The High Road
The norm in Southern California is that there is no norm. With its forward-thinking fashion, unusual hairstyles and experimental culinary creations, SoCal is a place where people are notoriously unique.
But standing out when you’re behind the wheel can be more challenging. In a town with so many showoffs, even driving a luxury car isn’t likely to turn heads. At this year’s L.A. Auto Show, several new luxury entries have arrived to solve this problem and help Angelenos do “different” without breaking the bank.
The Maserati Ghibli: a remarkable rocket
Perhaps the most unusual entry in the luxury segment at this year’s show is the new Maserati Ghibli, the luxury marque’s new sedan that starts at a relatively modest $65,600 and is on sale this month.
Designed to compete with the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes E-Class, the Ghibli has more front seat legroom and substantial cargo space in a package that has a coupe-like silhouette and doesn’t compromise rear-seat headroom. The result is a luxury sedan with an unusual look that’s sure to turn heads — even in Beverly Hills.
The Ghibli’s lavish interior features supple leather surfaces and real wood trim. Creature comforts abound, including eight-way power front seats, dual-zone climate control, active cruise control, bi-Xenon adaptive front headlights and a rear-view camera. Options include the ability to turn the car into a roving Wi-Fi hotspot, an upscale surround-sound audio system, and double-laminated acoustic glass to reduce external noise.
Where the Ghibli really shines, however, is in its powertrains. Built by Italian supercar maker Ferrari at its factory in Maranello, the Ghibli comes with one of two twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engines. The base engine, which powers the rear-wheel drive Ghibli S, produces 345 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The more powerful engine in the all-wheel-drive Ghibli S Q4, which starts at $75,700, produces 404 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque at just 1,750 rotations per minute, going from a standstill to 62.1 mph in 4.8 seconds.
Both engines get an estimated 25 miles per gallon highway. In a 250-mile test drive that included city driving and stop-and-go traffic as well as some lead-footed motoring, our test Ghibli S Q4 averaged 22.2 mpg. Both versions offer a sport mode that turns the already-fast Ghibli into a veritable rocket — with the sound effects to boot, thanks to pneumatic valves in the exhaust pipes that turn the low engine rumble into a roaring, popping, growling chorus that evokes a spin on the F1 circuit. While a parked Ghibli earns the admiration of discerning car enthusiasts, a Ghibli driving in sport mode gets everyone’s attention.
Jaguar, BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes: more knockouts
Of course, you don’t have to spring for a rare Italian supercar. If standing out is your game, there are plenty of uniquely posh offerings from other classy brands on display at the show.
Jaguar unveiled the production version of its all-aluminum F-Type Coupe, which goes on sale this spring, as well as its C-X17 Sport Crossover Concept. Jaguar hasn’t announced plans to mass-produce the crossover concept, but they could be on the horizon; Jaguar is currently the only luxury carmaker without a crossover model.
Looking for a more subtle way to break away from the pack? Think diesel. BMW is showing diesel versions of both its 3 Series and 5 Series sedans.
The BMW 328d features a 2.0-liter TwinPower diesel four-cylinder that produces 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque at 1,750 rpm. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, it accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in a bit more than seven seconds, yet it gets about 45 highway mpg. The BMW 535d features a 256 horsepower 3.0-liter TwinPower turbo inline-6-cylinder engine that produces 413 pound-feet of torque and gets 38 highway mpg.
Cadillac has fully revamped its CTS sedan, now in its third generation, for 2014. Redesigned to be a tough competitor in the midsize luxury segment, the CTS gets an athletic makeover; longer and leaner, its door structures are built with lightweight materials such as aluminum, and the CTS Vsport model is outfitted with a Twin-Turbo V-8 and eight-speed automatic transmission, a first for Cadillac. It all makes for a rather striking package from the American marque.
Over at Mercedes, “different” is all about performance. The German marque has unveiled two new high-performance cars to add to the Mercedes-Benz stable: the S 65 AMG sedan and the SLS AMG GT Final Edition sports car — the SLS AMG’s final bow. With a limited production run of just 350 units in both coupe and roadster versions, the supercar is powered by a 591-horsepower 6.3-liter V-8 front-mid-engine like the “regular” SLS AMG GT. But it’ll have styling differences, including a black carbon-fiber hood and black rear wing.
Powered by a 630-horsepower V-12, the Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG travels 0 to 62.1 mph in 4.3 seconds and features three different transmission modes for manual and sport driving as well as for optimum fuel efficiency. Unique features in this super-sedan include a suspension that utilizes a camera to recognize changes in the pavement and adapt in advance to the road ahead, perforated leather with an distinctive diamond design, and a heads-up display that projects vehicle speed as well as speed limits, traffic signs and navigation information.
—Tara Baukus Mello, Brand Publishing Writer
