By Joe Mavilia
The 2019 Maserati Ghibli is the entry level sedan that competes with a vibrant segment of the specialty luxury market
Some will tell you cars like this are a repair nightmare. But I think they are referring to those Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s with those 12-cylinder nightmare engines even without turbo chargers.
The ride on this Maserati is solid and confident and of course very comfy in the elegant appointments inside.
General Information:
Class – Sport Sedan – Cars from Maserati – Ghibli, Gran Turismo, Levante, Quarttroporte.
Handling & Performance:
I was pleasantly surprised this car is powered by a 3.0-liter V-6 424 horsepower engine. Surely like the Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s I’ve driven and even owned 12-cylinder engines, they were revered as distinguishing these cars from anything else out there. Well, what we’ve learned over the years, and now embraced, is that you don’t need oversized power plants to have performance. That is especially true with Twin Turbos that assists the engine to be even more impressive.
Muscle cars are way over rated. Let’s face it, big isn’t always better. How fast, well although I didn’t risk it, I have little doubt that it would reach its top speed of 178 mph. If acceleration is important to you, you’ll be happy to hear you can go from 0-60 in about 4.5 seconds.
Along with special engine performance you’ll want to know a possible weak link is considered important enough to provide a special ‘Run Flat’ tire. Comforting when you are traveling over 150 mph. The Pirelli P Zero tire is just what the doctor ordered to give you the best there is.
Styling
To me Italian styling is special and unique and generally lead the way and influenced others to look similar. Copying or imitating is the most significant form of flattery. Silk upholstery, really? Who would do that? Is it not an extreme form of extravagance? Thus, 22” alloy wheels with Pirelli P Zero Tires shouldn’t be any surprise either
Fit and Finish:
Elegant look and feel.
Cost:
You’ll pay a bit more to guarantee you are the exception to the rule we see in cars from Honda, Toyota, Chevy, Ford etc., that speak to the difference between usual and ordinary and exceptional and exciting.
Conveniences and comfort:
All the high-tech stuff you’d expect of a $100,000 vehicle, but the starting price for the Ghibli is about $75,000.
Consumer Recommendations:
If the price tag doesn’t pucker up a few orifices you may just want to take that leap into a world apart from the norm. Other models include: Levante, Quattroporte, Gran Turismo and GT Convertible that increase in cost in that order up to the GT starting from $151,000.
Recognized Competition:
Mercedes-Benz CLS Class, BMW 6-series, Audi A7, Jaguar XF
Good News:
Special, luxurious, fun to drive, confident and fast.
Bad News:
n/a
Gas Stats:
$4.09 / Gal avg. October 19, 2019
www.fueleconomy.gov
for more information.
Pricing:
MSRP $96,000
Your comments are welcomed. My e-mail is joe@autolove.com
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