Maserati Ghibli Trofeo

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Maserati Ghibli Trofeo, the M157-generation four-door saloon that Maserati announced on 10 August 2020 with a Ferrari-built 3.8L twin-turbo V8 petrol engine and that left production when the V8 Ghibli ended at the close of 2023. It is not a guide to the V6 Ghibli, the 2.0-litre hybrid Ghibli or the diesel, which share the body but have far less power. It is also not a guide to the Quattroporte Trofeo, which uses the same V8 in a longer and heavier saloon, or to the Levante Trofeo, which is an all-wheel-drive SUV. Maserati also marked the end of the V8 with a limited-run Ghibli 334 Ultima, which we only know from a reference article and which we leave out of scope. An advert that says "Ghibli V8" or "Ghibli Trofeo" should be matched to the chassis number and build record before you read any further.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: a Motor1 report on the launch of the Trofeo range, PistonHeads' used buying guide to the third-generation Ghibli, and the government recall checker. We also read PistonHeads' launch news story, Wikipedia's article on the M157 Ghibli, a Drive review and an Auto Express engine page, and where those disagree we say so rather than choose quietly. Maserati's own website and the Stellantis media site returned an HTTP 403 error when we tried them, so we did not use them and we have not worked around the block.

The figures at a glance

The engine is a 3.8L twin-turbo V8 petrol, built at Ferrari's Maranello plant to Maserati's specification and derived from the F154 family. Maserati quotes 580 CV, a metric figure. That converts to 572 bhp (580 multiplied by 0.9863) or about 427 kW, and the catalogue stores 572 bhp for that reason. Several UK reports, including PistonHeads, print the metric number as "580hp", so a listing that says 580 bhp overstates the output by about eight horsepower. The Motor1 report puts the peak at 6,750 rpm, while some other pages give 6,250 rpm, so treat the rpm as unsettled and the output as firm.

Torque is 730 Nm, which is about 538 lb ft and matches the 538 lb ft that PistonHeads prints. Motor1 says the full figure is available between 2,250 and 5,250 rpm. One Italian page lists 700 Nm and one UK page lists 528 lb ft, and we regard both as slips. The claimed 0-100 km/h time is 4.3 seconds. Motor1 gives it as 0-100 km/h, PistonHeads gives 0-62 mph as 4.3 seconds, and 62 mph is almost exactly 100 km/h, so we treat the two as the same claim. Wikipedia quotes 0-60 mph in 4 seconds, which is a different and slightly easier benchmark and not a conflict. The claimed top speed is 326 km/h, or about 202 mph, which PistonHeads calls "a barmy 202mph" and Auto Express prints as 203 mph. All of these are manufacturer claims and not measured results.

PistonHeads says the near two-tonne weight limited the Trofeo's acceleration, and its launch story puts the Quattroporte Trofeo at 2,000 kg and 31 kg heavier than the Ghibli, which implies roughly 1,969 kg. That last number is our inference, not a printed figure. Auto Express quotes fuel economy of 19 mpg and CO2 emissions from 279 g/km, which tells you what to budget for fuel and tax.

What makes it a Trofeo

Maserati launched the Trofeo as the top performance trim, first on the Levante and then, in August 2020, on the Ghibli and Quattroporte. The V8 in this guide was already used in the Quattroporte GTS, and the Trofeo version is tuned for more power. The drive goes only to the rear wheels, which sets the Ghibli apart from the Levante and from some earlier V6 Ghiblis that offered all-wheel drive in other markets. Motor1 reports a mechanical limited-slip differential and an eight-speed automatic gearbox from ZF, calibrated for Maserati, and PistonHeads notes the longer shift paddles carried over from the Levante Trofeo.

The rest of the specification, as Motor1 and PistonHeads describe it, is adaptive Skyhook dampers, 21-inch forged Orione wheels, a firmer Corsa mode, a Trofeo launch control function, a larger infotainment screen, new sports seats and carbon-fibre aerodynamic parts, together with a new grille and larger air intakes. We could not verify every one of these items on a specific car, and equipment varies with the options ticked, so check the original build sheet.

