The choice became harder

For the last few years there has been a trend in the big saloon market that has baffled me. It's the introduction of the saloon-coupe. I'm not the biggest fan of the saloons with the sloped rear-end like the A7 or the CLS, because you could spend less money on a less flashier car and then use the rest of the money to buy another car for your child. I expect that the buyer would have a child since those cars are still big saloons. But anyway, this text is not for ranting on those type of cars (or people who buy them) but for the new Maserati Ghibli. 

The Maserati Ghibli is a new car from Maserati which unfortunately falls in the same category as the CLS, not because of its body shape, but because of its similar price tag. The Ghibli comes with two different engines to choose from. A 3.0 L twin turbocharged V6 which puts out 330 hp and 410 hp for the faster S model. It also has - for the first time ever in a Maserati - a V6 turbodiesel. 

Now before we go and say that the legendary Italian manufacturer has sold itself out we have to remember that, if you want Maserati to be around for much longer they have to build something for a larger market. And that means for Maserati to build a smaller car with a bigger market than the Quattroporte but still one that doesn't ruin their badge. Enter the Ghibli.

The diesel is necessary so that it could compete with the German equivalents. But I hope that the people who buy the Ghibli will opt for the twin turbo petrol. I also hope that this car will propel the passionate Italians to build more sports cars in the future.

At first I wasn't happy with the styling, but it has started to grow on me. I like it.

Will we see an estate version? It could be something they're working on right now.

TheSeatHeaters favourite new cars of 2012

When this car first came out in 2004 I thought it was one of the most useless cars ever made and that the manufacturer just had too much money on their hands. I'm obviously talking about the Mercedes-Benz CLS. It was just a more expensive and flashier E-class. But after that other big car manufacturers have copied the idea of a four-door coupé from Mercedes and made something that competes directly at it, e.g., the Audi A7. Then Mercedes decided that they'd had enough and produced the new and improved CLS in 2011 and in 2012 this: Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake. 
At first I thought they've made the same mistake again as with the original CLS, it's completely pointless. But when I saw it for real in a showroom and sat in it I completely understood the point. It was big, brash and in especially in matte silver it was pretty. The shooting brake isn't even much more expensive than the normal CLS. Which makes me wonder, why anyone would buy a normal Mercedes-Benz CLS when you could have something really special?

Normal CLS for comparison

Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake

Best supercar of the year in my mind was not the new Pagani or the imposing Lamborghini Aventador it is more mainstream. The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.

The F12 has the same 6.3 litre V12 as the Ferrari FF developing 730 hp but without the awefully hideous body of the FF. The F12 has sometype of elegance to it I don't know what else to say of it's looks. It's the best Looking front-engined Ferrari since the 365 GTB or simply known as the Ferrari Daytona. That body combined with the most powerful engine Ferrari has ever made for a road legal car is a symphony of power, beauty and excellence.

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

The Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ (if you didn't know they're the same car). As a powerplant they have a 2.0 liter, 200 horsepower boxer engine and rear wheel drive.
When I saw this car the first time I gasped and thought that's the best looking Toyota/Subaru ever. It looks like it's built with beauty in mind which is something I never thought I'd be saying about a car coming from Japan, the land of boring, cheap and reliable family hatchbacks. But hey! It's a new drift car from Japan. Something the Celica should have always been. 

Toyota GT86

 -tgmatti