Compare the2023 Audi S6VS 2022 Maserati Ghibli

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi S6 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Maserati Ghibli doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The S6’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Ghibli doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the S6 and Ghibli have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S6 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Ghibli’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Audi S6 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Ghibli doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The S6 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Ghibli doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S6. But it costs extra on the Ghibli.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the S6 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Ghibli doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the S6 and the Ghibli have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The S6’s corrosion warranty is 8 years and unlimited miles longer than the Ghibli’s (12/unlimited vs. 4/50,000).

There are almost 3 times as many Audi dealers as there are Maserati dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the S6’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Audi vehicles are better in initial quality than Maserati vehicles. With 16 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Audi higher than Maserati.

The S6’s 2.9 turbo V6 hybrid produces 99 more horsepower (444 vs. 345) and 73 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 369) than the Ghibli GT’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The S6’s 2.9 turbo V6 hybrid produces 20 more horsepower (444 vs. 424) and 14 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 428) than the Ghibli Modena’s standard 3.0 turbo V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi S6 is faster than the Ghibli Modena 3.0 turbo V6:

On the EPA test cycle the S6 gets better mileage than the Ghibli:

Regenerative brakes improve the S6’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Ghibli doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi S6 higher (5 out of 10) than the Maserati Ghibli (1 to 3). This means the S6 produces up to 39 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Ghibli every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the S6’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Ghibli:

The S6 stops shorter than the Ghibli:

For better traction, the S6 has larger tires than the Ghibli (255/35R21 vs. 245/45R19). The S6’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Ghibli (255/35R21 vs. 245/40R20).

The S6’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Ghibli’s standard 45 series front and 40 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S6 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Ghibli.

The S6 has 3.6 inches more front legroom and 4.2 inches more rear legroom than the Ghibli.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the S6 offers cargo security. The Ghibli’s non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Ghibli, the S6 Premium Plus/Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The S6 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Ghibli doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

If the windows are left open on the S6 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Ghibli can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S6 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. Heated windshield washer nozzles cost extra on the Ghibli.

The S6’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Ghibli’s standard xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the S6 has standard extendable sun visors. The Ghibli doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the S6 Prestige to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Ghibli doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The S6 Premium Plus/Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Ghibli.

The S6 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Park Assist Plus Remote will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Ghibli doesn’t offer an automated parking system.