2014 Maserati Ghibli

For one reason or another, this is a car people stare at. They might be drawn to its curvaceous shape riding on immense wheels. They could be intrigued by its gaping, blacked-out grille which houses an equally outsized trident logo, or doing quick calculations about the last time they saw a car wearing the name Maserati. It may be its sports-car-like proportions mixed with achingly long, four-door bodywork that draws their eye. Or, and I urge you to consider this theory carefully, the people taking notice of this Maserati Ghibli S Q4 might simply be newly alert after hearing the sound of its exhaust ricocheting off any solid thing nearby as I drive past grinning like a certified asshat. Did you hear an Italianate engine song careening through your Ann Arbor, MI neighborhood, in the black of the early morning, just a few weeks previous? Sorry, guy, that was probably me. I spent a week hammering this all-wheel-drive Ghibli as hard as I dared in the last truly miserable stretch of the God Awful Winter of 2014. I can honestly say that I enjoyed myself, shocked at both the frank way this new challenger luxury car went down the road as well as the attention it garnered in the process. Since the Ghibli left my charge, I've also spent a lot of time thinking about how significantly flawed the newest Maserati is, just how I'd explain that to all of you, and how I almost love it despite its failings. A story of desire and conflict – how Italian. I touched on it already, but it bears repeating that Maserati has designed a truly excellent shape with this latest Ghibli. The third Maserati to wear the nameplate, this sedan is long and lean (more than two inches longer than a BMW 5 Series and four more than a Mercedes-Benz E-Class), with that effect exaggerated by the steeply raked front glass and the 20-inch wheels pushed out to the car's extremities. I don't typically care for white sedans, especially when I have to photograph them in snow-sodden Michigan, but the Bianco paint covered this athletic shape rather well. It has been a long time since I've seen a car as pointed at and fussed over by passing drivers as this one. Forget my opinion on a subject as tempestuous as attractiveness, if you would, but do note that it has been a long time since I've seen a car as pointed at and fussed over by passing drivers as this one. At least for the moment, you're going to struggle to be an anonymous Ghibli driver. Of course, I didn't let any of those lookie-loos take a seat behind the wheel. Had I, some portion of them might have come away considerably less impressed with the interior. The cabin is nice, tidy and well finished, but I don't feel conflicted in saying that it lacks the element of specialness evoked by the Ghibli's exterior. Highlights include a nicely sized steering …
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