Anyone cross shopping Maserati Ghibili against M3

[bimmerjph]

Originally Posted by pkim1079

Looks like infiniti.

Sounds like one too.

[Boss330]

Originally Posted by gee-m-w

The Audi people would lol @ BMW people not being impressed by Italian Masterati interiors.

Then good for them

I mean, who cares what "Audi people" lol at... I prefer my F10 interior over a A6 interior, just as the owner of a A6 probably prefers that over the F10. Or the owner of a Rembrandt prefers that over a Picasso...

[TheWeb]

the only upside to owning the maserati is, you would be the only person owning a maserati. I live in europe and never see them.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by darkalley

It sounds much better in person. Has a 4 year warranty and the residual has yet to be determined as it's a new car My personal opinion is it will have a higher residual than a comparably equipped 550 as it will appeal to a wider group. It's selling very well from what I have read and having been in the car the fit and finish is great. It's not a M3 fighter but a 550 fighter (it's not a small car).

I think you're dead wrong about the residual. Maserati resale is horrible in the US. Take a look at what at GT goes for with low miles. Or a QP. Not going to change overnight.

[imserious]

Why does the interior look like an American car? Was Maserati bought by GM or something?

No thank you.

Almost makes the M3 look like a steal.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by imserious

Why does the interior look like an American car? Was Maserati bought by GM or something?

No thank you.

Almost makes the M3 look like a steal.

Fiat owns Maserati, Chrysler ( and Ferrari ). Apparently the Ghibli is based on the Chrysler 300 in some areas but it also uses a Ferrari built engine. Some good some bad I guess.

[imserious]

Originally Posted by solstice

Fiat owns Maserati, Chrysler ( and Ferrari ). Apparently the Ghibli is based on the Chrysler 300 in some areas but it also uses a Ferrari built engine. Some good some bad I guess.

Makes sense, but I really do hate the parts bin approach to developing cars.

[Sy546]

The mas is selling well bc people want to pretend like they are actual maserati rich. I test drove the car and i hated it. People were putting down deposits tho. All of them who drove benz/bmw. Basically all people who just want to buy the brand. Not the car.

M3/M4 is going to be a way better car w/ better resale/reliability/driving experience.

[Needsdecaf]

I've been seeing them around more often where I live (point against the whole Maserati thing, IMO) and decided mayyyyyyyybe they didn't look as bad as the first one I saw.

So Thursday, I had a huge work meeting that I have been prepping for two weeks for. It went well and I was out fairly early and there was no way in hell I was going back to work after that. My ride home takes me past dealers of every high end Marque except Bentle, Ferrari and Rolls. So I decided to stop in and seeing what this was all about.

After being greeted by a massively hot young woman with a killer body and a great face (albeit with way too much makeup) she informed me that she was the only one really covering the sales floor, and that she was sorry, but she was working with a client and about to go out for a test drive. She opened up one of the Ghiblis on the showroom floor and said she would be back in 20 minutes (yes, they keep them locked).

First thing I noticed was the nasty-ass Jeep / Chrysler infotainment system. Seriously, this thing was lifted from the Grand Cherokee....of about 3 years ago. I recently sat in a 2014 GC SRT and it had a newer version of U Connect than this. Sheesh. But, I said, it's a Maserati, let's think about the more important things.

So I spent some time looking around the interior. First, I got comfortable. Or tried to. There isn't a lot of room in the car. There certainly isn't the legroom in the 5 series. I sort of got comfortable, even though the wheel didn't really telescope out far enough. The seat, like many for me, lacked thigh support. Headroom was limited, but it's probably not all that much less than in the 5 series. But it definitely was less.

The wheel....well, it was horrid. It was a part wood wheel (not sure if that was optional or not) but it was the worst one I had ever seen. The wood is around the rim in a band, on the outer edge. And it makes the wheel have to have ridges around it to place the wood strip. It's terrible. You can't even see it, it just makes the wheel uncomfortable.

Next, I played around with the dash. There's leather around, but it's not as quality as the nappa in the BMW. The gauge bezel is small, and the display between the gauges isn't very high quality. Then I grabbed the trim around the gauges. The chrome trim was cheap. The plastic shroud was cheap and creaked when I pushed on it. Naff.

The start button is on the left of the wheel, kind of buried in a stupid position. My Porsche starter is on the left, but at least you can see it.

The secondary controls aren't anything special. Oh, there are no shift paddles. They're optional, even on the SQ4.

That Nav / Infotainment is horrible. It's the same as in a Dodge Dart, if I'm not mistaken.

In any event, I was pretty nonplussed.

I opened the door to check out the back seat. They are frameless, and they're not particularly quality feeling. I opened the rear door, and man, was I in for a shock. There wasn't as much leg room back there as in a 3 series!! Seriously, I couldn't even sit behind myself. And I can in an F30. I would equate it to the rear seat space of an E90. Not good.

The trunk is not really very big. Same as a F30, I would say.

So the hottie wasn't back yet, so I walked around the car. Meh, it's ok, but it's pretty bloated and distorted looking when you look at it. The car had 18" wheels on it and they looked very small. So I was not blown away.

It's a good thing I hadn't looked at the window sticker for this steaming heap of mediocrity. Because it was only $87,500.

Seriously, The car has 400 HP, and less than 400 ft-lbs if I recall. It's not particularly good looking. The interior is pretty nasty....I think that the new Acura RLX feels more upscale, aside from it's fake wood. And I don't think it's that much of a stretch to say that.

In the end, the hottie came back, and I told her thanks, but no thanks. I just wasn't that interested. It's not all that great of a car.