How the sources disagree

The disagreements are mostly about units and benchmarks, not about the car. The power figure is 580 PS or 572 bhp depending on the unit, and PistonHeads' used guide and launch story both print 580hp without saying which horsepower they mean. Torque appears as 730 Nm or 538 lb ft, which are the same figure, and the odd 700 Nm and 528 lb ft values look like transcription errors. The acceleration claim is 4.3 seconds to 100 km/h or 62 mph, and 4 seconds to 60 mph. The weight is not stated by Maserati in anything we could read. We did not find a production count for the Trofeo, so the catalogue keeps that field empty, and we did not find a published last build date for the Trofeo itself, only the statement that V8 Ghibli production ended at the close of 2023.

What to check before you buy

PistonHeads' Tony Middlehurst wrote the used buying guide in July 2022. It covers the whole third-generation Ghibli and mentions the Trofeo only briefly, so read it as a general guide and not as a Trofeo verdict. It says that the later the car, the fewer the issues, that cars from late 2018 onwards are the best bet for avoiding glitches, and that buying outside warranty requires a lot of care. Its engine warnings, such as oil-pump failures on low-mileage cars and variable valve timing solenoid faults, are written about the earlier V6 cars, and we could not confirm that they apply to the Ferrari-built V8. Ask a Maserati specialist which of them, if any, carry across.

The same guide lists faults that are likely to apply to any Ghibli of this era. These include early software faults, a driver's seat wiring recall and a fuel line recall, front brake calipers that loosen, a sticking brake pedal, grinding from contaminated steering column fluid, windows that drop, fuel filler caps that fail to seal, dashtop leather that shrinks in heat, boot-mounted amplifiers that fail, and weak batteries that cause electrical gremlins. It also recommends a trickle charger if the car is not driven daily. A Trofeo that sits for weeks may show flat-battery faults that are cheap to cure and costly to diagnose.

Our own checklist comes from reasoning about the car and not from a source. Confirm the car really is a Trofeo, because the saloon body is shared and badges can be fitted to other trims. Ask for a full diagnostic scan, and look for evidence of the work in the service file, including software updates as well as oil changes. A car with nearly two tonnes and 572 bhp is hard on tyres, brakes and dampers, so check the tyre wear pattern, the brake discs and pads, and whether the Skyhook adaptive dampers respond properly to the drive mode buttons. PistonHeads mentions heavy tyre wear and heavy dust from the original brake pads as general Ghibli traits. Listen to the engine from cold, inspect the exhaust for leaks, and check that the launch control function and the Corsa mode work as described. A specialist pre-purchase inspection is worth more than any generic list. We have not quoted prices because they vary with age, mileage and condition and we could not verify them.

Recalls and paperwork

Use the government recall checker before you buy and again after you buy. For a car it needs the registration number, or the manufacturer, model and year of manufacture if you do not have it, and it covers safety recalls that have not yet been checked or fixed, alongside the MOT history. The page says the manufacturer will tell you about a recall for any reason other than safety. We have not run the checker for any specific car, and we found no UK recall notice naming the Trofeo specifically, although PistonHeads' guide mentions recalls on earlier Ghiblis for seat wiring and fuel lines. Ask a Maserati dealer whether any campaign is open against the chassis number, and keep in mind that a clean result on a public checker is not proof that every update has been done.

The ownership case

The Ghibli Trofeo offers 572 bhp, 730 Nm, a claimed 4.3 seconds to 100 km/h and a claimed 326 km/h from a Ferrari-built V8, delivered through rear-wheel drive and a ZF eight-speed automatic in a four-door saloon. It is not a light car, and PistonHeads says its weight kept the acceleration behind its rivals. What you are buying is an engine, a body style and a specification, and the value of that rests on a verified build record, a complete service history and a clean electronic scan. We have not driven it, so read the sources, get a specialist inspection and treat every published performance figure as a claim until someone measures it.