{"id":53001,"date":"2026-08-09T12:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T10:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/?p=53001"},"modified":"2026-08-07T09:49:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:49:38","slug":"according-to-this-former-f1-driver-and-top-gear-host-this-maserati-was-one-of-the-most-underrated-cars-and-one-of-the-most-heavily-criticized-by-the-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.italpassion.fr\/en\/maserati\/cet-ancien-pilote-de-f1-et-presentateur-de-top-gear-cette-maserati-fut-lune-des-voitures-les-plus-sous-estimees-et-les-plus-descendues-par-la-presse\/","title":{"rendered":"This former F1 driver and Top Gear host said, \u2018This Maserati was one of the most underrated cars and one of the most panned by the press.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A former Formula 1 driver and a legendary figure on Top Gear, Tiff Needell has driven just about every fast and exotic car the automotive industry has to offer. Yet among the cars he champions most passionately is an Italian sedan whose commercial success never really took off: the Maserati Ghibli<\/a>. In his view, the automotive press has not done him justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guest on the show Cars & Money<\/em>, in a lengthy interview posted on YouTube in August 2026, Tiff Needell looks back on his career and his years at Top Gear<\/em> and Fifth Gear<\/em>, Formula 1, and even the most impressive cars he\u2019s ever driven. As the conversation unfolds, the former driver also mentions a car for which he clearly still has a special fondness: the Maserati Ghibli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00abI love the Maserati Ghibli,\u00bb he explains, recounting how he drove the model when he was a brand ambassador. And his assessment of the car\u2019s reception is unequivocal: in his view, it was \u00abone of the most underrated cars and one of the most panned by the press.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A launch that may have influenced the reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Above all, Tiff Needell offers an interesting explanation for this bad reputation. Maserati<\/a> In particular, the company had chosen to showcase the Ghibli with its diesel engine during press test drives, in the hope of attracting customers accustomed to German sedans, particularly Audi and BMW. An understandable business decision, but one that, in his view, may have contributed to giving a poor first impression of the car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiff Needell is also quite critical of the way auto launches are conducted. He explains how the views of just a few journalists can quickly become the prevailing opinion. According to his account, sometimes all it takes is for a respected colleague to criticize, for example, a car\u2019s suspension quality for that remark to be picked up by other journalists present at the same event (Italpassion confirms this point\u2026). In the case of the Ghibli, Needell believes this dynamic worked particularly against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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