Test Drive: 2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4

Maserati has always held a place among the upper echelon of performance brands. Since the Maserati brothers started the brand, it has produced some seriously winning sports cars and participated in world championship races throughout the last century. Although ownership has changed hands numerous times, the current company shares space with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo under the umbrella of the Fiat group. This arrangement has led to the resurrection of several of the brands storied nameplates, including the Quattroporte and, most recently, the Ghibli.

This new Ghibli, unlike its predecessors, is a four-door sedan positioned below the Quattroporte and offers itself as a competitor to the likes of the BMW 5-Series as well as the Mercedes E-Class. Jumping into such a competitive space, the Ghibli needs to find its legs quickly in order to remain a viable competitor for its share of the market. Being a part of the Maserati brand certainly does not hurt and the close engineering ties to Ferrari, care of its Fiat overlords, carries a fair amount of cachet among those who are looking for that performance pedigree. But has that Ferrari magic genuinely managed to find its way into the likes of this newest entry in the luxury mid-size class or will the influence seep in from below from another of Fiat's recent acquisitions, Chrysler?