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Can any new owners comment on getting used to the joystick shifter? My guess is if you just tap tap tap should be easy...............is it a hard transition?
Joystick shifter
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Once I understood that it behaves more like a conventional shifter moving between P R N D it became easier; one movement can transition from D to P for instance. It's still a little wonky, not as nice as our 4-series, but I don't get hung on it. What's disappointing about it is just gently/accidentally tapping it while driving throws it in manual mode and it's difficult to put it back in auto. It's not like the German cars where you move it to the left for manual and right for auto. Chalk up another Maserati quirk.
Hi rsm,
Your experience of manual/auto is the same as I found on the QP.
It is easy to touch the gear lever (it's so handy) and end up in manual.
I put the car in neutral, then back to Drive to get back to auto at the next set of traffic lights.
Is there an easier way!!
Your experience of manual/auto is the same as I found on the QP.
It is easy to touch the gear lever (it's so handy) and end up in manual.
I put the car in neutral, then back to Drive to get back to auto at the next set of traffic lights.
Is there an easier way!!
Isn't the shifter on this car taken directly from the Chrysler 300/etc.? Probably a Chrysler quirk that Maserati drivers are forced to deal with (though Maserati has always engineered their own quirks.... they're Italian after all 
). I will say the air-light feel of the shifter feels obvious from a cheap Chrysler parts bin, it feels very un-substantial, like an imitation of the Sport Auto joystick in BMW's but clearly not as high quality in feel or design as the real thing.
I understand Maser had to share parts to get the cost so down, but the shifter is such an important tactile thing, that makes a big difference to me in the perception of a car. I wish Maserati designed their own bespoke, cool shifter for this car and used that corner to cut elsewhere....
). I will say the air-light feel of the shifter feels obvious from a cheap Chrysler parts bin, it feels very un-substantial, like an imitation of the Sport Auto joystick in BMW's but clearly not as high quality in feel or design as the real thing.I understand Maser had to share parts to get the cost so down, but the shifter is such an important tactile thing, that makes a big difference to me in the perception of a car. I wish Maserati designed their own bespoke, cool shifter for this car and used that corner to cut elsewhere....
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Or don't cut corners and raise the price! Honestly, I will pay the extra $10-20k for bespoke interior fit and finish, better sound system, etc. The S Q4 had almost all I want in a daily, just shake out the Chrysler gunk and please for the love of God just steal the HUD and iDrive from BMW. These changes would also guarantee exclusivity, which IMO Maserati absolutely must maintain.
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IMO I think you are all nit picking on stuff that is not important........every car has quirks....if the car was 10K or 20K more it would be out of range of their target market. It would be a QP. I do not have mine yet but I bought a Maserati which has a Ferrari built engine a dynamic AWD a Maserati suspension, and a car that drives and looks like a Maserati! Well from what I have read they have done that.......so it is a Chrysler infotainment system.....would you rather they spend a ton of development costs on that and skimped on the engine? So some of the switchgear is Chrysler.......who cares.......you got a Maserati that looks and drives like a Maserati.........for under a $100K (loaded) and IMO well done is it perfect because a more perfect car costs $120k-130K and they have quirks too! Just my opinion..will the car improve over time i hope so..maybe I am drinking my own funny juice maybe I am crazy maybe my standards are too low low???. The exclusivity is the look and the ride not the joystick or infotainment system......Is
Ghibli a Maserati seems to me it is ..IMHO Now when you respond please do not give me buyers remorse LOL
Ghibli a Maserati seems to me it is ..IMHO Now when you respond please do not give me buyers remorse LOL
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Well I understand your pov, but I disagree with your reasoning. I don't want a QP, regardless of price. It's just too large and doesn't handle like the Ghibli. I want the Ghibli, but more refined like the BMW 650 GC. That is the target market for the S Q4 and Maserati fell a little short. The 650's base is a bit more than the S Q4 too, so I think there's room for Maserati to grow its base price and accommodate 6-series customers who'll be expecting more for more. Purely from a driving perspective Maserati has an excellent contender for the 6 GC, but on the whole there are too many cut corners IMHO. Now I'm not saying I'd rather be driving a 650; I likes my S Q4! But as it stands i don't think the Maserati brand is quite enough to sway the average 650 buyer. (drops mic and walks off stage)
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Isn't the infotainment system actually built by harman or panasonic.. Might be collaboration between screen, head, and boards depending on the features? The shared components are a concern and weighing in on my decision to go with the ghibli vs back to bmw.. The Maserati unique factor is terribly appealing though..
