RE: Maserati Ghibli Preview

[Modificata]

Well I've filled in my form. Lets hope i get picked! I live round the corner so it will be a great way to check out the car.

[E60M5]

Damn, wish I could make it. Unfortunately don't live in Europe either.. Own an (E60) M5 if that qualifies? Again, not like I could actually attend the event. I'm absolutely in love with this car though, very very pretty car. Possibly one of the best looking 4-doors made in the last decade, no? Would seriously consider buying one of these as the "fancy car" when I don't plan on cracking 200mph

[Kawasicki]

Hope Maserati does well with this. Great brand, and another rwd vehicle to choose from.

[jamieduff1981]

Kawasicki said:

Hope Maserati does well with this. Great brand, and another rwd vehicle to choose from.

I agree. There are bits here and there I may have preferred looked a little different, but a new RWD saloon car for those of us with families and who still want a decent daily driver is a great thing.

I was a keen Jag man, but Jag are doing just fine nowadays selling white 2.2 diesel estates to normal people. It's time for me to move on, and Maserati may well be my next destination

[forzaminardi]

SWoll said:

Go to love PH.

Maserati launch a new model to take on the 'boring' German cars PH'ers complain about so much and invite people along to give their opinions and the predominant response is negativity and derision.

Nice work.

And to the guy above who's complaining about it sullying the Ghibli name, didn't the last one look like this?



Hardly new then...

One of my all-time favourite cars...!

By coincidence I was watching the Evo video of the new Ghibli last night and it occurred to me that a few years in, these will be affordable (and hopefully half-way affordable/reliable to run) family transport. I get the vague feeling that some may think its not a 'real' Maserati (especially the diesel), but given the choice between broadly equivalent cars, would you rather have a Maserati or a BMW/Audi/Jag/Merc? I'm enough of a fool/romantic/romantic fool (delete as applicable) to choose the Maserati.

[crostonian]

Don't get all this guff about what's a 'real Maserati', they made spark plugs during the war and cheap motorbikes in the 1950s! The 70s range had a large input from Citroen, for 20 years (80s & 90s) they made a range of cars to rival the BMW 3 and 5 series and the recent cars have been cut price Ferraris. So could somebody please define a real Maserati - I guess it would be a beautifully styled, basically suspended Grand Tourer with an out of date race bred engine.

[V41LEY]

crostonian said:

So could somebody please define a real Maserati - I guess it would be a beautifully styled, basically suspended Grand Tourer with an out of date race bred engine.

Does this count ? THE true Ghibli.

[crostonian]

Indeed it does. But is it realistic to benchmark all current Maseratis against a car that was last made over 40 years ago, a car which in period was seen as outmoded and old fashioned incidentally.

[Garlick]

0a said:

Does a w124 e class owner count (with an a8 on the side?).

Sure!

[Garlick]

sjn2004 said:

Quite telling that they don't want any existing Maserati owners coming to the event.....

Whats the point of turning the event into some sort of focus group when they've finished and built the car. A bit late now to change anything!

We wouldn't refuse a current owner on the guest list, but they are interested in what drivers of direct competitors think. If current owners apply to come along they certainly won't be excluded.

The Ghibli will attract a new customer to the brand, those already attached to it will be aware of the car through their local dealer I'd imagine.

[LotusOmega375D]

50,000 Maseratis per year! I wonder how many they made in total in those first 99 years? I can see the magic and exclusivity of the marque being eroded forever. Italian executive saloons were really Lancia's territory: maybe this would have been the product to breathe new life into that marque and kept Maserati for the pricier stuff?

Anyway looks nice and good luck with the event.

[moskvich427]

LotusOmega375D said:

50,000 Maseratis per year! I wonder how many they made in total in those first 99 years? I can see the magic and exclusivity of the marque being eroded forever. Italian executive saloons were really Lancia's territory: maybe this would have been the product to breathe new life into that marque and kept Maserati for the pricier stuff?

Maybe, but Mercedes Benz makes the A Class, B Class and vans, yet this hasn't tarnished the reputation of the S Class or made cars like the SLS any less desirable.

If they're careful, it could work out ok.

