Maserati Ghibli engines, drive and performance
- Three engines
- Fast enough for most folk
- Top spec V8 is ferocious
What power options are there?
The range kicks off with a 2.0-litre petrol hybrid, shared with the Maserati Grecale SUV. It packs 330hp and a 0-62mph time of sub six seconds.
Next up, there’s a 3.0-litre V6 pushing out 430hp giving it a sub five second 0-62mph time. Top banana is a 3.8-litre V8. This has a gargantuan 580hp on offer and a 0-62mph time of just a smidge over four seconds.
What’s it like to drive?
- Surprisingly relaxed
- Fast in a straight line
- Comfortable
This greatly depends on which engine you choose. The least powerful is, unsurprisingly, the least quick. But it’s certainly not slow. The 3.0-litre adds a level of speed, but not much else over the 2.0-litre. While the full-fat 3.8-litre V8 adds a bit more punch and a lot more panache. It’s the engine that feels the most special.
The V8 has a great swell of effortless torque, resulting in it being the most urgent and adaptable of the lot. It also sounds the most operatic, but despite the displacement and eight cylinders on offer, it’s still not all that loud. It’s definitely more subtle than the V8 you’ll find in the Mercedes E-Class.
On a smoothly driven dry road the Ghibli generates impressive levels of grip, and you barely notice its size unless it’s a particularly narrow street.
There is some initial bodyroll as you tip the car into a turn (the optional adaptive dampers improve this) but once committed to your line the Ghibli remains flat and stable and very easy to manage.
In fact it feels more agile than it has any right to, though more steering feel through the rim would be welcomed and on the ragged edge as its kerbweight comes back into play.
As a firm renowned for sports cars where handling is paramount, it may come as a surprise to find out that comfort levels are one of the Maserati Ghibli’s highlights.
It manages to soak up bumps in the road with relative ease, as long as you’ve left the car in Comfort mode. Choose Sport and everything becomes a little tauter and jarring, but still bearable on UK roads.
It’s on the motorway especially where the Ghibli’s damping impresses most though, and along with very little wind, road or engine noise it proves to be a perfectly comfortable and capable cruiser.
The six-piston front brakes are up to the job of hauling down the Ghibli’s speed should it all go wrong, and there is refreshingly little dive or squat under braking or acceleration.