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RSM you may be right and time will tell and just maybe I too enamored by the Brand. If you are correct, which you may well be, unless Maserati improves the product even due to a cost increase it will not go well. Actually one of the reasons I bought now was my guess that the price would go up over time and go out of my price range. Hopefully the cost increase is due to improved quality in the areas that have been discussed on this site. Well I get mine in a month or so and can weigh in with actual mileage under my belt. After more thought, this site is representative of they buyers and given the poor feedback on a number of items (sound system, shifter, Sat antenna, plastic parts) and taken as a whole, Maserati better listen......glad i will be leasing after this discussion........and can only hope there is money to be made on the resale in three years.......
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The good news for Maserati is they still have a lot of runway to get the Ghibli off the ground. As you point out, Etodd, we are nitpicking here. Despite my criticism, I believe Maserati has a great start; the Ghibli is 1. too sexy and 2. a phenomenal machine. The problem is Maserati is attempting to make it 3. "affordable". Unfortunately you can only have two of the three in this segment and it's obvious (to me) which one goes.
But again Maserati has enough momentum with the current design and enough room in the market to make corrections to their overall strategy with the Ghibli. For instance, as of 3rd quarter 2013 BMW sold over 20,000 6-series units, probably close to 30,000 for the year. And probably over 300,000 5-series units. There's plenty of market to share here. Lots of niche buyers to scoop up Maserati's target of ~20k or so units for 2014. But the honeymoon won't last long and Maserati will have to compete with German quality, inside and out. I'm hopeful.
But again Maserati has enough momentum with the current design and enough room in the market to make corrections to their overall strategy with the Ghibli. For instance, as of 3rd quarter 2013 BMW sold over 20,000 6-series units, probably close to 30,000 for the year. And probably over 300,000 5-series units. There's plenty of market to share here. Lots of niche buyers to scoop up Maserati's target of ~20k or so units for 2014. But the honeymoon won't last long and Maserati will have to compete with German quality, inside and out. I'm hopeful.
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Makes sense and there the sales volume versus "exclusivity" issue which I believe the current production numbers will allow them to maintain, again over the years there will be many more on the road and with success comes increased production (of course a $1B plant has plenty more capacity than year one production!) but I am also hopeful not so many as to water down the brand which would be a shame.............to have Maserati not elicit wow and ooohs and ahhs when you mention the name especially when you say "I just ordered a Maserati" or just see on driving down the road would be sad...........so all we can do is enjoy the ride now because for the first year we will live the dream!!! As for making it "affordable" unless they are unable to sell the output the price will only go up making it harder to pay to play................hope they are not making to many base models with no options to live up to the $799 and $899 marketing hype.........and hype it is.......because that would be a problem............I believe the word is mostly custom orders coming in........
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I'm sure everyone here has been in or owned other Italian products or high-end exotics; GranTurismo, Ferrari, Lambo, Aston Martin, etc. As for the switchgear and Nav system in a GranTurismo or Ferrari they are NOT high-end by any means. They are junk compared to a Audi, BMW or MB. Aston Martin's switchgear is better but the Nav is horrible also. This IS NOT why you buy a Maserati or a boutique car. If those types of things are of importance, then you have the wrong car. Like a Ferrari, a Maserati is purchased for the feel, performance, engine, mechanical bits, design and emotion…you CAN NOT compare it feature for feature on a spec sheet with a mass produced car like a Audi, BMW or Mercedes; this is simple economics and economies of scale that allow for higher-end parts to be used for minor things like buttons in a car that sells 30, 40 or 100 times as many units as a boutique manufacturer. However, none of the alternative cars will provide the emotion and feel of the Maserati…if the Maserati speaks to you, then you get it for that and the other "stuff" doesn't matter much.
I've spent a lot of time in a BMW GC 640 and 650 and IMO is the closest competitor to the Maserati. The Audi S7 feels completely disconnected as most Audi's do despite performance and loads of technology, the MB CLS550 is focused on luxury (quiet, soft), and the BMW has the sportiest feel and the best interior IMO. HOWEVER, the BMW just doesn't put a grin on my face the way the Ghibli does. While it has more emotion or feel then the other German offerings, it still comes up short compared to the Ghibli when behind the wheel. Additionally, not only is the 650 priced way above the Ghibli ($95k-$110K), but BMW has had lots of problems with reliability on the 6 series cars.
