If you haven't noticed, we're pretty excited about the all-new Maserati Ghibli. That's for a couple of reasons.
1) There are two cars important to Maserati gaining sales traction, a.k.a. volume, the Ghibli and Levante.
2) It looks like the Ghibli will prove to be a tough competitor for the more conservative vehicles in the midsize luxury class. Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Infiniti, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz's, life just got much more difficult.
While we've posted plenty of photos and a couple of video clips showing it in action, we think it's time that you learn from the trident's Head of Design, Marco Tencone, what exactly makes it a special piece.
Maserati Ghibli, design story. Present by Marco Tencone. Head of Maserati design.19-20.06.13. Siena(Italy)
The 2014 Ghibli is likely to become the core model for Maserati once it goes on sale later this year. It's an important model for the Italian marque as it represents the first diesel car wearing the Maserati badge, a V6 3.0-liter turbo mill churning 275 HP (202 kW) and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm). Another engine option is the V6 3.0-liter twin-turbo gasoline churning 330 HP (243 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm).
The range-topping Ghibli S is fitted with the same gasoline power unit but in this form it unleashes 410 HP (301 kW) and 405 lb-ft (550 Nm), enough for a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in five seconds and a 177 mph (285 km/h) top speed. All these engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission developed by ZF.
European customers (excluding UK) will have the possibility of opting for the Q4 all-wheel drive system. Compared to its larger brother (Quattroporte), the 2014 Ghibli has a 20cm shorter wheelbase while length has been reduced by 29cm. As standard it gets 18-inch rims, but Maserati is offering various styles of alloys measuring up to 21 inches.