Middle of the road
The last time I tested a new Maserati, I was in Italy staying in a fancy hotel eating pasta and necking a nice red wine.
Oh well, times have changed. Not just on being able to travel, but things are changing at Maserati too.
The car that I went to test in Italy a few years ago was the Gran Turismo – a proper GT with a naturally aspirated V8 engine that was a bit like a Ford Mustang GT that had been to Saville Row. That’s a compliment – I loved that car.
Now Maserati has had to look to the future and that’s electric. That cool V8-powered GT will be replaced by an electric machine.
Maserati’s current star, the MC20 supercar, which is powered by a bespoke V6 engine, will also be available with purely electric power.
We’re at Maserati’s UK headquarters in Slough to drive the new Maserati Ghibli hybrid, and to get us warmed up, the company has brought over an MC20 for us to have a look at. Sadly, it can’t be driven but what a fabulous-looking machine.
Unfortunately, I suspect that the Ghibli is going to be rather an anti-climax, even though it shares the same fabulous Maserati history as the MC20.
I’m being pessimistic because I was seriously underwhelmed by the Ghibli diesel and I don’t think that a
Fiat-chrysler-sourced 2.0-litre petrol engine is going to transform the car. And it’s not as if the Ghibli is even a plug-in hybrid, so it’s already looking a bit out of date compared to its rivals.
There’s a 48-volt electrical system and an integrated starter/generator unit – kit we saw on Audis at least half a dozen years ago or more.
Maserati calls the system e-booster, and it gives an extra hit of performance in Sport mode, or better fuel consumption.
The engine produces 326bhp, which is reasonable for a 2.0-litre turbo unless your name is Mercedesamg, and the numbers it produces are more than acceptable: 158mph and 0-62mph in 5.7sec.
It’s not quite as rosy when you look at some other numbers; those relating to economy. Emissions of 192-216g/km are pretty poor for a mild hybrid, and fuel economy of 29.4-33.2mpg is way off the pace, even for a car with no hybridisation at all. The real world economy is even worse, especially if you drive the Ghibli in a manner in which the brand image and glorious racing history would encourage. With spirit, in other words.
This would all be more palatable if the Ghibli was a cracking car but sadly it isn’t.
The engine sounds very ordinary and gets unpleasant if you rev it hard. The car’s ride is harsh and uncomfortable and again would be tolerable if the handling would embarrass a BMW, Jaguar or Alfa Romeo. Which it
doesn’t. There’s a shortage of rear legroom and the build quality is not up to rivals’ efforts – even if there are some design flourishes.
The Maserati Ghibli is a distinctly average car, but with its regular V6 under the bonnet or the Ghibli Trofeo’s awesome 580bhp V8 engine, at least there’s plenty of drama and a good soundtrack.
If I wanted some Italian flair, a cool badge and a century of motorsport history, I’d buy an Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce. It’s cheaper and no less green.