[cmorv]

Well... actually just around the dealers parking lot, the Ghibli was not certified yet to drive. Quite loud with the Sport setting engaged! I was told Monday for first real test drive. Car was a Silver Q4, minimal options, $81,000. I was told by the dealer they expected two more Spec cars next week. Lease rates should be released on Monday, deliveries starting next week. The only Maserati dealership in Rhode Island.

 

[pitchfork]

:O

Did you get any photos or videos?

 

[cmorv]

Pictures from Test Drive

Today I had a chance to test drive the car! First impressions; very loud ( I like), long throttle delay (better in sport mode), very light steering( compared to my 535i M Sport) even in sport mode. This car had minimal options, maybe with the sport suspension the steering would firm up? The base 18" wheels, not impressed at all, very plain, tires look undersized. Dealer has a Black/Tan combo with 20" wheels coming in next week. Not officially released yet, so no lease rates, dealer says any day he should have the Ghibli lease programs for November.

 

[Ganny]

Today I had a chance to test drive the car! First impressions; very loud ( I like), long throttle delay (better in sport mode), very light steering( compared to my 535i M Sport) even in sport mode. This car had minimal options, maybe with the sport suspension the steering would firm up? The base 18" wheels, not impressed at all, very plain, tires look undersized. Dealer has a Black/Tan combo with 20" wheels coming in next week. Not officially released yet, so no lease rates, dealer says any day he should have the Ghibli lease programs for November.

If you did not already own a 535i, and had to choose between the Ghibli and the 535i, which would you choose? Also, do you have any pics of the black leather interior?

 

[cmorv]

I would chose the Ghibli, although there is a $15K difference. Totally different cars, not sure most people would happy cross shopping a 5 series or E class. The Germans have all the bell and whistles, but not as engaging to drive. Ghibli handled great, sounds like a Ferrari, looks sexy. I think you would need to step up to a M or AMG model to get better performance and handling. IMHO.

 

[mets2010]

I went today to test drive but unfortunately the car was out being clear bra'd, i sat in another one and fell in love, i was thinking of trading my 550i m sport for it, the dealer did say he expected them to lease between 12-1300 a month which i think is high for a 75-83k car. the BMW is a 79k MSRP and leases under 1k

 

[cmorv]

I'm hoping Maserati residuals values are somewhere 55%-60% for 3/36 lease and a .002 money factor or less, this will make it somewhat competitive with the Germans?

 

[pitchfork]

Today I had a chance to test drive the car! First impressions; very loud ( I like), long throttle delay (better in sport mode), very light steering( compared to my 535i M Sport) even in sport mode. This car had minimal options, maybe with the sport suspension the steering would firm up? The base 18" wheels, not impressed at all, very plain, tires look undersized. Dealer has a Black/Tan combo with 20" wheels coming in next week. Not officially released yet, so no lease rates, dealer says any day he should have the Ghibli lease programs for November.

hm... wonder why there would be a throttle delay... do you think its the transmission?

not a fan of light steering.. did it at least stiffen up after getting to higher speeds?

 

[anderson_b76]

Throttle response and steering is subjective. Personally, BMW's like the E90 3 series were way too stiff...it isn't a McLaren and don't want that stiff of steering for a daily driver.

 

[cmorv]

I agree, totally subjective, steering was very light at all speeds, but still very direct and precise. Throttle "delay" was more a function of the programming of the transmission, noticeable improvement when I selected the sport mode.

 

[Joey]

Throttle response is all due to the pedal being just a electrical input not a real throttle, the exponential rates are set poorly in my opinion. I am sure there is some reason for it. My Mini is the same way, sport mode changes the parameters and normally you can buy an after market add on to make it feel more responsive, but sadly all it does is change the reaction of the pedal and truly does nothing for performance.

 

[Ganny]

Today I had a chance to test drive the car! First impressions; very loud ( I like), long throttle delay (better in sport mode), very light steering( compared to my 535i M Sport) even in sport mode. This car had minimal options, maybe with the sport suspension the steering would firm up? The base 18" wheels, not impressed at all, very plain, tires look undersized. Dealer has a Black/Tan combo with 20" wheels coming in next week. Not officially released yet, so no lease rates, dealer says any day he should have the Ghibli lease programs for November.

