MASERATI GHIBLI BREAKS COVER IN CHINA

The Maserati Ghibli came out at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show and is the Italian marque’s answer to the likes of Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. But of course, this being a Maser means it will be light years more expensive. Or maybe not, we’ll see.

Ghibli measures some 4.97 metres in length, which is about 29cm shorter than the larger Quattroporte. The car features something called Maserati Active Sound system which basically emulates the “Maserati” exhaust tailpipe sound and makes it sound awesome. It’s also apparently the only car in its class to use a standard mechanical limited slip differential that helps with grip.

Staying with performance, the Ghibli is being launched with two engine derivatives of the same motor, which is a 3.0-litre V6 with two turbochargers. The lesser of the two delivers 243kW and 500Nm of torque, is said to return 9.6 litres per 100km and can run from 0 - 100km/h in just 5.6 seconds. I suppose this would be the BMW 540i/ Merc E350/ A6 3.0 T rival.

More potent is the 301kW version with its 550Nm of torque and a 0 – 100km/h in 4.8 seconds. Two powertrains, a Ghibli S (rear-wheel-drive) and S Q4 (all-wheel-drive), are available. Both models can supposedly reach 285km/h, so there’s no so-called “gentlemen’s agreement” on 250km/h here.