drewf
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We all want to stick up for our beloved marque and react to negative comments about a particular model but in my modest opinion and with respect to others views we mustn't be guilty of 'the emperors new clothes'.
I just can't understand why the marketing people at maser have so little knowledge of market psychology.
Build a halo model which is very very quick, has a great chassis, looks mean, filled with leather and costs AMG 63 money. Launch it to a press eager to drive it. Get the headlines 'Maserati storm back to the top of the tree' and then disclosed lesser variants will follow within months. The mass market they seek would be drooling over the Ghibli Cup version whilst happily buying the near look alikes. Simple........so bl00dy simple even I get it.
Spot on. Absolutely spot on. I would have been delighted to have been able to say I loved driving the Ghibli, but I simply didn't. Still haven't driven the Skyhook car on extended test though, and will be happy to share my thoughts on that, particularly if they are different to the sports suspension version I had a few weeks ago.
I can't imagine why Maserati didn't push this car out with ultra-high performance; it's in the history of the marque, why would a company not want to have all the press talking about it positively, and putting the other manufacturers in the position of catching up?
A few other comments from other posts:
Massaging seats? Oh yes - very handy if like me you regularly spend 8+ hours per day driving. They don't put one to sleep, they gently rock the lower spine area to prevent the back seizing up. If you commute for 30 minutes, they are a waste of space, and it's also worth noting that many of the annoying aspects of the car become totally unimportant. Bit different if you are spending longer in the car than many people spend at work in a day.
Electronic toys? Handy, but not the prime reason I rejected the car. That was because the ride on that car was appalling; I couldn't live with it for 30 minutes. Adaptive cruise is an excellent feature though, and now the Germans have it working properly (something Jag couldn't manage 10 years ago), it has been a long distance drive essential. Not available.
Rear leg room? Handy, and sadly not something Maserati will ever be able to fix. Bit awkward to have to apologise to clients every time they sit in the back.
Character? Yes, it would be nice if it had any. Looks like an Audi inside - for me it's already thoroughly Germanic, the Italian flair is missing.
Side by side with an older Maserati it has lost (in my opinion) the Maserati character. It is a dull characterless box, and is very much attempting to compete in the 5-series market. Doesn't matter what 'we' think, that's the stated aim of Maserati - those are the customers they want to capture. It should have been an easy sell to someone like me - I come wanting to like the Ghibli, and psychologically prepared to convince myself without the salesman doing it. I still don't get it - it's not really a Maserati, and perhaps that's the reason.
With a 500+bhp Alfa coming to the showrooms, and no (underpowered) Alfieri in sight, I think Maserati have blown it. They need BIG volume from this car in the US and Chinese markets. If they don't achieve it, they will go under.