2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4 410 Hp POV Test Drive

Review

2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4

The Ghibli is a direct descendant of Maserati’s flagship, the Quattroporte. It is more compact, lighter, more economical and therefore slightly friendlier to the bank account. With this car, Maserati wants to charm an audience that usually opts for German gründlichkeit . We found out with the 410 hp Ghibli S Q4.

We drove the Ghibli S Q4. This top version is four-wheel drive and has a 3 liter V6 BiTurbo petrol engine. The engine produces 410 hp and has a torque of 550 Nm. The Ghibli S Q4 goes from 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of 284 km/h. So there are no limiters, unless you as a driver set this yourself via the Active Speed Limiter. The S Q4 is 0.2 seconds faster than the rear-wheel drive Ghibli S and even 0.1 seconds faster than its big brother, the Quattroporte S Q4. Except for the drive, the S and the S Q4 are almost the same in terms of specifications. For petrol drivers, the entry-level car is the Ghibli. This also has a 3-liter V6 and delivers 330 hp and 500 Nm of torque. A sprint to 100 km/h takes 5.6 seconds. With the Ghibli S Q4 we did not come close to the car’s limits on our Belgian roads. For daily use, the Ghibli with 330 hp certainly seems to be a good choice, especially because this version will also have better fuel consumption. For the first time in the brand’s history, Maserati now also offers a diesel version. The Ghibli diesel has a 3 liter V6 with single turbo and has a power of 275 hp and a torque of, you read that correctly, 600 Nm. Not bad! The journey to 100 takes 6.3 seconds and the top speed is 250 km/h. Anyway, we drove the Ghibli S Q4 and we were not sad about that.

Four-wheel drive

The drive of the S Q4 is mainly on the rear wheels, as it should be in a sports car. However, when it is necessary for grip or performance, the Q4 system will also send up to 50% of the power to the front wheels to provide optimal grip. When the situation permits, the system switches back to rear-wheel drive. This switching takes only 150 milliseconds and also ensures more favorable consumption. During our test drive it was raining lightly and the road was quite wet. We never had the feeling that the car was losing grip for even 1 millisecond. Even on a short, winding highway entrance, the Ghibli stuck to the road.

All versions of the Ghibli, including the S Q4, use an 8-speed automatic transmission. This gearbox comes from, you guessed it, the new Quattroporte. The automatic transmission does its job well and shifts up and down smoothly when necessary. Those who wish can also take matters into their own hands and switch gears themselves using the paddles behind the steering wheel. What we thought was a shame was that the paddles are not mounted on the handlebars themselves, so they do not rotate with the handlebars. However, this is a matter of preference, because there are more brands that do not mount the paddles on the handlebars themselves. In any case, you can even drive in fully automatic mode and have fun in the car.

How does the Ghibli sound?

Great if you ask us. As is Maserati custom, the sound and performance of the exhaust system are controlled by pneumatic valves in the exhaust. In “normal” mode, the valves are closed and the car sounds subdued and sporty.

With a press of the fun sport button, the Ghibli switches to “Sport mode”. This, among other things, opens the valves in the exhaust system, allowing the exhaust gases to follow the shortest possible route. This gives the Ghibli maximum power and also gives the sports car its typical and unique Maserati sound. Delicious! Creamy in the low revs and raw in the high revs with a tendency to linger a bit. This is certainly one of the best sounding V6 engines we have ever heard and its sound is quite close to the sound of a supercar.

Conclusion

With the Ghibli in all its variants, Maserati can offer an original alternative to yet another A6 or 5 series. The Ghibli turns every ride into a true experience and boasts a beautiful Italian design and appearance, great sound and sporty driving characteristics. Of course, all this beauty also has its price and not every button is in what we feel is the most ergonomically sound position. But we can overlook that, because this is really a car that makes the heart beat faster.

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