Maserati Ghibli gets smashed on its way to Top Safety Pick rating [w/video]

Sat, 30 Nov 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has crash-tested the 2014 Maserati Ghibli, and the Italian luxury sedan scored has well enough to earn the institute's Top Safety Pick rating. The model netted "Good" marks – the IIHS' highest rating – in moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints and seats tests.

The new Maserati is equipped seven airbags and features strategic use of hot-formed steel to optimize vehicle strength for safety and aluminum to lower weight for better driving performance. While it still pains us to see two new Maseratis smashed to smithereens (watch the videos below), we imagine the company's well-heeled prospective owners will feel better about their $65,600+ purchases knowing that they aced the tests.

Head on below to see crash test videos from both the IIHS and Europe's NCAP, as well as for Maserati's official release, which covers some of the safety engineering that has gone into its new entry-level sedan.

Maserati Ghibli Sedan Named IIHS Top Safety Pick

The all-new 2014 Ghibli gets highest-possible score in each of four Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) tests to obtain a Top Safety Pick

November 26, 2013, Englewood Cliffs, NJ - The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety today named the all-new 2014 Maserati Ghibli a 2013 Top Safety Pick.

Heralding a new era of accessibility for the legendary Italian brand while maintaining the iconic Maserati pedigree, the highly anticipated Ghibli starting at just $65,600, has just begun deliveries to the vastly expanding Maserati retail network across North America. The Ghibli features a twin-turbo V6 produced by Ferrari with up to 404 HP, an 8-speed automatic transmission, and is available in either rear or Q4 all-wheel-drive. This four-door sedan with a coupé-like appearance embodies 'The Absolute Opposite of Ordinary' in the mid-size segment, effortlessly expressing performance, style and luxury which are the hallmarks of a Maserati. A sporty, youthful character, inspired design and premium materials differentiate the Ghibli as a thoroughbred one looks forward to driving every day.

Now the assurance of a 2013 IIHS Top Safety Pick further underlines the Ghibli's authority as a 'top pick' for sport sedan buyers.

IIHS Top Safety Pick testing simulates a side impact with a large SUV or pickup truck, front moderate overlap impact, roof-crush consistent with a rollover, and a rear collision capable of inducing whiplash. In each, the Ghibli recorded the highest-possible rating of "good."

And, Maserati covers all the customer care benchmarks expected of a luxury manufacturer: a four year/ 50,000 mile warranty, road-side assistance, loaner car service and more.

"The all-new 2014 Maserati Ghibli represents a break from the ordinary in the mid-size sedan segment," said Peter Grady, Maserati North America, Inc.'s President and Chief Executive Officer. "Luxury sport sedan drivers can now enjoy the style and performance expected of a Maserati, and the assurance of its status as a 2013 IIHS Top Safety Safety Pick."

The New Ghibli is equipped with a seven-airbag system to help provide occupant protection. At the front, two-stage airbags are concealed from the occupants inside the steering wheel and dashboard to help protect the head, face and chest in severe frontal accidents while a knee airbag helps protect the driver's legs and reduces the femur load in certain crash situations. The chest and hips of the front occupants are further protected by the side airbags beneath the seat leather.

The sides of the occupants' heads are further protected by two head "curtain" bags mounted in the roof of the car, next to the B-pillar. The "curtain" bags help protect the heads of the front and rear occupants against side impact.

The new Ghibli's passive safety equipment has been designed to help achieve both maximum peace of mind for its occupants and to achieve five stars on the Euro NCAP crash test regime and IIHS, all without compromising its weight or fuel consumption.

Maserati has balanced these conflicting demands by using hot-formed steel in critical areas of the passenger compartment for added occupant safety, while using aluminum in other areas to save weight. In particular, the front of the passenger compartment features hot-molded steel components, with a magnesium dashboard strut to reduce weight, while the rear is stiffened with high strength steel.

The crumple zone areas at the front and rear of the car are made of extruded aluminum, while the doors, engine compartment and luggage compartment are in aluminum. Maserati's engineers added a third load path to the front structure of the car to help dissipate load and distribute the forces on the car to help the stability of the body structure in frontal impacts.

By Damon Lowney