[Tonymiabmw]

Maserati sucks! I see more on tow trucks broken down then any other car, and trust me one out of 20 cars is a Maserati here in south Miami. Good luck if you own one! Italian made drivetrain and transmission hahahah! At least Ferrari and Lamborghini know their trannies suck and use German made ones!

[zuggerat89]

No manual option. However, the engine sounds pretty good.

[ss134]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

I will say this though: if there were a Italian car that was designed expressly to compete in the same class as the 3/4 Series and M3/M4, it would be certainly be refreshing and would make for an intriguing shake-up in the market.

Alfa has the Giulia coming, so lets see how it plays out. And with their return to the US market coming (hopefully, assuming it is not delayed again), maybe we'll even see that car on our roads too.

I've owned 2 new Alfas and both of them were in the garage getting repaired almost monthly - the car had warning lights the day I collected it for the first time from the dealer! I would never buy an Italian car as a daily driver.

[Tonymiabmw]

Originally Posted by ss134

I've owned 2 new Alfas and both of them were in the garage getting repaired almost monthly - the car had warning lights the day I collected it for the first time from the dealer! I would never buy an Italian car as a daily driver.

Plus how is Ghibili in the same class it does 0-60 in 5.4?

[darkalley]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

I think you're dead wrong about the residual. Maserati resale is horrible in the US. Take a look at what at GT goes for with low miles. Or a QP. Not going to change overnight.

Take a look at what happened to Land Rover and the residual on the Range Rover Sports (which happened overnight for Land Rover). People want exclusivity and most are always reaching for cars. In my opinion, there are less enthusiasts than there are people looking to show off at the country club. I am simply looking at it as, what will turn heads and be more desirable to a larger set of people in 24 months??? -- a loaded used M3 or a Maserati Ghibli. In my opinion the Ghibli (used and lets say at $55k) has the potential to be another Range Rover Sport because of this larger appeal to people looking to stand out. Here is the Range Rover Sport press release two years after the launch. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...-58951452.html

If I told you in 2006 the highest residual for a luxury car in 24 months would be a Range Rover you would have laughed even harder... The general population want exclusivity and flash. I think this will drive the residual of the Ghibli w a CPO program more than the tested and engineered performance M3. Maserati's issue now is one of awareness. With the Ghibli now, SUV next year and the 911 fighter the following year PLUS Fiat investing heavily in the brand which is clear with the appointment of Saad Chehab to the brand http://www.freep.com/article/2013111...ysler-Maserati
I think awareness will no longer be the issue.

I work in the auto industry and my clients are BMW, Audi, Tesla, Mercedes, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes, Aston and Bentley so I am speaking based on my personal knowledge of the industry and the players.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by darkalley

Take a look at what happened to Land Rover and the residual on the Range Rover Sports (which happened overnight for Land Rover). People want exclusivity and most are always reaching for cars. In my opinion, there are less enthusiasts than there are people looking to show off at the country club. I am simply looking at it as, what will turn heads and be more desirable to a larger set of people in 24 months??? -- a loaded used M3 or a Maserati Ghibli. In my opinion the Ghibli (used and lets say at $55k) has the potential to be another Range Rover Sport because of this larger appeal to people looking to stand out. Here is the Range Rover Sport press release two years after the launch. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...-58951452.html

If I told you in 2006 the highest residual for a luxury car in 24 months would be a Range Rover you would have laughed even harder... The general population want exclusivity and flash. I think this will drive the residual of the Ghibli w a CPO program more than the tested and engineered performance M3. Maserati's issue now is one of awareness. With the Ghibli now, SUV next year and the 911 fighter the following year PLUS Fiat investing heavily in the brand which is clear with the appointment of Saad Chehab to the brand http://www.freep.com/article/2013111...ysler-Maserati
I think awareness will no longer be the issue.

I work in the auto industry and my clients are BMW, Audi, Tesla, Mercedes, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes, Aston and Bentley so I am speaking based on my personal knowledge of the industry and the players.

I have friends in the industry, many friends. I go by what these cars go for at auction, not the lease residual values. To me, that's the real bottom line.

Masers go for rock bottom prices as auction.

[darkalley]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

I have friends in the industry, many friends. I go by what these cars go for at auction, not the lease residual values. To me, that's the real bottom line.

Masers go for rock bottom prices as auction.

What are two year old Ghibli's going for at auction now? Oh that's right we are talking about a car 2 years from now.... I am stating that I believe that (like the Land Rover Sport) in two years the Ghibli will have a strong residual which like the fullsize Range Rover in 2008 had zero impact on the Range Rover Sport. You can't factor in the QP.

Other fun facts on residuals...
https://www.alg.com/insights/depreciation-ratings/

The BMW M5 1star
BMW has 10 cars that are 2 stars
Now they do have 5, 3 star cars (including the M3).

[jbockrd]

All luxuries need to have value to us personally. Some like flash and attention (like the patient I just saw with a gold Rolex president watch). Yes it was expensive, I hope he liked it, but I saw it as way over the top. Maserati reminds me of that watch. I like subtle watches that are unique and somewhat understated sleepers, like IWCs or small independent watchmakers. That's why I like the M4, everyone around me owns a damn Porsche and/or an Audi. Its more unique, and really the only thing that matters is if whether I like it or not.

[NewM3driver]

Any thoughts on the new GHIBLI? Looks nice but I'm not sure on the quality/reliability side of things

[Powaup]

One word: NO

[Grock]

One word: NO

[stressdoc]

Meh, reasonable comparison to F80; it would be interesting to see which is fastest around Green Monster.

[/// M sa]

It's ugly, sat in one and hated it.