Why does the window sticker say the color is "Silver" when there is no "Silver" color identified in the Ordering Guide or the online configurator?

 

[SwissGhibli]

Silver is the grigio metallo, then a bit more grey is grigio and then grigio maratea... Attached is photo from my official catalog book..

 

[rsm]

That looks more like it and is a lot like what I am hoping for (and what my dealer promised!)

 

[Ganny]

The Grigio Maratea from the catalog book does appear much darker than any Ghibli photo i've seen that purports to be that color!

 

[SwissGhibli]

The Grigio Maratea from the catalog book does appear much darker than any Ghibli photo i've seen that purports to be that color!

Yup... I think rsm hit the nail on the head with his last post in the other thread about grigio maratea with proteo.. Also ordered the car with the dark grey in mind as my dealer described it. The catalog maratea is just a little lighter than nero ribello, but I think the video of rsm is basically the best example and probably only true maratea anyway.. Very excited since that video has the 21 inch on the maratea and looks great

 

[ratti]

The Grigio Maratea from the catalog book does appear much darker than any Ghibli photo i've seen that purports to be that color!

it's always like this, from what i've seen. another reason for looking for real world photo's if you're unable to see one in person as yet, but nothing beats seeing them in person!

 

[maserwannabe]

Finally...test drove the base version today. Grey exterior...total beauty...looked like the quattraporte at first blush. Personally it looks better than the QP. Interior was two-tone tan and black. Looked like a no frills simple but tastefully-designed space. I am 6 ft and was able to sit comfortably while leaving just enough room for another 6 footer right behind me. I am just a lowly 540i driver but i have to say the base version just rocked. I could not sense perceptible throttle delay. The car handles beautifully in both sport and normal modes. It handles better than 540i (which handles beautifully). Trunk room is large. Car feels sporty and not too glamorous inside.

 

[vuem5]

I test drove the sq4 here on Friday. Here's my impression

Look and feel:
The cars front looks a lot better than the rear in person. IMO the rear could have benefited greatly by having a bigger boot spoiler like the QP as well as a small rear bumperette right between the exhausts like found on the QP. It just doesn't look "complete" compared to QP. Perhaps something for the aftermarket to take care of.
The car needs 20 or 21 inch wheels to look right. 18,19 in wheels make it look funny , almost cartoonish because of the round fenders.
The rear seat space is almost insultingly tiny. I'm 6 feet and I moved the driver seat back to sit comfortably, then I went back and sat down right behind the driver and my knees were cramped like sardines. The rear seat room is on par with maybe 3 series at most. This is the biggest disappointment IMO about this car. An 90k you are getting same room in the back as a 3 series...
The car I drove was equipped with premium sound which was quite nice ( although I have nothing to compare it to )
The electronics are ok but not great. There is a slight lag when switching functions (ac/radio/etc), but it's bearable. BMW and Audi s systems are several levels magnitude more advanced then this one, but it's definitely usable.
Driving & handling
The handling and breaking and ride is fantastic. Steering is light but precise. Throttle response is quite sluggish even in sports mode. You literally have to punch the pedal to make it go. Once it goes you feel a wave of power come on and you go fast-ish. Power subsides at the top end pretty abruptly ( as the case with lots of turbo v6s ), so if manually shifted you need to pay attention to engine "sweet spots". Power is strong but not violent. Honestly I think it's probably a 5 second 0-60 car rather the 4.5 like some were hoping. Hopefully aftermarket software will address that in some point in the future

Overall: I'm still pleased with the car overall but it's far from perfect. I'm still getting a white sq4 like in the pic , despite few disappointing features about the car. This is going to be my wife's car and she absolutely loved it because of its compact "feel".

P.s. For reference I owned the following cars before : 540i, e39 m5, e60 m5, 911 tt ( current )

 

[cmorv]

Great review, I agree with most of your comments. At close $90k there are other options, M5's and E63's are not much more $$ and probably will lease out around the same?