Maserati Ghibli Trofeo test: waltz with Poseidon

 

 

The Maserati Ghibli is slowly approaching its 8 years. She is therefore taking advantage of the 2021 vintage to powder her nose again and rethink for the occasion the two extremes of the range, namely the entry and the top. The entry is now represented by the Ghibli Hybrid which inherits the 4 cylinders of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce associated with a light 48V hybridization instead of the V6 Diesel, while the range At its peak wins the famous 3.8 L Biturbo V8 shared with Ferrari and which we have already encountered under the hood of the Levante SUV. The Ghibli thus logically inherits the same name “Trofeo”.

 

Discreet update, but successful

Slightly retouched in 2018, the Ghibli undergoes for its 8th year of existence a second facelift in order to hold out for a few more years before a hypothetical replacement. Nothing is less certain since the arrival of the small SUV Grecale. The aesthetic changes are minor but rather successful for my taste. On the outside, the grille adopts vertical double branches, with a lacquered black or chrome finish depending on the version chosen (matching the outline of the windows). The biggest change made concerns the rear optics (smoke on the GranSport versions) which greatly participate in the modernization of the stern while adding a nice nod to the famous 3200 GT and its rear lights called “Boomerang”.

 

 

Inside, the novelties of the previous vintage concerned the adoption of the gear lever of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and the addition of level 2 semi-autonomous driving assistance systems. bring the Ghibli up to date, except for a slight increase in the rate of passenger compartment coverage by digital panels and / or 293,193-inch screens, so dear to German competition. Maserati gives in to temptation and equips the Ghibli 2021 with a larger screen, with revised definition and responsiveness, compatible with Apple CarPlay / Android Auto, of course. The gain in modernity is such that we end up with a significant and somewhat disturbing generation gap with the technology used on the dashboard which is satisfied with two needle counters, which is not to displease me, whose LED lighting is a little weak interspersed with a small central screen on which you can scroll through some essential information such as the logbook, speed or tire pressure. Faced with the Virtual Cockpit from Audi, there is a whole world.

 

 

Business class dragster

But let's get to the heart of the matter, as its name suggests, the Ghibli Trofeo is not there to amuse the gallery. The figures speak for themselves: 580 hp, 730 Nm, a 0 to 100 km / h shot in 4.3 seconds, 326 km / h in top speed all for a beast of almost 2 tonnes empty which must to pass all this cavalry on the ground via the only rear wheels, shod in Pirelli PZero while the morning temperatures during my test will struggle to reach zero degrees.

 

 

The distinctive elements of the Trofeo version remain thin and only a few fine connoisseurs will succeed in capturing the mechanical nobility of our example among many others just by observing the external elements. The 3 side vents so dear to the trident brands are dressed in red chevrons with a somewhat disappointing plastic finish, topped by the Trofeo inscription. The trident which adorns the C pillar of the sedan is pierced with a thin red arrow while the imposing engine cover reveals two additional air vents, particularly satisfactory to observe from the cockpit. The shield above all like the diffuser are dressed in varnished carbon for the most beautiful effect. The interior is adorned with black leather stitched with red in every corner, associated with a particularly generous carbon fiber finish on the surface covering which announces the color while the “trofeo” inscriptions are embroidered below the trident on each headrest. It's chic, well done, harmonious, in short, a great stylistic success for my taste which does not swear with the classy side of this sedan of nearly 5 meters long, even if I would have gladly associated a red upholstery or tobacco to match even better with this sumptuous shade of blue delicately named “Blue Emozione”.

 

 