So, while I agree ignoring the minor "bits and pieces" if you are coming from a German car is a shock at first, behind the wheel your mind should be at ease knowing you made the right choice…if not, then the logical side of the brain should have bought the German car.
FYI - Ferrari is also going to be using the Chrysler UConnect Nav system in all it's cars moving forward as it is far superior to what they current have not to mention they will be recalibrating the TT V6 in the Ghibli for their own use.
I've spent a lot of time in a BMW GC 640 and 650 and IMO is the closest competitor to the Maserati. The Audi S7 feels completely disconnected as most Audi's do despite performance and loads of technology, the MB CLS550 is focused on luxury (quiet, soft), and the BMW has the sportiest feel and the best interior IMO. HOWEVER, the BMW just doesn't put a grin on my face the way the Ghibli does. While it has more emotion or feel then the other German offerings, it still comes up short compared to the Ghibli when behind the wheel. Additionally, not only is the 650 priced way above the Ghibli ($95k-$110K), but BMW has had lots of problems with reliability on the 6 series cars.
So, while I agree ignoring the minor "bits and pieces" if you are coming from a German car is a shock at first, behind the wheel your mind should be at ease knowing you made the right choice…if not, then the logical side of the brain should have bought the German car.
FYI - Ferrari is also going to be using the Chrysler UConnect Nav system in all it's cars moving forward as it is far superior to what they current have not to mention they will be recalibrating the TT V6 in the Ghibli for their own use.
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Unless... Maserati is marketing it as a direct competitor to those cars and as a daily driver, which it is!
The Ghibli is not intended to be a weekend boutique car where quirks and quality issues tend to be more or less overlooked. It is competing directly with the high end, four door models from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Porche. Trust me, quality counts in this segment. Right now Maserati is leveraging all its brand can muster and it's working -- for now. Alas, the party will be over soon and it will be judged tit for tat against those German models...
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I never said "weekend" but it IS a boutique car. As a boutique car, you have quality issues. Look at Jaguar who has grown up over the years, but remember them 10 or 20 years ago when they were a tiny brand like Maserati? Yet owners knew the quirkiness of owning one and accepted it in trade off for a wonderful driving experience. Porsche was EXACTLY the same way until the late 90s and arguably even up until the last 5 years.
All I've owned for the past 20 years is Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche and you either realize and accept what you're getting in trade-off for a Maserati or you don't…it's quite simple. If you want better quality "bit pieces" and no quirks then go get a Lexus because even the German's have their quirks, albeit not to the degree of the Ghibli but they most certainly do…namely BMW.
Maserati will fix some of the issues over time, but if anyone is complaining about the Nav not being best in the market or the buttons not being of the quality of a BMW, well then they bought the wrong car…no worries there are thousands of BMW 6 series available at steep discounts. To each is his own but for a enthusiast, the Ghibli is the better car.
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I'll say it one more time:
Maserati is marketing the Ghibli as a direct competitor to the German executive lineup.
The Ghibli is no more a boutique car than a 6-series, A7, or the like. This is war with the Germans. Get it out of your mind that the Ghibli is an exotic car, it's not. Once you understand the marketing segment the Ghibli is priced toward, it will all come together regarding where Maserati needs to make adjustments.
Of course, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Maserati is marketing the Ghibli as a direct competitor to the German executive lineup.
The Ghibli is no more a boutique car than a 6-series, A7, or the like. This is war with the Germans. Get it out of your mind that the Ghibli is an exotic car, it's not. Once you understand the marketing segment the Ghibli is priced toward, it will all come together regarding where Maserati needs to make adjustments.
Of course, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong.
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You are very wrong and there is no war with the Germans. If anyone, Maserati is going after Jaguar who, up for debate, is still somewhat of a boutique brand. The Ghibli is way more a boutique car then a mass produced car like a A7, 6 series or CLS. Get it out of your mind if you think they compete in the same manner a of a brand who sells literally 100x what Maserati sells based mostly on amenities and price…Maserati is NOT going after soccer moms and older folks…if YOU understand the market, you will understand the positioning Maserati is focused on.
Maserati is focused on competing on exclusivity, feel, drive, engine, mechanics…not on bit pieces and technology. Maserati's CEO has said it himself, they are looking to take a small slice out of a huge market dominated by the Germans. They are going after that small segment in the market that wants a drivers car, that wants something different, those that are auto enthusiasts. The majority of the sport/luxury market is made up of soccer moms, old people and those that can't tell you what the displacement of their car's engine is….that is NOT the target market for Maserati.
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