Maserati Ghibli. 3rd generation, restyled in 2016
Maserati Ghibli is the Е-class sports car of the Italian brand Maserati, a property of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group. It’s produced since 1967 in coupe and sedan bodywork options, with RWD and 4WD. Since 2020, the third generation of this great sedan, restyled in 2016, has been available in the Israeli market. In 2021, the restyled version of 2020 model year is expected.
4-door 5-seat 2016/2017 sedan is 4971 mm long, 1945 wide, 1461 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2998 mm. The trunk volume is 500 L.
The third generation of Maserati Ghibli sedan uses the name of the cult favorite version from 1960s, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro when he was young. Ghibli is the name of a Mediterranean Scirocco wind in Lybia. In 2013, Maseratti Ghibli was represented by luxurious sports cars. This time, it’s a 4-door sedan. It was unveiled at the international Shanghai motor show.
Ghibli sedan is the one to compete with the so-called ‘German Big Three’ presented by Audi A6, BMW 5-series, and Mercedes E-class. The Italian looks more aggressive than all these and has a better dynamics, an essential feature of Maserati. Besides, Maserati Ghibli has a lower pricing than the flagship Quattroporte that casts above 100K Euros. Great appearance, driveability, and dynamics are recognised by experts all over the world.
Features
The Maserati Ghibli, updated in 2016, received minor exterior changes and two versions – Luxury and Sport. The company management is likely to show that Ghibli has both perfect design and the best equipment. That’s true because the model looks as stylish, modern, and elegant, as on the day it was first unveiled.
Exterior
The front interior shows aggressive style of headlights, embossed hood, large-scale grille with a trident in its center, and a complex front bumper with an embedded air duct. The GranLusso version has a one-section air duct, while GranSport has three of them. The flying profle has a long hood, arched roof, short rear, and elegant side extrusions. Circular wheelarches, 18-inch discs, as well as the signature air ducts behind the wheelarches, and the trident emblem on the C-pillar promptly catch the eye. The rear of the car is represented by impressive fully-LED parking lights, a large trunk lid with the word ‘Maserati’ and the name of the version and model in the center. There is also a big bumper with a pair of LED fog lights and two pairs of exhaust pipes. In the GranSport version, the rear bumper is supplemented by a sports diffuser.
The designers offer 14 body colors. The most famous ones are ‘Blu Emozione’, ‘Rosso Folgore’, and ‘Azzuro Allegria’. There are also 9 options of alloy wheels and 5 colors of brake calipers.
Interior
The interior of the new Maserati Ghibli shows a minimalistic, yet modern design of the console in the high-quality leather. The interior is made of deluxe materials. As for the assembly, even the pickiest critics are satisfied. The internal finishing of the GranLusso version shows a lot od chrome and wood, while GranSport uses more carbon fiber and aluminium. The individual custom finishing is also available for an extra payment.
In front of the driver, there is a recognizable 3-spoke steering wheel with a trident and a modern instrument panel with two big meters and a 7-inch color display of the on-board computer. On the top of the central panel, designers allocated a place for an analog clock and an elegant 8.4-inch display of the multimedia system supporting the synchronization with iOS- and Android-based smartphones. A minimalistic climate control module is located below it.
The front seats are big, luxurious, sporty, with a side support, perfectly rigid stuffing, and all possible equipment. The seat headrests have a Maserati logo in white or red. Between the seats, there is an impressive central console, dividing the cabin into two separate cockpits. It accomodates a stylish gearbox lever, and several mechanical button switches. The rear seat range is designed for two passengers. These passengers are offered a royal comfort and a lot of free space.
Engines
The new Ghibli 2016 is equipped with 3-L V-shaped 6-cylinder turbocharged engines, either gasoline or diesel. Regardless of the engine type and power, it uses a 8-speed ZF automatic transmission with 5 mode presets. The conventional arched sedan has a RWD, but unlike other options, S Q4, has a 4WD, that evenly distributes the torque between front and rear axles, but can fully transfer the entire torque to the rear axle if needed.
Gasoline engines:
- 350 hp and и 500 Nm torque. This engine allows acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 267 km/h. The average fuel consumption is 8.8 L per 100 km on a highway.
- 430 hp and 550 Nm torque. This engine is used for Ghibli S and S Q4. The first speeds up from 0 to 100 km/h in 5 seconds. The second one does the same in 4.8 seconds. The top speed is 285 and 284 км/час, respectively. The average fuel consumption is between 9.6 and 10.2 L per 100 km.
6-cylinder 3-L turbocharged diesel engine has a power of 275 hp and 570 Nm torque. It allows the top speed of 250 km/h. The acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 6.3 seconds. The declared combined fuel consumtion is 7 L per 100 km. This is a great result for a car of 1.75 tons.
Equipment
Maserati Ghibli 2016/2017 has received a number of equipment options. One of the main novelties is ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance System). It’s based on the radar cruise control, allowing the car to hold the correct distance before the car ahead and avoid the collision. It’s also equipped with a marking-recognition and lane-keeping aid. Other features include automatic high-beam switching, traffic sign recognition, and a blind zone control.
