FIRST DRIVE | Maserati Ghibli Hybrid ups voltage, cuts displacement
We are in a state of flux probably not seen since the move from horse to horseless-carriage.
The transition from internal combustion and the private car ownership model to electrification, autonomy and sharing concepts is well under way.
And every automaker is aboard the future-forward ship, including racing pedigreed, high-octane, displacement-intensive carmakers like Maserati.
Their next instalment of the GranTurismo will relegate V8 power to the chronicles of yesteryear, adopting fully-electric power trains instead.
Consider the Ghibli Hybrid pictured here as a minor prelude, a toe dipped in the water, before the firm plants its iconic trident right into the plug outlet for good.
The idea of a performance sedan that uses an engine and an electric motor is neither radical nor difficult to palate. Competitors have been doing it for years. Think back to pioneers like the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 and 5 of 2012, for example. Or Lexus, even further back.
The Ghibli is still powered by a traditional engine, of course, but not a howling six-shooter or eight-pot.
Instead you get a four-cylinder petrol unit with a capacity of 1,998cc, bolstered by a single-scroll turbocharger.
Then the hybrid part comes in. Not with a conventional electric motor capable of hustling the car along in complete silence and with zero emissions.
Rather, it's with a 48-volt set-up that powers an energy-recovering belt-starter generator and an eBooster. Apart from sounding cool, the eBooster provides a kick at low engine speed, in that usual flat spot before the turbocharger spools up and does its business.
It also provides spurts of additional thrust when on the move, if you were to floor it with the car in Sport mode, for example.
The combined output on paper is impressive, at 330kW and 450Nm. In real life, the Ghibli Hybrid is expedient, but not quick to the point where it shoves you in your seat. The quoted 0-100km/h sprint time is 5.7 seconds, a number that could make you prime fodder for certain hot hatchbacks.
But members from such a fraternity lack what the Ghibli possesses in glamour and charisma. Yes, it is muted for a Maserati – even though it does burp politely on upshift. But nobody can take away the significance of that emblem on its prow and what it represents.
This is an exclusive brand steeped in heritage. And from behind the wheel of the Ghibli Hybrid, you still feel like a star. If anything, the hybrid power train encourages a genteel, leisurely approach to driving. A character that errs firmly on the touring side of life, rather than the hard-and-fast, mountain-carving persona that might be afforded by the fire-breathing Trofeo version.
The Ghibli was first launched back in 2013, but we can all agree that it has aged superbly. Its proportions and overall profile are nothing short of exquisite, with a sense of underlying aggression. The Hybrid is set apart by subtle blue accents, extending to the brake calipers, side gills, as well as the bolt in the trident on the C-pillar.
Inside, it is textbook Maserati: swathes of soft hide, accompanied by that distinctive and pungent smell. Some would equate it to the smell of success. Yes, kinship of certain switchgear with other parts of the Stellantis family tree (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge) are still evident. But did we think they would go through the costly task of developing bespoke buttons for a car so late in its life-cycle?
Forget about it! Or, as they like to say in the classic mafia movies, fuggedaboudid! On the plus side, an upgraded infotainment system with improved resolution and clarity, remedies criticisms of before.
Speaking of criticisms, the biggest one that reared its head during our 118km test drive was the intrusiveness of the semi-autonomous steering assistant. It would go mad if you so much as sniffed a solid line. And its noticeable, unprompted squirming in the hands bordered on unnerving – almost as if a person were having a small fight with the car. Luckily, the system can be switched off.
What kind of economy did we extract from our Ghibli Hybrid? Average consumption after the test stint read 11.3l/100km, fair, but one could easily extract even lower digits with some effort. Since the diesel version of the Ghibli was culled, this derivative serves as the entry-point into the range. All yours for upwards of R1.6m.