Thoughts on the Ghibli Diesel - Nearly a year in

It's not far off from a year that I've had the Ghibli now so thought I'd share where I'm up to on it:

Problems
Couple of strange gremlins and things that still need sorted:

• After two days sat on the drive I got the engine management light. Stayed on all day. Went off the following day.
• Again, 2 days on the drive, dashclocks click erratically on start-up and I get "Power Steering Service Required". Switch off engine and back on and the fault is gone.
  (suspect that both may be battery related - will get them to sort during its first service)
• The OEM Pirelli Tyres are terrible. They shudder and skip on close to full lock turns when reversing out of the drive etc. Replaced them with Conti Winters and the problem disappeared. Dealer was intrigued by this as he says "they all do it"
• intermittent trim rattle from near drivers side A pillar. Dealer has had two goes at it and failed to sort.

Criticisms

• The way the bootlid opens is rubbish (bounces off the stops)
• The MTC (Maserati Touch Screen Control) system is terrible in comparison to BMW/Audi/Mercedes. It's very basic and low-res. They seriously need to sort this out. Even VW's thirdparty sourced systems are much better.
• Very noticeable lag when booting it from a junction. Gearbox seems to be the main culprit (no kickdown button under accelerator pedal) as if you stick it in 1st gear its not so much of an issue
• Bad blind spots. You cant see much behind you.

Things I've done

• Added 10mm wheelspacers
• Added Carbon bootspoiler - should really have a spoiler option from factory
• Carbon wing mirror covers
• Calipers done in red as per factory option
• Fitted Noise Booster Pro - Normal now sounds like Sport and Sport sounds like a V8. More info here: https://www.kufatec.co.uk/shop/en/s...ive-sound-maserati-ghibli-quattroporte-diesel
• Got rid of the AWFUL front numberplate carrier - which is about an inch taller than UK plates.

My Verdict
I'm a year into a 3 year deal with this and I'm enjoying it. The attention it gets, the styling, the sporty drive all add up to a nice experience. It is the only diesel in it's class to get a limited slip diff and that definitely shows when throwing a car this size round corners. I wouldn't recommend the diesel though. Especially if you're doing low miles. I'm only getting 23.5mpg (I got 15-17 in my M3). Its fast enough when it gets going but there's a very tangible pause before it does.

The one thing that I can't quite shake about this car, badge & styling aside, is that it should be a bit better. The MTC especially. It's functional enough but it's pretty shite to look at and lacks an awful lot of features that BMW & Audi owners have taken for granted for the last 10 years. One things for sure, its certainly much more exciting to be seen in than a 535d...

Here's some piccies:

Thank you.

Good to read a 'honest' review of what is good and bad (or not so good) and that the car is holding up well.

Bit surprised by the MPG... must be the brisk driving; 0)

Glad you like it. Battery and P Zero comments are common with my experience of a modern Maserati, hence the reason mine sits on a CTek when not used and I run winter tyres and in summer use Continentals not Pirellis. It's not a daily driver but in 4.5 years I have done 33k miles so it gets a bit of use.

I've had Ghibli diesels as loaners and have usually got about 32 mpg on mixed use so the mpg comment is a surprise. I'd buy the petrol as it is a cracking engine. The ZF 8 speed does seem to start slow in many applications - it does so in my Discovery but in Sport it shoots off so I guess the programming in normal gearbox mode is intentional.

The MTC is a lot better than on my GranTurismo so I guess it depends what you are coming from.

Any warranty issues with the spacers?

Ive had mine coming up a year now, will post a similar report when I get time.. I too am surprised at your mpg! Do you do any long runs or just short urban journeys?

bigbob said:

Glad you like it. Battery and P Zero comments are common with my experience of a modern Maserati, hence the reason mine sits on a CTek when not used and I run winter tyres and in summer use Continentals not Pirellis. It's not a daily driver but in 4.5 years I have done 33k miles so it gets a bit of use.

I've had Ghibli diesels as loaners and have usually got about 32 mpg on mixed use so the mpg comment is a surprise. I'd buy the petrol as it is a cracking engine. The ZF 8 speed does seem to start slow in many applications - it does so in my Discovery but in Sport it shoots off so I guess the programming in normal gearbox mode is intentional.

