Anyone cross shopping Maserati Ghibili against M3

[mbiondo]

I cannot for the life of me comprehend why you guys even remotely think the Ghibli competes with an M3/M4. FAC built the Ghibli as a GT competitor to the 5 and E class cars. If you want a fair comparison, FAC is bringing here the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV, which is in fact a direct competitor to the M3. Wait for the Giulia to come out, compare, and report back. Please...

[XenaBimmer]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

So you're pushing for more than $20K off MSRP / better than under $800/mo. or did they start higher and that's your target?

$20k off is the starting point on the $95k model believe it or not

[XenaBimmer]

Originally Posted by mbiondo

I cannot for the life of me comprehend why you guys even remotely think the Ghibli competes with an M3/M4. FAC built the Ghibli as a GT competitor to the 5 and E class cars. If you want a fair comparison, FAC is bringing here the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV, which is in fact a direct competitor to the M3. Wait for the Giulia to come out, compare, and report back. Please...

Ghibli is definitely not a direct competitor, it's just in the same price range with these huge discounts and intriguing. But, 2 totally different cars other than possible fun factor/enjoyment to drive and own

[tareemaa]

If you want a comfortable, fast, luxury car with pretty good road presence than go for it, but I'd lowball the shit out of them. I rented one in Cali and it it did sound awesome but it was way to soft of a ride for me, I'm sure the S is different. Try testing the M3 and ghibli back to back to get a feel for both. Make sure you keep it under warranty as well, they're reliability concerns me.

[SF_DCT]

I definitely did cross shop the Ghibli SQ4. Looks and sound as well as price had me intrigued. Ultimately I decided to scrap the idea for a few main reasons:

1) Interior quality felt quite poor, and in certain areas looked like a grab bag of parts. The shift paddles felt like plastic.

2) Visibility was awkward. For me, the pillars seemed to be placed in the worst places, and the C pillar is really thick.

3) Limp accelerator pedal feel - strange how little resistance there is

4) Concerning issues on the Ghibli forums - check it out, lots of reports on cracked chassis components.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by XenaBimmer

$20k off is the starting point on the $95k model believe it or not

Hard to imagine how they do the residuals if they are 20%+ depreciation before the car is even leased. What kind of residual and and MF are they using in their 36-mo. / 12-15k mile lease programs?

[SocalDude]

I leased a Maserati Ghibli SQ4 a year ago, fully loaded with an MSRP of over 94K. Having owned/leased many BMWs in the past, I though I would try something new. The Ghibli looks pretty nice from the outside. But that is all. The car is a piece of junk. The "upgraded sound system" was terrible. Just terrible. The front suspension would hit the ground when I went over speed bumps slowly. The interior was cheap. The exhaust sounded like a Honda with a broken muffler. The engine was sluggish. The transmission was clumsy. I got rid of the car within 3 months and got an M5. The M5 is a million times better. Fast. Great engine. Fantastic double-clutch transmission. The best heads-up display in the industry. The German cars are so much more refined and on the cutting edge of technology. I will never lease/buy another Maserati. The Ghibli does not even come close to touching the M3/M4. Don't let the Ghibli special deals fool you. Run for the hills!

[SF_DCT]

Originally Posted by SocalDude

I leased a Maserati Ghibli SQ4 a year ago, fully loaded with an MSRP of over 94K. Having owned/leased many BMWs in the past, I though I would try something new. The Ghibli looks pretty nice from the outside. But that is all. The car is a piece of junk. The "upgraded sound system" was terrible. Just terrible. The front suspension would hit the ground when I went over speed bumps slowly. The interior was cheap. The exhaust sounded like a Honda with a broken muffler. The engine was sluggish. The transmission was clumsy. I got rid of the car within 3 months and got an M5. The M5 is a million times better. Fast. Great engine. Fantastic double-clutch transmission. The best heads-up display in the industry. The German cars are so much more refined and on the cutting edge of technology. I will never lease/buy another Maserati. The Ghibli does not even come close to touching the M3/M4. Don't let the Ghibli special deals fool you. Run for the hills!

Thanks for confirming my priors! I also went the M5 route and couldn't be happier.

[mbiondo]

[QUOTE=SocalDude;The German cars are so much more refined and on the cutting edge of technology.[/QUOTE]

That's funny, the Maserati forums will tell you just the opposite, and frankly, if you ever get the chance to visit one, you'll quickly learn that everyone there came from a BMW 5 and vows never to go back to a "boring car". It's just an opinion, sure, but "German cars are so much more refined and on the cutting edge of technology" is laughable. I agree that Italian cars do lack all the electronic gimcrackery of German cars, but an enthusiast will tell you that's a good thing. Merc's have so much junk on them that I'm not sure that the drivers has anything to do anymore. It's cutting edge technology. And it's ridiculously boring, too.

[Bonovox]

I owned a Ghibli Q4s for 4 months. Csme from an M5. Went to an M4.

