advertising their presence for all angles, think MB or Audi. Audi's may be ugly but you know its an Audi. The Ghibli is large, inside and outside. The trunk is huge. The interior is a disappointment, very plan unless you opt for the extended leather package. Color choices are mostly boring, not unlike German sedans, blacks and grays. The Blue Passione color is gorgeous and it looks good in white. Dark colors make it look drab. Owing to the snow and ice around I opted to postpone my test drive.