diablo1

Technology
The Ghibli definitely has some great features that you would not have expected to find on a Maserati just a few years ago - good nav/control/sound system, auto headlights/high beams, rain sensing windshield wipers, keyless entry/remote start, rearview camera, electric folding mirrors, parking sensors, automatic seat entry/exit adjustment...

However there are plenty of other tech/convenience features that can be found on similar or less expensive German and Japanese cars that aren't even options on the Ghibli. There is no blind spot warning, to answer Hoovey's question... Other missing options that come to mind are: lane departure warning, night vision camera, HUD, wireless hot spot, massage seats, soft close doors, electric closing trunk, smartphone app. There are absolutely better options out there for people who are more tech-focused - Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti all come to mind. The way the car drives is its main selling point. Other reviewers have agreed on that - along with the looks - as the standout aspects of the car.

Dealership experience
Overall the dealership was great. When I went in to look at colors and try to spec out the car, the sales guy was very courteous. He even let me sit in a couple super high-end pre-owned cars they had in stock, even though I was certainly not a potential buyer (Murcielago roadster and Porsche GT). The ordering process was smooth, and the car came exactly as I had ordered it. The dealership also price-matched TireRack for all-season tires, and gave a discount on the installation as well.

The only bump in the road was when I went to fill out all the paperwork for the lease. There were several other customers applying for financing, getting insurance documents taken care of, etc. right at closing time, and the whole process took a couple of hours where in shouldn't really have been more than 30-45 min.

The car looked great when I went to pick it up. Salesman took a lot of time explaining all of the features and helping me to get everything adjusted how I wanted it. They also gave me a couple Maserati branded gifts at delivery, which was a nice touch - some baseball caps, a stainless steel coffee jar/mug, and (my personal favorite) a Matchbox-size Maserati GranTourismo model with a USB memory stick inside.

So overall the experience was good and I'm happy to refer anyone to the sales guy I worked with if you are in the market.

For the Panamera - it is in the same category, but the looks of that car never grew on me, so I didn't go kick the tires. And the least expensive AWD model starts around $83k with minimal included options, so it is actually a more expensive vehicle. The BMW 6 series falls in that category as well.

edgeucated

iTrader: (4)

Looking at the car I would have thought it cost twice as much, certainly above the $100k mark. Buying new must certainly alleviate some of the maintenance pressure too. What a nice upgrade

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I wonder if the bigger more expensive Quattroporte offers some of those features?

The infusion of modern tech and features is great, but it's true when buying an Italian luxury/sport vehicle they have a flare and pedigree that few can match.

SW17LS

Very nice car.

This car is an absolute steal in stature and prestige for the money. My wife is not a car person at all, but being married to me she gets dragged around looking at cars all the time. We were at a local mall before Christmas and they had a Ghibli and a Quattroporte in the center area of the mall. We walked by the Ghibli and I asked her how much she thought that car cost. She knows about what cars cost, we've bought several nice cars, etc. She guessed $160,000. When I showed her the sticker at $74k she was absolutely floored.

A Maserati is so exotic, to have the ability to have a car with that cache at that price point is unbelievable IMHO. I'd buy one but I'd be afraid it would be a little too flashy for my line of work...

diablo1

It sounds funny to say for a car in this price range, but I do think it is an incredible value. As I said, it is not for the tech-obsessed, but to get this kind of performance, quality, and design from an exotic manufacturer (or maybe semi-exotic... still a step below Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti) for $75k base just seems like great bang for the buck. Mine topped out at around $83k and I got ~$2k off in the lease capitalization cost. For that kind of money you are not even looking at performance versions of other midsize luxury cars (Mercedes E63 AMG AWD starts at $100k, BMW M5 at $93k, Audi RS7 at $105k).

My two previous cars, the IS350 and the S5, also were great values at the time, I thought. The Lexus blew all the entry-luxury models out of the water in the mid-2000s with standard features and engine power. The S5 was so much nicer looking than competitors plus had standard AWD and a V8. I think pre-owned R8 V8 and Continental GT V8 are also just a phenomenal amount of car for the money - maybe next time.

As far as rear leg room, I think it is a little bigger than on the IS350 or the S5. Certainly the rear seat bench is much wider. The S5 actually doesn't even have a middle seat back there - seating for four people only.

The engine sound is amazing. I have two short videos that I hope to post on YouTube over the weekend - one in standard mode and one is sport.

Surprisingly, the Quattroporte seems to mostly have the same features as the Ghibli. The interior is a bit upgraded, and the overall size is larger. The standard engine is even the same twin-turbo V6, although the QP gets a 523 hp V8 in the GTS model. At $30k more for the base QP, I think the Ghibli is definitely the better value.

SW17LS

If you don't mind me asking what kind of lease do they have? How are the residuals/money factors?

frank00

one day........maybe one day...
nice man.

mikez

Beautiful and lovely car, congrats!

diablo1

My lease is around $1300/month for 36 months, including all fees, taxes, and interest. I think the residual was 60% and money factor was the equivalent of 6.5% interest. Seems reasonable since the car is about 30% more expensive than my S5 and the lease is about 30% higher per month.

There is also a special lease deal for $899/month before taxes, but it requires a large upfront capital reduction of several thousand dollars. Overall it wasn't a much different deal from the one I got, and I didn't want to do a cap reduction up front.

SW17LS

Thats not terrible, but not great either. For instance an LS would be considerably cheaper at the same MSRP, and you could lease an S Class at higher MSRP for that or less. The killer is the interest rate. The interest rate for my GS lease for instance is 1.68%.

spwolf

Fiat does not have access to cheap capital due to state of their financials (terrible) so thats one of the problems that Marchionne always mentions when he compares Fiat to german manufacturers (he accused VW of being unfair competition in EU due to that).

SW17LS

I'm surprised they aren't using the avenues they use to lease out Chrysler and Jeep models. Jeep for instance has pretty good leases with low MFs through Ally, Chrysler Financial & Hann Financial.

diablo1

The current lease deal on a 2014 S550, ~$98k MSRP, is $1499/month with over $6k due at signing:
http://www.fairfieldmotorcars.com/au...sid-30490.html
http://www.mbencino.com/specials/new/

And this does not include tax, so for a NY state resident like me it would be over $1600/month.

The Lexus LS deal is $899/month + tax with almost $4k at signing.
http://www.yourlexusdealer.com/New_Y.../LS/index.html

You can get the same monthly payment on a Ghibli S Q4 but you'll have to put up more like $10k at signing ($8k cap reduction + first month's payment, etc.):
http://criswellmaserati.com/Specials-New.aspx

Maybe they figure since the car is already competitively priced based on MSRP, they don't have to offer great lease deals to attract business, at least during the first few months that the Ghibli is available. My lease is through Ally.

SW17LS

The lease deals don't tell you much, they typically are MSRp, low miles. Once you play around with the figures, negotiate the purchase price, etc you wind up with something vastly different than MSRP. Once the S Class fervor has died down you can absolutely lease one for $1300-1400 per month with nothing down. LS can be had about $1k a month with nothing down.

The Maserati is still a really good buy though, in order to have cheap lease deals though you need volume.

LexFather

Ghilbi offers red leather, the others do not

Maserati wins