DRIVEN + VIDEO: Does The PASSION And SOUL Of The Maserati Ghibli Make Up For Its Shortcomings?

One of the bigger markets to attack in the luxury space is the mid size sedan category. Though everyone is head over heels for luxury sport-utility vehicles, a lot of buyers are happy with a four-door sedan.

For years companies like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have ruled the space. Sure, Audi has brought forward an excellent car in the A6 and the Porsche Panamera is super expensive but there seems to be one thing lacking in this segment — pizzazz.

Well, that's what Maserati came here to fix.

With the introduction of the Ghibli, it is not only a product that Maserati hopes brings sales over that 50,000 mark, it also introduces buyers of sleepy, German sedans a bit of a change of pace. It's like putting a chili pepper next to a slew of bananas.

That said, there are sacrifices. The question is: does the PASSION and SOUL of the Ghibli make up for its shortcomings?

Check out the review below and let us know what you think. Would YOU consider one?

t_bone - 4/6/2014 8:51:54 PM

+2 Boost

Lack of steering feel is the one, unforgivable sin - if it is really as bad as stated here.

MattDarringer - 4/7/2014 8:57:47 AM

0 Boost

My father-in-law has a Ghibli (and handed down his Qporte to me). The Ghibli drives like what it really is: a Chrysler 300, with a new front suspension, and an Italian engine. Fiat updated the 300 platform with a different front suspension but that's about it and this "all new" platform underpins the Ghibli and is coming soon to the 300/Charger/Challenger?/Barracuda?/Alfa Romeo? variants. The new Qporte also borrows heavily from this German goes American goes Italian mongrel platform.

The Ghibli drives quite nicely, but I'd take a 300 SRT8 Varvatos, CTS or a BMW 5 over it. The Ghibli is also $20K overpriced relative to the competition which is impediment #1 to the sales goal. Impediment #2 is that Maserati has no dealers to speak of. Maserati should be retailed through Chrysler dealers in markets where a stand-alone Maserati dealer makes no sense (that would be everywhere).

dennybenny - 4/7/2014 7:51:13 PM

+1 Boost

Matt darringer

You never drove a maserati ghibli and your father in law never had a maserati ghibli

I am a mechanic for exotic cars, i used to own maserati, de Tomaso, and i drove Ferrari Lamborghini and many other exotic cars
I also owned 4 bmw, 3 Mercedes, and let me tell you, german cars are the worst piece of junk ever. In fact the are full of technical problems and after 90000miles and without warranty german cars are ready to trash.
Bmw is made in Mexico that's the German engineering
Audi use a volkswagen engine.
Your comment is only the prove that german Americans like you are scare about Italian cars since everyone know that Italian make the best sports cars in the world. The maserati ghibli is a car made in Italy by italians and they are using Italian parts.
The maserati engine is made by a division of Ferrari. It was very funny read your comment full of lies

Mongrel greasy german americans are only envy of Italian cars. Who will ever buy a cheap bmw or Mercedes when you can have a maserati
And do you know that german cars use italian leather for their interior? Frau id an Italian company that make the interiors of almost every luxury cars
German Americans are good for hamburgers not cars. germany was part of the roman empire
check on yahoo "Archaeologists Discover Roman Battlefield in Northern Germany"
Check also on yahoo "racial reality white americans geocities"

CarCrazedinCali - 4/8/2014 7:12:29 PM

+1 Boost

denny, were you drunk when you posted that? do you even know Matt in real life? You just discredited everything you will post from here on out if you don't actually know him and you got quite a few other things wrong in your post that aren't even worth my time to point out.

Maserati's Ghibli when I saw and sat in it was very disappointing and without a cool exhaust note, it is beyond forgettable... that's my $.02, I don't think I will even bug my friend who is a sales manager for Maser and Fiat in town to drive his demo Ghibli

dennybenny - 4/7/2014 7:52:59 PM

-1 Boost

WHO WILL BUY ANYMORE GERMAN HAMBURGERS CARS SUCH BMW, MERCEDES AND AUDI

WHEN MASERATI AND ALFA ROMEO ARE AVAILABLE? LOL

Germans americans are good for hamburgers not cars. LOL

chewy - 4/7/2014 11:08:24 PM

+1 Boost

Saw one yesterday, I think. Pretty solid lines but not out of this world. Had a raspy exhaust at all revs, certainly more opened up than your regular 3.0 turbo but then again it is competing against the higher end A/E/5 lineup.

carloslassiter - 4/8/2014 7:02:38 AM

+2 Boost

I'm sorry, I'm not going to spend a lot of money for something called a "Ghibli".