Rent Maserati Ghibli 2023 in Dubai

We rent the Maserati Ghibli 2023 in Dubai with doorstep delivery in one to two hours, and most people who call for one have already decided the thing that matters before they dial. They want to hear a Ferrari-built V6 rather than sit behind another muted German turbo six. That is the real case for this car. The Ghibli is a full-size luxury sport sedan with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 assembled at Maranello, sold on the noise it makes and the way it pulls rather than on outright space or the newest cabin tech. This page helps you decide whether that sound is worth booking over an E-Class or a 5 Series, because on a pure spec sheet it usually loses.

The engine, and how it drives

Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 built by Ferrari at Maranello, the same engine family Maserati has used across the Ghibli since launch, making 350 hp and 500 Nm through an eight-speed ZF automatic and the rear wheels. It reaches 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds and carries on to 267 km/h, a number you will never use legally here. None of that is the point. What you are actually booking is the noise it makes doing it. This V6 is harder-edged and more vocal climbing through the revs than the smooth German turbo sixes it competes against, and on an open stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road an overtake comes with a soundtrack most luxury sedans have quietly engineered away.

Rear-wheel drive means there is no all-wheel-drive safety net under a hard launch, but on dry Dubai tarmac that rarely matters, and a firm press from a standstill just goes rather than fussing. The ride sits on the firm side for a luxury saloon, so patched side streets and expansion joints come through more than they would in an S-Class, but this is a low sedan on smooth asphalt and it never feels unsettled the way a taller SUV does over the same road.

Boot, back seat and the daily use

Up front the Ghibli is a genuinely nice place to spend a week. The compromise sits behind you. The sloping roofline and the platform's age mean rear headroom and legroom trail an E-Class or a 5 Series, and a tall adult sitting behind a tall driver notices it on anything longer than a short hop across town. Two adults, or a couple of kids in the back, are perfectly comfortable. Four full-size adults for a whole day out is where the car starts to feel tight.

The boot is the better news. At 500 litres it swallows two large cases plus a soft bag without a fight, which covers a DXB or DWC airport run without rethinking your packing. So if your week is mainly two people making an entrance with luggage, the Ghibli does its job well. If it is four colleagues and their bags every day, look at something with a bigger back seat and boot.

At just under five metres long, it is a large car for a Marina tower bay or a tight mall multi-storey, and the U-turns take a bit more patience than a smaller sedan. Ground clearance is standard for a low luxury saloon rather than generous, so take the steeper mall ramps and sharper speed bumps at an angle and slowly, the way you would in any sports sedan.

Running cost, heat and the cabin

The 80-litre tank and a combined economy figure of 8.9 litres per 100 km give you real range on a relaxed week of mixed driving. Lean on that V6 in stop-start city traffic, though, and the number on paper stops meaning much, so budget for more fuel stops than a quiet week would suggest. It also wants premium fuel, which is worth knowing before you compare the running cost against a German rival on paper.

Black paint is the one thing to plan around in a Dubai July. A dark car parked outside for a few hours gets noticeably hotter on the dash and seats than a white one would, so the cabin takes longer to pull down to comfortable once you climb back in. The air conditioning itself is strong and copes with a full load of passengers, front and rear, once it gets going. A sunshade on the windscreen for longer stops is a small habit that pays off with this colour.

Who should rent it, and who should look elsewhere

Rent the Ghibli if you want a luxury sedan with real character and an engine you can actually hear, and you like that it is rarer on Dubai roads than the obvious German three. For arriving somewhere with presence, short of stepping down into a two-door supercar, it is one of the more interesting cars you can book at this money.

Look elsewhere in two cases. If rear-seat space and the newest cabin tech are the priority, an E-Class or a 5 Series is roomier in the back and feels more modern inside for similar money. And if running cost decides the booking, remember the tank wants premium fuel and a keen right foot burns through it fast in city traffic, so an inline-six rival will cost less to keep fed.

A few practicalities before you book. Salik tolls and any RTA fines during your rental pass to you, and seat belts are mandatory in every seat. This is a luxury car, so expect a refundable deposit rather than a no-deposit deal. The daily allowance is 250 km, extra kilometres run at AED 0.5 each, and you need to be 25 to take the keys. Book it for the sound and the rarity, not for the biggest back seat or the cheapest tank of fuel.