Maserati has updated its Ghibli model range with some cosmetic tweaks and new trim. Which engine variance should you pick?
What’s new?
Design Motorwork, the newly appointed Thai importer for Maserati, is now offering the entire engine range for the updated Ghibli.
The Italian executive saloon gets some cosmetic changes on the exterior, larger infotainment screen inside, new trim levels and one slightly more powerful petrol engine.
Kicking off the range is the Diesel which asks for 6.99 million baht in basic trim and 7.59 million baht in GranLusso spec.
Next up is the Ghibli with 350hp petrol-powered V6 going for 8.89 million baht in that luxurious GranLusso uniform.
On top of the lineup is the 430hp (tuned up from 410hp) S model priced at 9.99 million baht with the sporty GranSport makeover.
Initial impressions suggest that the Diesel, which we drove in pre-facelift form several years ago, should be the default choice given its lowest price point of the three.
Some might also be inclined to say the S is a little pointless, despite its 400hp-plus performance, given that it is priced perilously close to the Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid, which comes from a class above with a bigger body and similarly powered, semi-electric V6 with plug-in ability.
That said, should potential buyers of the Ghibli consider the 350hp petrol version over the Diesel, which costs 1.3 million baht less trim-on-trim? Time to find out.
What’s cool?
The Ghibli in its latest generation has always been a distinctive and good-looking car when lined up against theoretical rivals like the six-cylindered BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XF, Lexus GS and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. With a more aggressive-looking front grille, the Ghibli still looks the part.
While the new infotainment screen is easier to use than ever, everything else is basically the same. Which isn’t a bad thing because the seats are still good to sit, the cabin is luxuriously finished and the steering wheel nice to hold onto.
We found the diesel model to have a highly usable performance but too soulless for a car from Modena. This is where the petrol Ghibli makes up: equally tractable turbocharged V6 with a nice engine/exhaust note when the Sport mode is activated.
What’s not?
Despite managing to deliver some thrills on the move, the 350hp petrol head could have had a sharper throttle response and more revs to play with.
But it’s the chassis that is showing its age more than anything else, particularly when you take the German executive saloons into perspective. In the Ghibli, the ride is fidgety over road imperfections and the handling a little too cumbersome and anodyne.
Introducing the GranLusso and GranSport trim levels to the Ghibli is always a good thing because not everybody will like wood panels of the former, as seen on our test car here. Herein lies the problem: Thai punters can’t make a choice when going for a specific engine variance.
Buy or bye?
We’ll leave trim issues for you to decide. But when it comes to the engines, it’s pretty clear that petrol-power is for driving fans needing a combination of sexy looks and some aural thrills in the Italian manner.
Like before, the diesel version could answer the needs of those needing merely the package and brand image the Ghibli has to offer.
But in one way or another, the Ghibli overall feels a little too dated dynamically. Now in its sixth year, the Ghibli is for true fans who aren’t perturbed about the financial bits of it.
