AN EXPECTED SHOCK
Maserati sticks its trident into the wall socket. Brenwin Naidu gets to ‘stay in his lane’
AMaserati with a downsized engine aided by a turbocharger and mild electrification should not be that difficult a combination to digest. The automotive landscape is changing after all. Every other day it seems another manufacturer is announcing that, by a certain time, their entire product range will turn to battery power for propulsion.
Even carmakers who were once regarded as stubborn apologists for internal combustion, brands whose entire identities relied on the sounds and sensations of a petrol heart, have embraced the charge. Pun very much intended.
Sipping a morning cappuccino at the Maserati dealership in Johannesburg, the background music in the showroom is occasionally drowned out by the sound of cars being fired up. Most notably, the unmistakable timbre of the 3,779cc V8 you will find in the Trofeo versions of the Quattroporte, Levante and Ghibli.
Our meeting on this occasion involves the Ghibli, but not a representative with eight, nor even six cylinders. The Ghibli Hybrid did not shatter the silence as the start button to the right of the steering was pressed. It packs a 1,998cc, four-cylinder petrol unit, employing both a turbocharger and an electric supercharger, which is juiced by a 48-volt alternator.
According to representatives, this hybrid setup serves as a “performance enhancer” rather than a crutch on which the engine can lean on to save fuel. But that is a byproduct of course — and who said Maserati drivers could not exercise a greener conscience?
The battery is housed in the rear of the Ghibli and the model is said to weigh 80kg less than the diesel equivalent, a derivative that’s since been culled.
So, does the electrified trident strike effectively in the area of performance? With a claimed sprint time of 5.7 seconds, you would not describe it as slow. But you probably would not want to be picking fights with hot hatchbacks.
It produces a sound not dissimilar to contenders from that brigade, with a buzzy acoustic tone emanating from the optimised exhaust system, punctuated by flatulence as you work your way up the ratios of the eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Ghibli Hybrid does not goad you to exploit its 330kW and 450Nm: the power is there to provide brisk, responsible momentum. Not once were the rear wheels caught off-guard by a prod of the throttle, even with the liveliest driving mode engaged.
Priced from R1,6m, it’s a comfortable companion. Cruising down the N3 freeway, we could have easily kept going, fatigue-free, until the coastline was reached.
Lengthy jaunts are well within its repertoire, especially thanks to a 500l luggage compartment and rear seating that average-sized occupants would find spacious. Average consumption over the 119km test was a reasonable 11.3l/100km.
While the Ghibli itself is not new in the Maserati context (it was first launched in 2013), this particular derivative is especially significant because it marks the start of a new era. It’s the first time in the history of the brand that hybrid technology is being experimented with. The brand is dipping a toe in the water, before making the full dive when the all-electric GranTurismo and GranCabrio arrive.
While it’s closing on a whole 10 years, the shape of the Ghibli still cuts a frankly gorgeous silhouette in any environment. The Hybrid is distinguished by blue accents: the brake callipers, fender gills and bluehued bolt in the hallmark trident on the C-pillar.
As before, the interior remains a special setting, now with an improved infotainment system that better distances itself from the Chrysler and Jeep branches of the Stellantis group family tree.
Aromatic leather, silky surfaces and chunky elements make for a wonderfully tactile experience. There are those who will relish this approach to luxury motoring over the button-sparse, screen-intensive layouts seen in newer rivals.
The one thing that proved problematic was the intrusive nature of the semi-autonomous steering assistance system. At times it felt as if we were fighting with the wheel. And if that wasn’t a nuisance, a loud audible alarm would sound even if the wheel so much as sniffed a solid line.
The noise is accompanied by a very stern “stay in lane” warning on the instrument cluster. Thankfully, the steering nanny can be deactivated.
As the brand negotiates a fast-changing world, it will be interesting to observe how the soul and essence that make Maserati translate into full electrification.
The Ghibli is good, but more of the raging temperament and hot passion that one associates with the trident emblem would not go amiss.