The MTC is a lot better than on my GranTurismo so I guess it depends what you are coming from.

Any warranty issues with the spacers?

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Gearbox/turbo lag seems to be the case even in Sport mode to be honest. As for the MTC well the GranTurismo has been around for a while now and judging by my experience of having a play with the ones in the forecourt, it doesnt look like they've updated the switchgear or infotainent. But for a "luxury" car launched only 2 years ago and given what it's up against in the same segment the MTC is embarrassing.

As for the spacers, I've not had any problems related to that part of the car. If a wheel fell off then they obviously wouldn't cover it, I think.

P R said:

Ive had mine coming up a year now, will post a similar report when I get time.. I too am surprised at your mpg! Do you do any long runs or just short urban journeys?

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My MPG does have a lot to do with my own mileage and the sorts of trips that I do, so the comparison between petrol and diesel for mpg wont hold true for everyone, but I'm surprised that this diesel really isnt returning that much more than the 4.0 Petrol V8 it replaced.

I test drove a diesel last year (I think) and compared to the Merc 350 AMG (which I bought) the Merc has it beat hands down everywhere.
Except for looks, and the badge, and how it makes you feel. Which I guess is why you buy such a car.

I see my Merc as a purely functional car that gets me from one end of the country to the other, with little or now fuss and is a nice drive, has plenty of power, and I get out feeling like I've just done a five minute trip to the shops.

Would I have a Ghibli. Of course. It's a Maserati.
For a change though I bought a car using my head rather than heart.

You're does look rather lovely though.

An interesting write-up, Bianco. I have experienced some of the things you mention - the skipping on full lock at car park speeds (I have the same 20" wheels and Pirellis). I've also had the 'service power steering' message twice, both times when it was very cold, but both cleared the next time I started the car. I've had mine 5 months and I love it, way more than I ever thought I would. Opinions vary, but I think the MTC is very good and a lot better than the system in Mrs MAF's brand new BMW, much more intuitive. A mate with a new Merc SL was extremely envious of the system compared to the clunky version in the Merc. I almost bought a new 335d and am so glad I didn't as it's not special or different enough. This car has Maserati DNA throughout, is a great drive and feels really special - they're not a common sight and don't look like taxis. I would only ever have another with a similar spec to mine - tons of options that make a difference to what is a very good base car. Would I have a E-class instead of this? Not in a million years - I simply can't agree with you, GC, that the Merc has the Ghibli beaten hands down everywhere. To me they're incomparable.

My MPG is high 20s average, but I do a lot of short trips in the car and a lot of town driving. On a motorway run last week I got 48MPG for the whole trip - that's rather good IMO.

Thanks for the report Bianco, certainly a mixed bag though but I think you're happy with it!
I've only driven them as courtesy vehicles for the day but I quite enjoyed the diesel. Coming from my MC-S, I never expected a comparable spirited ride but overall I was impressed.
Enjoy the next 2 years

GeoffCapes said:

I test drove a diesel last year (I think) and compared to the Merc 350 AMG (which I bought) the Merc has it beat hands down everywhere.
Except for looks, and the badge, and how it makes you feel. Which I guess is why you buy such a car.

I see my Merc as a purely functional car that gets me from one end of the country to the other, with little or now fuss and is a nice drive, has plenty of power, and I get out feeling like I've just done a five minute trip to the shops.

Would I have a Ghibli. Of course. It's a Maserati.
For a change though I bought a car using my head rather than heart.

You're does look rather lovely though.

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Well its' funny you should mention the Merc as the car I was originally due to get was Merc CLS 350 but about 3 weeks before it was due to arrive, a very snooty woman from the Merc dealership called me to tell me that production had been halted due to a shortage 9G gearboxes and that current gearbox stock was being allocated to E class production. They couldnt give me an estimate for delivery so I cancelled my order.

LincsOSCA said:

Thanks for the report Bianco, certainly a mixed bag though but I think you're happy with it!
I've only driven them as courtesy vehicles for the day but I quite enjoyed the diesel. Coming from my MC-S, I never expected a comparable spirited ride but overall I was impressed.
Enjoy the next 2 years

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Funny, I read it more positively than that. I guess it is down to the fact that I expect most cars to have some negative features. Always been right on that!