[Nors]

LotusOmega375D said:

50,000 Maseratis per year! I wonder how many they made in total in those first 99 years? I can see the magic and exclusivity of the marque being eroded forever. Italian executive saloons were really Lancia's territory: maybe this would have been the product to breathe new life into that marque and kept Maserati for the pricier stuff?

At the end of the day, it's a company, it needs to make money, selling more cars will achieve that. Surely that has to be the objective of all car companies.

Before anyone mentions Ferrari, they sell all they want to make - at a premium. Not many have that luxury!

[gpb1]

Saw the one they had at Carfest North. Spoke to the salesman about it then and the currents Mrs gbp1 was very taken with it - apart from the name.

[pfsv427sc01]

Saw and sat in the car at Goodwood Revival and, although very nice, I felt the styling somewhat awkward and not a patch on the Coupe or the Quattroporte.

At £50k + they are trying to compete with high end BMW 5 series and Mercedes E class rather than retain the exclusivity that Maserati normally stands for. This car makes them just another premium brand rather than an aspirational brand with prices to match.

[635csi]

Also saw the one at Goodwood, wanted it to be, if not pretty, handsome.
Sadly looked relly awkward to me.

[Martin 480 Turbo]

Already attended the launch at the IAA last week and would
love to give my opinion on the details to the Maserati UK
folks, but you won't fly me over, would you

Martin 480 Turbo

P.S.: I liked the car in person, it was smaller and a more
coherent design, than I first thought. A good foundation or
cornerstone to built on. But to really sell it to me it would
need to have a scudetto up front. Don't get it how Marchionne
decided to make it a Maserati instead of an Alfa Romeo. I am
already looking forward to my bosses red face when my next year
corporate car voucher reads "Maserati Ghibli". hehe.

[fourpointsixgt]

Wadeski said:

Good looking thing.

Will the platform be used for the next gen of big RWD chryslers?

I thought it was based on the latest Chrysler 300, which I think was designed under Fiat ownership just after MB sold it.If they only intend to sell 50000 it must be based on something.
But I could be completely wrong.

[cramorra]

Thanks for inviting and hosting us guys-
well planned event and well organized....
Certainly you have one of the more desirable car parks in the world (when I rolled in there were - aside from the expected Masers - a Chim, A Mc Laren, several Porsches, an XKR a couple of Mercs... whish I had the keys...
The Speech of the Maserati Man was whilst obviously about getting people interested in the brand also very much informative about the car why they made it how they made it and so on - on discussion I felt genuine interest from Haymarket and Maserati people in opinions of guests...
The car looks great and a lot better in the flesh then on pictures (as with a lot of moderns cars). It is a big car, though and almouts the size of a mark 4 Quattroporte (the one with the 3.2 V8) so if you look to replace your M3/C class or seek a successor to the Biturbo it is not (although it is a Biturbo - )- this chapter was somewhat ignored in the history yesterday... - as the car is big one would like to know how it behaves on an English A and B road..... It is more likely to compete with 5 series, A 6 and E class, offers RWD, a good choice of engines (without fire spitting madness of full blown performance versions..). I think it will find it's nice in a way the XF (a similar sized car) did. It certainly oozes what the Italians call "italianita'", which is a good thing, as I was worried that all the big Alfas and Lancias of late lost their Italian Mojo without catching up with the Germans.... - the question is - can the big Maser?
Its a great looking car and the finish of this pre production model looked certainly up to the job - all the goodies present and seems well put together - a things like no covers on the back speakers from the boot will certainly be ironed out, the leather looks and feels great (is it still made by Poltrona Frau?) so a job well done. The got rid of some of the chintz of the Maseratis of the 90s without turning it into an Audi...
What I didn't like inside was Buttons isntead of paddles on the wheel (better nothing at all) for the 8 speed ZF box (which is commended well by all reviewers) and only a very big touch screen (what's wrong with a few buttons)
Engine sounds well in a video - unfortunately they were not allowed to start it so cannot comment - and speaking with some of the engineers they said whilst there were no concrete plans the V8 would fit and they would be surprised if it would not eventually find it's way under the Ghibli bonnet... Ghibli MC Stradale, in white with red leather, and 550 HP anyone? ....
I wish the company every luck with this car and again thanks to PH for hosting it