Compare the2024 Mercedes AMG CLAVS 2023 Maserati Ghibli

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes AMG CLA 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 AMG CLA’s optional 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.

The Mercedes AMG CLA 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 AMG CLA offers an optional Post Collision Brake, 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 AMG CLA. But it costs extra on the Ghibli.

Both the AMG CLA and Ghibli have rear cross-traffic warning, but the AMG CLA has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Ghibli’s Rear Cross Path doesn’t automatically brake.

The AMG CLA’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Ghibli doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

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

The AMG CLA’s corrosion warranty is 1 year and unlimited miles longer than the Ghibli’s (5/unlimited vs. 4/50,000).

There are over 3 times as many Mercedes dealers as there are Maserati dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the AMG CLA’s warranty.

On the EPA test cycle the AMG CLA gets better mileage than the Ghibli:

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

The AMG CLA offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Ghibli doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

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

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

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the AMG CLA can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Ghibli doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The AMG CLA 45 handles at .99 G’s, while the Ghibli Modena Q4 pulls only .91 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The AMG CLA 45 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Ghibli Modena Q4 (24.1 seconds @ .8 average G’s vs. 25.5 seconds @ .8 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the AMG CLA 35’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Ghibli’s (36.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet). The AMG CLA 45’s turning circle is .3 feet tighter than the Ghibli’s (38.1 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Mercedes AMG CLA may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 550 pounds less than the Maserati Ghibli.

The AMG CLA is 11.1 inches shorter than the Ghibli, making the AMG CLA easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The AMG CLA has 4.1 inches more front legroom and .7 inches more rear legroom than the Ghibli.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Ghibli, the AMG CLA has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The AMG CLA offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer 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 AMG CLA the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Ghibli can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The AMG CLA’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.

The AMG CLA offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Ghibli.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes AMG CLA has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Ghibli.

The AMG CLA’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Ghibli doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Mercedes CLA outsold the Maserati Ghibli by over five to one during 2022.