MAF260 said:

Opinions vary, but I think the MTC is very good and a lot better than the system in Mrs MAF's brand new BMW, much more intuitive. A mate with a new Merc SL was extremely envious of the system compared to the clunky version in the Merc.

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LOL! I have to say I'm amazed anyone would prefer the MTC over a BMW or Merc system. My biggest gripe is the interface. very low resolution graphics in comparison to BMW, Merc & Audi (not to mention Maserati's own display in the instrument cluster). Also album & track art is shite. Uses an instantly out of date gracenote database instead of simply showing the track image within the accompanying meta-data. There's no onlne integration with Google maps etc in the satnav either so it's not as good at finding destinations.

bigbob said:

Funny, I read it more positively than that. I guess it is down to the fact that I expect most cars to have some negative features. Always been right on that!

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I agree. I've never had a "perfect" car. You have to take the good with the bad. Like I said, I'm enjoying the car. Its the first saloon I've ever owned, which is what I wanted this time round thanks to now having 2 young kids.

Thank you for the write up...it looks stunning

Good write up Bianco
If it was me I would change the tyres, probably go for petrol (if I could afford it)
But none of your well written criticisms would stop me buying one because yours is just fab looking
Thanks for your time

Nice write up.

The Ghibli is growing on me day by day. Love the Nettuno Blu.

Would still personally go for the S Spec.

It may well be my next Maser further down the track.

MAF260 said:

Would I have a E-class instead of this? Not in a million years - I simply can't agree with you, GC, that the Merc has the Ghibli beaten hands down everywhere. To me they're incomparable.

My MPG is high 20s average, but I do a lot of short trips in the car and a lot of town driving. On a motorway run last week I got 48MPG for the whole trip - that's rather good IMO.

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I guess the best way of putting it, is that they do the same thing, but in very different ways.
The Merc is function over form. The Maser the other way round.
I get at least 50mpg on most runs, it's spacious, front and back, it's **** quick, everything is very user friendly and works (famous last words...).
The biggest deciding factor was the Merc was many thousands cheaper. And for a motorway cruiser, which is what it mainly is, it's the perfect choice.

As I said before, if the heart was ruling I'd have bought the Maser regardless.

Bianco said:

LOL! I have to say I'm amazed anyone would prefer the MTC over a BMW or Merc system. My biggest gripe is the interface. very low resolution graphics in comparison to BMW, Merc & Audi (not to mention Maserati's own display in the instrument cluster). Also album & track art is shite. Uses an instantly out of date gracenote database instead of simply showing the track image within the accompanying meta-data. There's no onlne integration with Google maps etc in the satnav either so it's not as good at finding destinations.

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I agree with your point about the graphics, but I guess I'm not really bothered as long as it gets me to my destination - it's never failed to find where I need to get to. Music is either DAB (very good) or Spotify via Bluetooth which doesn't display any track info anyway. What I like most is how easy/intuitive it is to use. Compared to anything offered by Maserati before it's light years ahead! I cannot believe they still sell £100k+ GranTurismos with the antiquated system fitted.

MAF260 said:

I agree with your point about the graphics, but I guess I'm not really bothered as long as it gets me to my destination - it's never failed to find where I need to get to. Music is either DAB (very good) or Spotify via Bluetooth which doesn't display any track info anyway. What I like most is how easy/intuitive it is to use. Compared to anything offered by Maserati before it's light years ahead! I cannot believe they still sell £100k+ GranTurismos with the antiquated system fitted.

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Certainly easy to use. Can't argue there. Why is DAB so quiet in comparison to FM and other sources?

MAF260 said:

I agree with your point about the graphics, but I guess I'm not really bothered as long as it gets me to my destination - it's never failed to find where I need to get to. Music is either DAB (very good) or Spotify via Bluetooth which doesn't display any track info anyway. What I like most is how easy/intuitive it is to use. Compared to anything offered by Maserati before it's light years ahead! I cannot believe they still sell £100k+ GranTurismos with the antiquated system fitted.

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Mind they sell the GT in such low volumes it hardly matters.

That said it will be interesting to see what the GranTurismo revamp brings
this year. Ditto next year for the Ghibli/QP.