Assertive sedan, strong character

After a night spent outside, the frozen windshield displays the color of the day: if the roads seem perfectly dry, the morning freshness risks making the temperature rise of the tires laborious, although necessary in order not to transform this charming ride. bucolic in the forest which awaits me in an amicable report with the first conifer that comes. Once the start-up ceremony has started, the V8 snorts very discreetly after a good second of starter noise moaning like a supercar. The sound once the idle speed is found is revealed to be just as non-existent as the soundproofing seems to have been one of the first chapters of the specifications during the design of this Maserati. My first impressions are confirmed once the sport mode is engaged for the first time, getting behind the wheel of the Ghibli Trofeo in the early morning turns out to be a constant waltz. Progressiveness and humility will be the key words of this essay. That falls very very well, a nice section of fast track awaits me before going to tease the tachometer towards the red zone. This is how I slip delicately into the left lane at a senator's pace, not enjoying the vocalizations of the completely voiceless Ferrari V8 in “Normal” mode but more of the delicious combination of the BOWERS & Wilkins 1280 W audio system with 15 speakers and soundproofing with small onions as I told you. The Parisian ring road turns into a moment of relaxation in a real concert hall, a magical moment. Progressiveness and humility will be the key words of this essay. That falls very very well, a nice section of fast track awaits me before going to tease the tachometer towards the red zone. This is how I slip delicately into the left lane at a senator's pace, not enjoying the vocalizations of the completely voiceless Ferrari V8 in “Normal” mode but more of the delicious combination of the BOWERS & Wilkins 1280 W audio system with 15 speakers and soundproofing with small onions as I told you. The Parisian ring road turns into a moment of relaxation in a real concert hall, a magical moment. Progressiveness and humility will be the key words of this essay. That falls very very well, a nice section of fast track awaits me before going to tease the tachometer towards the red zone. This is how I slip delicately into the left lane at a senator's pace, not enjoying the vocalizations of the completely voiceless Ferrari V8 in “Normal” mode but more of the delicious combination of the BOWERS & Wilkins 1280 W audio system with 15 speakers and soundproofing with small onions as I told you. The Parisian ring road turns into a moment of relaxation in a real concert hall, a magical moment. This is how I slip delicately into the left lane at a senator's pace, not enjoying the vocalizations of the completely voiceless Ferrari V8 in “Normal” mode but more of the delicious combination of the BOWERS & Wilkins 1280 W audio system with 15 speakers and soundproofing with small onions as I told you. The Parisian ring road turns into a moment of relaxation in a real concert hall, a magical moment. This is how I slip delicately into the left lane at a senator's pace, not enjoying the vocalizations of the completely voiceless Ferrari V8 in “Normal” mode but more of the delicious combination of the BOWERS & Wilkins 1280 W audio system with 15 speakers and soundproofing with small onions as I told you. The Parisian ring road turns into a moment of relaxation in a real concert hall, a magical moment.

 

 

My peace of mind, however, is regularly disturbed by a local boss in the left lane in a German sedan, wanting at all costs to prove the nuisance capacities of his Full Led headlights in my mirrors. Are the Italian plates from my test model? Is it the prestigious logo that generates such amounts of inappropriate behavior? I'll never know and although two out of three times, I gently end up fading to the right in a most classy V8 groan, I still ended up wanting to give a little lesson in courtesy as soon as the way was free several hundred yards in front of me. Sport mode engaged, tilting the lever to the left, three drop gears and pushing 2/3 of the way down on the right pedal is enough to turn the biggest SUV into a tiny dot in your rearview mirror without having time to say “Ciao”. Simply exhilarating but oh so dangerous for your precious pink paper.

 

 

Waltz with Poseidon

I finally arrive on my favorite terrain, the one where, like an untamed young stallion, the Ghibli Trofeo will finally be able to give voice in peace and demonstrate the balance that the engineers have been able to give to a noble Italian sedan of almost 2 tons and almost 10 years of design. By simply pressing the “Sport / Corsa” button to the left of the gear lever, you are in Sport mode, while a prolonged pressure will be necessary to activate the Corsa mode specific to the Trofeo version, to be reserved for the track. An independent button also allows you to strengthen the piloted suspensions. Despite its 2 tonnes on the scale, the Ghibli Trofeo remains quite intuitive to operate,

 

 

The feel of the front end is pretty good, with double wishbone front suspension (the prerogative of true sports cars) combined with variable electric power steering perfectly tuned as the pace increases. You have to go piano out of a curve before fully depressing the right pedal which turns the Ghibli into a real dragster. The large paddles behind the steering wheel are fixed as usual with Maserati but of generous size which does not therefore constitute a handicap, their use and the little “clack” at each passage are enjoyable, especially as the ZF8 automatic gearbox reacts ideally to each request. The revisions of the V8 largely helped by the two turbos are stratospheric and almost lead me to question the veracity of the time announced at 0 to 100 km / h, surely due to the propulsion architecture and the inevitable slippage when starting the tires. 285 mm at the rear. The mass transfers are also perfectly managed with an ideal absorption of the roughness of the road despite the 21-inch rims and a bit of not so unpleasant body roll in tight bends. Heavy braking does not scare him without any disruptive body movement prompting the rear end to pass in front. The huge brake pedal makes it possible to tackle very powerful braking without fear, which however seems to suffer somewhat with the repetitions. Obviously,

 

 

Like a swan song 

The arrival of this Ghibli Trofeo should sing like swansong for the model if it was not supported by the arrival of a hybrid version, whose name is also somewhat usurped but we We will tell you more shortly as a test of the latter is also planned. Peacefully entering its 8th year of career, the circle seems to come full circle with access to the holy grail of the Ferrari V8, an inseparable step for each model of the trident brand for the past two decades. Maserati is however entering a new page in its history with the arrival of the MC20 supercar and the small Grecale SUV, not to mention the PSA / FCA merger that gave birth to the Stellantis group. On the budgetary level, the Ghibli Trofeo starts at € 135,150 (€ 151,230 for our test model) to which we will have to add € 30,000 in penalties this year, 40,000 in 2022 and 50,000 in 2023. I told you that I was not sulking my pleasure ... This kind of sedan thus transformed may soon disappear shortly, even within the most emblematic brands such as Maserati. Quickly call your dealer for a small discount and maybe grab a few thousand euros on the final envelope, we saw the last months of large heat engines not assisted by hybridization.