The Moment Of Truth: How Does The Ghibli Diesel Compare To The Germans?

Maserati has finally released detailed information about the diesel version of Ghibli, expected to the be best selling model on the European market.

We have pitched it against it’s German competition to find out how does it compare. Just as an reminder: The Ghibli Diesel uses a Ferrari developed engine in two stages of tune, 270 HP and 250 HP, the latter only being offered on its domestic market.

Like it’s German peers, the Ghibli has a 8-speed ZF gearbox, so there is virtually no comparison. We have chosen the most popular versions (and comparable by engine power) of the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6, all three litre diesels with auto gearboxes.

The first thing you’d ask is its 0-60 time: No surprises there, the 5 Series does it in 6,1 seconds, Ghibli is tied with the A6 on 6,3 seconds while the Merc trails them for three tenths of a second.

Also important, especially for Europe is CO2 emission: The BMW also wins this title, admittedly by a narrow margin – 155 g/km for the 5 Series, 156 for the Audi and 157 for the Merc. Maserati comes last with 158 g/km, but again, these are really forgettable differences.

After reading this, you might say that the Italian doesn’t really win in anything, but that’s hardly the case. Maserati sells about 5,000 cars a year, where as the big three sell more than a million and their R&D department has more money than the whole Maserati/AlfaRomeo/Ferrari group combined.

This is why you cannot help but to be impressed with the new Ghibli, and there is one little detail that will make you want one even more: The car features a special active valve that is controlled by computer to constantly modulate the frequency of the sound passing through the exhaust, meaning that the typical diesel-like gruff is absent.

Last week, we’ve told you not to renew your lease on the 5 Series, this time we are suggesting it to sell it right away.