Sounds great. Exclusivity. Car was beautiful; interior felt great despite Chrysler parts. Very functional with awd and folding rear seats. I got all kinds of thumbs up...from old ladies, valets, everyone....the only finger I get in the BMW is the middle one...cars got out of my way on highway thinking it was a super car bearing down on them.

They couldn't have been more wrong. That car was a sheep in wolfs clothing. Sounded the part, looked the part, but boy, you really didn't feel comfortable going 120 mph in that car. I mean seriously, i had to let a girl in a corolla S go by me at 110 mph Ina curvy section of highway because I just didn't feel confident.

So yeah, the valet will always keep the car out front, but it's not a performance sports sedan.

Part of me still misses that car today...,maybe the new Alfa?

[XenaBimmer]

Residual is total crap, only 49% for 36 month lease, but the mf is really good right now at .00025, so between that and the huge discounts, good leases can be had

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by XenaBimmer

Residual is total crap, only 49% for 36 month lease, but the mf is really good right now at .00025, so between that and the huge discounts, good leases can be had

Actually considering the car depreciated over 20% before the lease even started, seems like they must be subsidizing the 49% residual too so deals are reflecting major discount, subsidized residual and subsidized MF. They obviously can't move these cars. I wouldn't judge the attractiveness of the deal on MSRP though since that is a fantasy price. I'd compare it to other cars you like and if you like the Ghibli car at its price better than others at their prices then it is a good deal. Otherwise, the fact that the MSRP is $90K+ is meaningless.

[yeuchau]

Should be direct competitor with 5, E, A6/S6.
Don't think it will be a good purchase, but lease deals are great.
You could probably get Q4s at a price of 535 lease.

[NickRac]

Originally Posted by Bonovox

I owned a Ghibli Q4s for 4 months. Csme from an M5. Went to an M4.

Sounds great. Exclusivity. Car was beautiful; interior felt great despite Chrysler parts. Very functional with awd and folding rear seats. I got all kinds of thumbs up...from old ladies, valets, everyone....the only finger I get in the BMW is the middle one...cars got out of my way on highway thinking it was a super car bearing down on them.

They couldn't have been more wrong. That car was a sheep in wolfs clothing. Sounded the part, looked the part, but boy, you really didn't feel comfortable going 120 mph in that car. I mean seriously, i had to let a girl in a corolla S go by me at 110 mph Ina curvy section of highway because I just didn't feel confident.

So yeah, the valet will always keep the car out front, but it's not a performance sports sedan.

Part of me still misses that car today...,maybe the new Alfa?

All show and no go! I made that mistake with a Maserati GranTourismo MC - I'll never make that mistake again!

[mbiondo]

Originally Posted by Bonovox

I owned a Ghibli Q4s for 4 months. Csme from an M5. Went to an M4.

Sounds great. Exclusivity. Car was beautiful; interior felt great despite Chrysler parts. Very functional with awd and folding rear seats. I got all kinds of thumbs up...from old ladies, valets, everyone....the only finger I get in the BMW is the middle one...cars got out of my way on highway thinking it was a super car bearing down on them.

They couldn't have been more wrong. That car was a sheep in wolfs clothing. Sounded the part, looked the part, but boy, you really didn't feel comfortable going 120 mph in that car. I mean seriously, i had to let a girl in a corolla S go by me at 110 mph Ina curvy section of highway because I just didn't feel confident.

So yeah, the valet will always keep the car out front, but it's not a performance sports sedan.

Part of me still misses that car today...,maybe the new Alfa?

Yes, the new Alfa!! I am losing sleep just thinking of the Giulia. It's beautiful from every angle, and 510hp are hard to ignore.

[XenaBimmer]

After having the Ghibli SQ4 for almost a month and over 700 miles, I have to say I am very happy with the car, especially considering the price; I'm leasing this car w/ a $93k MSRP for quite a bit less than it would have been for a '16 M3 with minimal options.
I TOTALLY disagree with anyone saying the interior quality is poor!! This interior FAR exceeds my former F30 328 and an F80 M3, even with the full leather option. Everything is either leather, carbon fiber, or aluminum. The shift paddles are solid metal and have a great feel to them; I have no idea what other's are smoking when they say they feel cheap. I have had 2 Porsches with PDK and shift paddles, and these on the Ghibli feel 10x better than those even. And honestly who cares that the MTC (multimedia system) is shared with Chrysler?! It works very well and has it's own Maserati theme so I could care less. I much prefer it to the BMW iDrive.
Power and handling are the only two things it lacks behind the F80, however, mine has the Skyhook adaptive suspension and when in Sport mode, it handles well enough. Power is probably just a bit better than a new 340i, however, a quick tune has proven to put the SQ4 right above 12.0 in the 1/4 on 93 octane, so I'm not concerned there either. Fully daily driver reliability is kept as well.
So, you could say I'm pleasantly surprised and happy with the Ghibli SQ4! I'll always still have a thing for Bimmers, but atleast for the next couple years, I'll be glad to drive this Mas!