► 2018 model year Maserati Ghibli
► Trims reset, new GranLusso spec
► Styling tweaks, still aimed at 5-series
Modena is preparing to show the new 2018 model year Maserati Ghibli at the Chengdu motor show in China this week.
It’s a modest mid-life facelift, designed to give the Italian four-door saloon a shot in the arm four years after launch. The car is aimed squarely at the more sporting BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class models, with prices starting at a whisker under £50,000 in the UK, with a choice of 3.0-litre V6 petrol or diesel engines.
What’s new on the 2018 model year Maserati Ghibli?
Got a microscope? Good – you might need it. There’s a new front bumper with chrome insert and a reframed grille with recontoured chrome bars.
The car pictured is the new Ghibli GranLusso spec, designed to replace the earlier Luxury spec; a GranSport will succeed the Sport trim (echoing the structure of the Quattroporte range). Tell which model you’re looking at by the badge snuggling just behind the front wheelarch.
At the rear there’s tidied-up rear valance, the area between the quad exhaust pipes. Maserati claims the revisions improve the aerodynamic efficiency a notch.
New tech?
Yes. In line with newer Maseratis such as the Levante crossover, there are now adaptive full LED headlamps which shutter up and down to avoid blinding oncoming traffic, as well as more comprehensive cruise control functionality, paving the way for semi-autonomous driving.
Instruments and digital infotainment systems were recently updated in autumn 2016. Expect UK sales of the new Maserati Ghibli to start in spring 2018.