Six cylinders, two turbochargers, four-wheel drive and 410 PS — the Maserati Ghibli S Q4 is a completely different animal compared to the diesel Ghibli we drove just last month. Here’s what it’s like…
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Maserati
The hills are alive with the sound of music, from the twin-turbo Ferrari-developed petrol motor no less. Rewind to the fact that Car India was invited to Germany to sample some of Zahnradfabrik (ZF)’s latest innovations, and the eight-speed automatic transmission in the Maserati Ghibli just happened to be one of their most significant creations.
The Ghibli name has been resurrected to take Maserati to a new high in sales figures. Yes, the Italian marque always guns for exclusivity, but, in today’s day and age, even an icon that has completed a century needs numbers to survive. Maserati have been growing steadily with the name gaining greater prominence worldwide now than ever before. The latest sport-sedan was created to enter a segment dominated by the Germans and make its mark. Resurrecting the name of a sports coupé from almost 50 years ago seemed like a good idea, although this Ghibli has two more doors and normal – for Maserati – headlamps. The fact that it looks a lot like a smaller Quattroporte can be seen as more of a good thing than a bad thing because the Quattroporte still remains one of the most desirable sport-luxury sedans which goes as good as it looks. That said, Maserati have evolved, and evolved in a big way.
Gone are the days when there was just one engine and transmission available. Now, Maserati offer the Ghibli with three engines: a diesel V6, a petrol V6, and a tuned-up petrol V6 S with a four-wheel-drive option – the one we have here.
While the Ghibli S Q4 has the same stunning lines and proportions of the Diesel model we drove last month, what lies underneath is what makes all the difference. The V6 is a twin-turbo unit designed by Maserati and developed by Ferrari. The 3.0-litre motor, which makes 330 PS and 500 Nm in standard guise, makes 410 PS and 550 Nm in the S guise, enough to turn the thrills up a few notches. The Q4 points to the intelligent all-wheel-drive system which is driven by the ZF 8HP rear-biased automatic transmission. That, to say the least, is a fine combination.
Having the ADAC Linthe racing circuit to play around on, I gladly jumped into the Ghibli S Q4 the first chance I got. The track layout was a bit daunting because it starts out with a straight, then enters a series of S-bends and exits on to the back straight where other sections of tests were happening as well. The last thing I wanted to do was put the Ghibli into the back of its big FCA cousin with a seven-slot grille on its nose.
