Compare the2024 Audi RS 5 SportbackVS 2024 Maserati Ghibli

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi RS 5 Sportback 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 RS 5 Sportback’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 RS 5 Sportback and Ghibli have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The RS 5 Sportback 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 RS 5 Sportback 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 RS 5 Sportback 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 RS 5 Sportback. But it costs extra on the Ghibli.

Both the RS 5 Sportback and Ghibli offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the RS 5 Sportback with Rear Cross-Traffic Assist also has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Ghibli’s Rear Cross Path doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the RS 5 Sportback 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 and around view monitors.

The RS 5 Sportback’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 RS 5 Sportback’s warranty.

The RS 5 Sportback’s 2.9 turbo V6 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 RS 5 Sportback’s 2.9 turbo V6 produces 20 more horsepower (444 vs. 424) and 36 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 406) than the Ghibli Modena’s standard 3.0 turbo V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi RS 5 Sportback is faster than the Ghibli Modena 3.0 turbo V6:

On the EPA test cycle the RS 5 Sportback gets better mileage than the Ghibli:

Regenerative brakes improve the RS 5 Sportback’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 RS 5 Sportback higher (5 out of 10) than the Maserati Ghibli (1 to 3). This means the RS 5 Sportback produces up to 39 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Ghibli every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the RS 5 Sportback’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Ghibli:

For better traction, the RS 5 Sportback has larger standard tires than the Ghibli (265/35R19 vs. 245/45R19). The RS 5 Sportback’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Ghibli (275/30R20 vs. 245/40R20).

The RS 5 Sportback’s standard 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. The RS 5 Sportback’s optional tires have a lower 30 series profile than the Ghibli’s optional 35 series front tires.

The RS 5 Sportback handles at .97 G’s, while the Ghibli Modena Q4 pulls only .91 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The RS 5 Sportback is 7.4 inches shorter than the Ghibli, making the RS 5 Sportback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The RS 5 Sportback has 3.6 inches more front legroom and 1.9 inches more rear legroom than the Ghibli.

The RS 5 Sportback offers an optional 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 RS 5 Sportback 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 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 RS 5 Sportback’s standard Audi Advanced Key allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Entry and Go standard on the Ghibli doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the RS 5 Sportback 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.

Laser headlights, standard on the RS 5 Sportback, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses less power than the Ghibli’s standard xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights and can project light s up to six times as far. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; Laser headlights light instantly. Laser lights also last about 10 to 25 times as long. Laser headlights, standard on the RS 5 Sportback, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Ghibli’s optional LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the RS 5 Sportback has standard extendable sun visors. The Ghibli doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The RS 5 Sportback has standard 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 Audi RS 5 Sportback has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Ghibli.

The RS 5 Sportback’s optional Park Steering Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Ghibli doesn’t offer an automated parking system.