Maserati Ghibli review - can the Italian exec live with the German elite? - MPG and running costs
Charismatic, good looking and distinctive - but lacking in substance compared to German rivals
Running costs and MPG
This is the Maserati’s biggest drawback as the diesel models that have been designed to spread the appeal of the Ghibli to company car buyers still costs significantly more to run than rivals. The diesel’s 47.8mpg is over 12mpg lower the new BMW 530d, which produces the same power output but around 40g/km less CO2 putting the Ghibli two tax brackets (and £340 a year in tax!) higher.
The petrol versions are especially thirsty, with the basic car posting 31.7mpg and the S a frightening 29.4mpg on the combined cycle. For context, rivals like the BMW 540i beat those numbers by up to 10mpg. Maintenance costs are also likely to be higher than more mainstream competition, and last time we checked, Italian build quality and reliability still trail the Germans.
The final nail in the head-over-heart argument for the Ghibli could well be it’s soft residual values which trail rivals like the BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but then you will likely never mistake a Ghibli for a private-hire mini cab so all this compromise might well be worth it for the right buyer.
