Yahoo Autos Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima Goes Out on a High of Performance (and Price)
When the Maserati launched the Ghibli in 2014, it started at $66,900 with a 345-hp turbocharged V-6. Back then few could have suspected it would live for ten years, and that its ultimate incarnation would be almost exactly $100,000 more expensive. On the bright side, this last-of-line Ghibli uses a 3.8-litre V-8 that is also 65 percent more powerful. This is the good kind of inflation.
Maserati is set to drop its V-8 engines, and has chosen to both mark the passing with a pair of limited-edition specials—the Ghibli 334 Ultima and Levante Ultima. Maserati invited R&T to Italy to drive both, but you won’t be offended if I skew the story toward the Ghibli. A sleek sports sedan is always going to feel like a more appropriate home for a Ferrari-bred V-8 than an SUV. It is only a couple of years since Maserati first combined the engine with its smallest sedan and we’re already writing its obituary.
Mechanically, the Ultima 334 adds very little to the Ghibli Trofeo it is based on. The only significant alterations are the arrival of new bespoke Pirelli P-Zero tires which, together with a new carbon fiber rear spoiler, have pushed the top speed from the regular Trofeo’s 202 mph to 207 mph. That figure translates to 334 km/h, explaining the name. Maserati claims this makes the 334 Ultima the fastest sedan in the world, just pipping the Bentley Flying Spur Speed by a single mile per hour. This also makes the 334 Ultima the quickest Maserati road car of all time. But that’s the limit of the changes, with no more power—still 572hp—and unchanged suspension and brakes.
But the 334 Ultima will have exclusivity on its side. Maserati will build 103 in total—a figure which corresponds to the original project number of the 5000GT, Maserati’s first V-8. Sixty of these 103 are destined for North America. All are finished in the same striking shade of what Maserati calls Persian Blue, another connection to the 5000GT, which was originally created for the then Shah of Iran. The Ultima also gets digitized ‘334’ graphics on its front fenders—these being painted rather than stickers—plus various bits of carbon trim. All this for a price of $165,000. That's $40,000 more than the regular Ghibli Trofeo was last year.
While never short of charm, the Ghibli feels like the old car that it is. The current M157 generation was launched back in 2014 and has only evolved slowly since then. That’s most obvious in the cabin where, between the lashings of leather and carbon trim, there is plenty of gray plastic switchgear, much of which seems shared with old Chrysler models. Analogue instrument dials have become a segment novelty since the Ghibli first appeared, although these are actually more pleasing to look at than an all-digital display would be. Space is good up front but tight for adults in back; from the rear seat it has always felt closer in size to a 3-Series than a 5-Series. The Ultima gets lovely terracotta leather and gray microfiber upholstery with stitched ‘334’ logos beneath the Maserati trident.
To no surprise, the engine remains the starring feature, charismatic and muscular. Maserati’s version of the Ferrari-engineered F154 uses a cross-plane crank and a wet sump, with a much more relaxed character than its higher-revving flat-plane Ferrari cousins. Low-down torque is abundant, the full 528lb-ft on deck from just 2250 rpm. As we noted in the standard Ghibli, the 334’s engine develops a nice snarl when worked hard, but there is no need to take it to the 7200-rpm limiter to experience serious acceleration.
Not that I got anywhere near the claimed 207mph top speed; nor could I, given the car I drove rode on winter tires in freezing conditions near the mountain resort of Bormio. On Pirelli Sotto Zero rubber, the 334’s rear axle still found plentiful traction on wet and slushy roads, and front end responses felt crisp given the tires and conditions. Overall adhesion was far below what the standard P-Zeros would be making on dry asphalt, but the quantities generated at each end felt well balanced. As before, the standard adaptive dampers do a fine job at controlling body movements over rougher roads in their softest setting, and even firming them up doesn’t turn the Ghibli harsh.
There are foibles. The eight-speed auto feels lazy when making part-throttle upshifts. It's also too keen to kick down a gear, given the engine’s huge torque. The 'box also lacks the snappiness of some more modern equivalents. The brakes are powerful and modulate well under load, but the low-speed calibration is abrupt; it is hard to come to a smooth in stop-start traffic. Maserati’s satellite navigation also feels closer to 2010 than 2020 with chunky graphics and dull-witted directions that sent me to experience a five-mile tunnel with no turnaround points. At least I got to enjoy the exhaust note both ways.
And the Levante? While Maserati’s SUV might not have received huge critical love, it has been the company’s best-selling model for most of the time since it was launched in 2016. The Levante Ultima will be less limited than its Ghibli sister, with a total of 206 cars split equally across two colors—blue and black—with 87 of those destined for North America. As with the Ghibli there are no mechanical changes over the Trofeo that lies beneath, only exterior carbon details, Ultima decals and a full options workout. These changes result in a $188,000 price tag in the U.S., a more modest $19,000 supplement over the Levante.
The 3.8-liter V-8 has to work harder to motivate the Levante Ultima’s 5000-lb. mass, but the relaxed power delivery actually suits it well, with all-wheel drive giving assured traction even on winter tires. The Levante’s weight is obvious when asking it to change direction, with air suspension adding to the slight sense of hesitancy. Tt is stable at speed, but it never feels keen.
Maserati also gave the chance to experience it on a purpose-built ice track where, despite lacking studded tires, it was happy to demonstrate the rear-biased nature of its power delivery with big, lazy drifts. I can’t imagine many buyers regularly experiencing this side of its character, but it is good to know that it's there.
We have liked many of Maserati’s V-8 models, so it is sad that there will be no more. The price being asked for the Ghibli 334 seems very steep considering the limited changes that have been made over the Trofeo, which already felt expensive. Maserati clearly thinks the headline top speed and limited run will appeal to collectors. But as the Trofeo is now off-sale, this is the last chance to get a V-8-powered Maserati sedan.
The rest of the combustion-powered Ghibli and Levante ranges won’t be far behind the V-8-powered versions in retirement. Maserati is planning to replace both with all-new EVs; the brand’s future is going to be very different than its past.
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