Maserati updates Ghibli luxury sedan

MASERATI has treated its BMW 5 Series-fighting Ghibli luxury sedan to a 2016 update, bringing new comfort and safety equipment across the range and a boost in fuel economy for its pair of 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engines.

Pricing has increased as a result, with the Ghibli D – powered by a revised Euro 6-compliant 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel – up $1000 to $139,900 plus on-road costs, while the entry V6 bi-turbo petrol variant known simply as the Ghibli – also now at Euro 6 – starts at $143,900 (up $3910).

The Ghibli S price, which uses an uprated version of the twin-turbo petrol six, remains unchanged at $169,900.

Power and performance for each of the three engines is not affected but fuel economy has improved on the petrol engines, thanks to the introduction of automatic engine idle-stop. The diesel engine already has the fuel-saving system.

Consumption on the official combined cycle for the 243kW/500Nm petrol Ghibli has fallen from 9.6 litres per 100km to 8.9L/100km, while the higher-output 301kW/550Nm Ghibli S is down from 10.4L/100km to 9.6L/100km – a 12 per cent improvement.

CO2 emissions per kilometre come in at 207g and 223g respectively for the Ghibli and Ghibli S, while the oil-burning Ghibli D emits 158g/km.

The flagship S can still hit 100km/h from standstill in 5.0 seconds, on its way to a 285km/h top speed. The lower-output version reaches 100km/h in 5.6s and has a 263km/h v-max, while the 202kW/600Nm diesel needs 6.3s to reach 100 clicks and tops out at 250km/h.

Safety has also been given a boost with the 2016 update, with blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and self-dimming door mirrors now available across the range. The luxury sedan’s boot is also now power-operated from either the key fob or by waving a foot under the rear bumper.

A Harmon Kardon 10-speaker sound system with 12-channel 900-Watt amplifier replaces the previous stereo and a choice of stitched trident logos on the headrests is now available.

The cabin is further enhanced with an optional piano-black trim theme, while the exterior is given a boost with a fresh range of alloy wheel designs.

Other safety-related gear includes a rearview parking camera, bi-Xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED tail-lights, and – on Ghibli S – an automatic front lighting system with auto high beam.

Standard on all variants is a host of luxury items such as satellite navigation as part of an 8.4-inch touchscreen display, leather upholstery, electric driver’s seat adjustment, a seven-inch TFT instrument cluster display screen for car functionality, Bluetooth connectivity for audio and phone, cruise control with speed limiter, and a keyless entry and start system.

In all variants, an eight-speed automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential. The double wishbone front suspension and rear five-link set-up is unchanged.

Brakes are 345mm x 28mm discs with four-piston fixed callipers up front and 320mm x 22mm discs with floating callipers on the back, except for the Ghibli S’s 360mm x 32mm vented and cross-drilled dual-cast discs with six-piston Brembo callipers up front and four-piston Brembos out back.

Since its launch last year, Maserati’s Ghibli continues to be the Italian car-maker’s strongest seller, with 272 examples finding Australian homes so far this year (to the end of September).

By comparison, segment leader Mercedes has sold 952 E-Class models over the same period.

MY16 Maserati Ghibli pricing*

Ghibli D (a)	$139,900
Ghibli (a)	$143,900
Ghibli S (a)	$169,900

*Excludes on-road costs