What stands out about the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid?
Doctor, accountant, lawyer, architect… These are all protected titles, which you are not allowed to use just like that. However, the term ‘hybrid’ is not. So Maserati can just put its latest model as Ghibli Hybrid in the price list, even if the car is actually not a hybrid. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine with mild hybrid support. This means that the Maserati recovers braking energy, stores it in a battery and uses it to increase performance and reduce fuel consumption. He cannot drive small pieces electrically.
You don’t see the Hybrid designation anywhere on the beautiful Ghibli carriage. You can only recognize the ‘piggy bank version’ by its blue accents. Furthermore, the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid could also simply be a Ghibli V6 or Ghibli Trofeo, with the same four exhaust pipes under the rear bumper. Visually, the Ghibli has had a small update. You can see that most clearly in the rear lights, which now have a boomerang shape (a joke that is reminiscent of the Maserati 3200 GT). The Ghibli is eight years old. And yet it is still a beautiful, imposing appearance.
What’s good about the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid?
That he is a Maserati! Because there is still a hint of Italian glamor around the brand name and the accompanying trident logo. And you step into that world when you get the key to a Ghibli Hybrid. Other road users know immediately: the person behind the wheel is an individualist. Someone who goes his own way and does not – like the rest of successful Netherlands – opt for a ‘just stay below ground level’ gray Audi, BMW or Mercedes. A Maserati driver is interesting, cool, mysterious and possibly a bit dangerous too.
The driving behavior of even the Ghibli Hybrid fits in with that. Because do not think that Maserati has created a Toyota-like muesli mobile with its first ‘hybrid’. The Ghibli Hybrid is not concerned with melting polar caps and starving polar bears. Its mild hybrid system is calibrated for performance, not economy. Although the Ghibli Hybrid does not make it as colorful as the Ghibli V6 in terms of consumption, of course, which scores much worse in practice than its stated 1 on 8.9.
Anyway, the engine of the latest Maserati is nice, especially at the bottom, where it gets an extra push from the so-called e-Booster. The chassis is sportily tuned and offers an excellent compromise between comfort and sturdiness for everyday use. The steering was always hydraulic, but is now electric. Otherwise, electronic driver assistants (the Ghibli Hybrid has a whole list of them) can’t lend a hand if needed. In terms of driving dynamics, the Maserati comes close to the BMW 5-series.
When you step into the Ghibli Hybrid, your eye immediately falls on the new infotainment screen. That has grown considerably, from 8.4 inches to 10.1 inches. The graphics are better, the resolution is higher and the response time is shorter. In addition, the multimedia system is compatible with Apple CarPlay, but also with Maserati Connect. This allows you to control various functions with a mobile app. For the audiophiles, Maserati has both a Harman Kardon and Bowers & Wilkons audio system in the option list.
What could be better about the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid?
You don’t buy a Maserati for fuel consumption, but you expect more from a model that goes through life as a Hybrid. The mild hybrid technology of the Ghibli ensures a considerably lower CO2 emission on paper, which is good for the price (see below). Yet it is of little use to the pump. We did not have the car long enough for an extensive consumption test, but the specified consumption of a maximum of 1 to 11.7 is impossible.
Unfortunately, the Ghibli Hybrid also disappoints us a bit in terms of performance. The drivetrain is smooth, quiet and powerful, but you never have the feeling that you are on the road with a sports sedan that can sprint to 100 km / h in 5.7 seconds. This is largely due to the slow transmission, which does an excellent job in normal use, but completely gets off track when you press the accelerator against the bulkhead. Then it takes far too much time before the box hesitantly shifts one… no, wait… two gears down.
Maserati promises a wonderful Italian soundtrack for the Ghibli Hybrid, thanks to a set of resonators in the exhaust (say: sound boxes). The engineers have done their best, but can also do so much to make a four-cylinder turbo engine sound deep and dark. To be fair, the Ghibli Hybrid sounds like a hot hatch, with – when you are listening outside – a clear separation between the sound coming from the front of the power source and the sound that is composed in the exhaust.
The latest update of the Maserati Ghibli has done a lot of good especially to the interior. Above, we have already praised the new infotainment system, but we still have to crack a critical note. Maserati does not have the deep pockets of Audi, BMW or Mercedes and you will notice that on board the Ghibli. Business sedan is lagging behind when it comes to tech. For example, there is no configurable digital cockpit. In addition, the materials used by Maserati are not of the high German level.
When will the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid come and what does it cost?
The Maserati Ghibli Hybrid is already on the market, for a hefty starting price of 92,402 euros. Strong, because for about 20,000 euros less you can buy an Audi A6 55 TFSI e Quattro with 367 hp or a BMW 545e xDrive with about 400 hp. The big advantage that the Ghibli Hybrid has is compared to the Ghibli V6. The latter has only 20 hp more (350 instead of 330 hp), but is no less than 33,100 euros more expensive. The culprit is – how could it be otherwise – the BPM fine that the tax authorities levy on the basis of CO2 emissions.
What do I think of the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid?
Maserati is a sympathetic brand, which is difficult to find a connection with the competition. Last year I drove a weekend in the majestic Levante Trofeo, where you get the Italian magic of Maserati unfiltered. But yes, that power SUV – one of the best steering on the market – is only reserved for a few. In that sense, the Ghibli Hybrid enters much more difficult terrain, where the established German order rules. Can the Maserati compete with that? No Unfortunately not. It’s better than ever, but that’s just not good enough.