Maserati’s all-new junior sedan made its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. The Ghibli broadens the appeal of Maserati’s elegant yet sporty sedan lineup. Smaller and sportier than the massive Quattroporte, the Ghibli arrives just in time to celebrate Maserati’s centennial in 2014.
Though the last Ghibli was a two-door coupe, the new sedan that carries the name on has plenty of connections to Maserati’s history. The big chrome grille that dominates the curvy Ghibli’s face is similar to that of the GranTurismo coupe but shares its basic design with the 1950s A6 GCS racers. The trident logo is also a classic hallmark. The Ghibli takes a coupe-sedan approach, with a strong C-pillar and character lines running from the front air intakes to the rear of the car. Low and wide, the Ghibli looks the part of a sports sedan.
The Ghibli is available with a choice of 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 engines, and eight-speed automatic transmissions are standard. Both engines use direct fuel injection, and the parallel turbocharging systems were developed jointly with Ferrari. Ghibli buyers can choose between the 345-horsepower base model or the 404-horse Ghibli S, depending on if they’d rather dispatch 0-60 runs in 5.5 or 4.7 seconds. All-wheel drive is also available.
The Ghibli looks similar to the Quattroporte at a glance, but it’s actually almost a foot shorter. A double wishbone front suspension, multi-link rear and extremely well-balanced body promise entertaining handling, while Brembo brakes ensure that it’s manageable.
Maserati says the Ghibli’s interior is more youthful than that of its big brother, but it still retains the expected levels of elegance as well. Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper luxury sedan without a connection to a high-end sound system manufacturer: the Ghibli’s got a 1280-watt Bowers & Wilkins system available.
