2024 Maserati Ghibli

Maserati, in general, is an Italian carmaker in perpetual search of an American audience, and the 2024 Maserati Ghibli is simply another beautifully styled, performance-oriented vehicle failing that mission. We don’t know how many of them were Ghibli models, but Maserati only sold 1,815 cars (as in non-SUVs) in the United States in 2023. Even if all those sales were Ghibli models, what that means to the owners is that the Ghibli is a rare bird, indeed. Elegant as it is unique, the Ghibli dazzles with exotic flair inside and out. One doesn’t buy the Ghibli for its fuel economy, resale value, or reliability. Nope, the Ghibli’s siren song is the performance of its Ferrari-bred engines and its utterly stupefying beauty.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of luxury sedans, including the Maserati Ghibli.

Maserati has jettisoned last year’s GT entry-level trim and its 345-horsepower twin-turbo V6 with it. Maserati is also canceling the Modena. This will leave the Modena Q4 and a new 334 Ultima trim level, commemorating the final year for the Ghibli’s twin-turbo V8, as the last models standing in this double-feature lineup.

At $111,595, the Modena is at least $20,000 more than the entry-level model of any competitor, like the Mercedes-Benz E 350, BMW 530i, or Audi A7 Premium. If you like the cut of Maserati’s jib but want to go smaller, there’s the Grecale (SUV) at around $67,000 or bigger, with the Quattroporte sedan at roughly $112,000. Maserati will announce the exact 2024 prices before the end of calendar year 2023.

As much as we would love to recommend the boisterous 334 Ultima, we’d stick with the better-selling and less expensive Modena Q4.

Before buying the Maserati Ghibli, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay.

Lowest In-Class Resale Value

To date, the Maserati Ghibli has the distinction of returning the worst resale value within its segment. Even the Jaguar XF does much better than the Ghibli. After five years, the average resale value of a Ghibli is 16% of its original price. At the top of the residual-value heap is the Audi A6 allroad at 40%. About average residual value in the segment after five years is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class at 30%.

If you are questioning what that $20,000 or more that the entry-level Ghibli costs over its closest rivals gets you, well, a big part of it is the 424 horsepower delivered by its twin-turbo V6. Nothing else comes close. The next highest competitor is the V6-powered Audi A7, with 335 horsepower. All other core competitors use a turbocharged 4-cylinder of some stripe as their entry-level mill. One of those is the Jaguar XF, which is near the bottom of the horsepower continuum at 246 horsepower. If you want the Ghibli’s advantage in the context of acceleration, the twin-turbo V6 allows it to sprint to 60 mph from a standstill in 4.8 seconds. The A7 requires 5.2 seconds, while the XF takes roughly 6.5 seconds.

Those truly serious about big-budget thrust need look only as far as the Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima. It boasts a 572-horsepower twin-turbo V8 and a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds.

In our testing, we liked the Ghibli’s around-town driving manners. Furthermore, it’s a comfy highway cruiser. In other words, the Maserati Ghibli is a fun car to drive by any standard. Sadly, it’s somewhat overshadowed by the high-performance variants of other midsize luxury sedans. For instance, the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class performance variants easily come to mind. For our money, the Ghibli has tons of character and is one of the richest exhaust notes you’ll hear anywhere. However, cars like the BMW M5 and the AMG variants of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class continue to set the segment bar.

Fuel Economy

Considering its powerful engines, we aren’t the least bit surprised the Ghibli also returns the poorest estimated mileage numbers. In mixed city-and-highway driving, the all-wheel-drive V6 Ghibli Q4 delivers 20 mpg. This is the lowest estimated mileage in the segment, with 26 mpg being the average, despite more than half of Ghibli’s closest rivals also having standard all-wheel drive. Even lower is the 334 Ultima’s estimated 16 mpg. You can learn more about fuel economy numbers at the EPA website.

Available materials like wood, carbon fiber, and silk dress up the Ghibli’s interior. Is it the most impressive interior in the segment? Not when the Ghibli is up against cabins in the Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. However, we like the Italian flair of Ghibli’s interior styling. There’s plenty of space in the front seats for tall people; however, we found the rear seat is a little tight. On the other hand, with the exception of the wagons in the segment, the trunk cargo room offered by the Ghibli is among the segment’s best.

In our view, the Ghibli’s exterior styling is one of its strongest attributes, making it a standout among midsize luxury sedans. A super-stylish 4-door, it separates itself from the noise of so many look-alikes. It features elegant body lines and a bold front grille bearing a huge Maserati trident emblem. The theme is certainly sporty luxuriousness. Furthermore, with so few Ghibli models on the road, you won’t see yourself coming and going at every turn.

Maserati Highway Assist
This semi-autonomous driver-assistance system can help steer, accelerate, and brake the Ghibli under certain conditions.

Skyhook performance suspension
We really like this suspension that controls the dampers to smooth the ride. Moreover, it also reduces squatting on takeoffs, diving when braking, and body roll when cornering.

Ferrari-designed engines
The twin-turbo V6 and the twin-turbo V8 delivering the Ghibli’s go were engineered in the house of Ferrari.

Adaptive LED headlights
Lighting dark corners during a turn, these headlights swivel following steering input.

Power-adjustable front seats
We are convinced that almost anyone can find the ideal driving position with these 12-way power-adjustable front seats and the power-adjustable steering wheel.

Front console
During our time with the Ghibli, we found the cooler integrated into the center console quite handy.

Each of the two Ghibli trim levels gets its own powertrain. For the Ghibli Moderna Q4, it’s a twin-turbocharged V6, while the 334 Ultima derives thrust from a twin-turbocharged V8. Both rely on an 8-speed automatic transmission to hustle engine output to the wheels. We are thoroughly impressed with both powertrains. Although we find the V8 a blast to drive, we are quite satisfied with the V6, particularly because of the more affordable purchase price and that extra four mpg in fuel economy. According to government calculations, an average driver will save $900 per year with the V6 over the V8. Both engines are built by Ferrari; however, the V8 will go away after the 2024 model run.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

Common among luxury brands, Maserati protects the Ghibli with a bumper-to-bumper limited warranty for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. The same coverage extends to the powertrain. Some rivals, like the Cadillac CT5 (6-year/70,000-mile) and the Jaguar XF (5-year/60,000-mile), have longer powertrain warranties.

Safety Ratings

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has conducted two safety tests on the 2024 Ghibli, resulting in its top score of Good in both; however, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not tested it. Maserati decks out the Ghibli with a hefty bundle of advanced safety tech, including forward automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, a surround-view camera, and more.