When asked if I would like to review a Maserati, I couldn’t get the work “yes” out fast enough. Not only was I test driving a 2019 Maserati Ghibli S GranLusso but I was taking it on a trip! Tooling up the 5 on my way to a luxury hotel was pretty close to my idea of heaven. The Ghibli did not disappoint, from its luxurious interior to the roar of its engine, I enjoyed my drive to Palo Alto. But wait, I also took the Ghibli over the Santa Cruz mountains, along the windy roads and over to Monterey. The handling was awesome and it was a joy to tackle the twists and turns.
Sold in three trims: base GranLusso and GranSport, this review will focus on the GranLusso, with the more powerful S variant of the engine.
Some of the highlights of the GranLusso trim are a hands-free trunk, power soft-closing doors, a power rear sunshade, open-pore wood accents, upgraded leather upholstery, additional leather trim, a heated steering wheel with wood, and ventilated front seats. Also standard are LED headlights, and a 10-speaker Bowers and Wilkins audio system.
I really loved the Highway Assist function for my long straight drive on the 5. It really took care of steering, speed and maintaining a healthy distance between me and the car in front of me. I had to keep my hands on the steering wheel but the car really did most of the work.
A turbocharged V6 is under the hood producing a thrill-inducing 424 horses and 428 lb-ft of torque. The automatic transmission boasts eight speeds and shifts effortlessly through all of them. Expect to get 16/city, 24/highway, and 19/combined mpg.
The seats of the Ghibli are quite comfortable, I know I sat in them for six hours at a time. It was easy to get settled in the driver’s seat because of the many seat adjustments. The ride was smooth and the cabin quiet. I was able to settle in and listen to my tunes and not have to turn the volume up to overcome road noise.
Of course we had luggage on our trip and the trunk easily handled two suitcases, two computers, and case of fizzy water, with room to spare. There is also a rear-seat pass-through for long items and the back seat folds down 60/40 for more cargo space.
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to take the Ghibli and an extended trip, the acceleration was phenomenal and the engine growl is delightful. That jaunt through the mountains showed me what an agile car it was.
If you’d like a sedan with the heart of a sports car, give the 2019 Maserati Ghibil S GranLusso a closer look.
