This is the Maserati Grecale; the first car released since Maserati embarked upon an all-new era for the brand with the MC20 super sports car. That car’s low-slung design has been reinterpreted into SUV form here, visually confirming the continuation of the new family, but there’s a touch of heritage too. In the rear, the boomerang taillights – inspired by the Giugiaro-designed Maserati 3200 GT – take on a characteristically Maserati appearance and trapezoidal lines.
The Grecale is available from launch with three petrol engine options: two variants of the 3.0-litre Nettuno V6 first used by the MC20 for the mid-rung ‘Modena’ and top-spec ‘Trofeo’ models, and a four-cylinder mild hybrid for the entry-level Grecale GT. The V6 uses the same pre-chamber combustion tech as the full-fat MC20 version, which aims to boost both performance and efficiency, but it has been modified in line with this slightly less performance focused offering. It has a wet rather than dry oil sump, for example, and it can deactivate the right cylinder bank at a cruise for reduced consumption. This function necessitated a “complete redesign” in order to accommodate collapsible tappets, which allow the valvetrain on that side of the engine to be deactivated independently.
In the Modena, the V6 is tuned to give 325bhp a 0-62mph time of 5.3sec.
The Trofeo bumps that to 523bhp to shave the sprint time to just 3.8sec.
The mild-hybrid GT has 296bhp and from a twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre unit mated to a belt-integrated starter-generator and a 48V battery in the boot, for a 0-62mph time of 5.6sec, 30.7-32.5mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and an engine note “that retains the usual characteristics of any other Trident-brand car”.
All engines send power through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox to all four wheels with a self-locking limited-slip differential fitted to the rear of the Modena and Trofeo, and optional on the GT.
The upcoming 100% electric version of the Grecale will be named Folgore, the identifier of Maserati BEVs. Grecale Folgore is due on the market one year after the hybrid and petrol models. It will be 100% Made in Italy and will be equipped with a 105kW/h battery using 400V technology, making it one of the largest batteries in the automotive industry by capacity.
Inside, all variants of the Grecale come with no less than four screens – the classic cluster and the new central 12.3” panel, a smaller 8.8” comfort panel with extra controls and the new digital clock. The clock itself also functions as a kind of display, alerting you to notifications. The use of technology cleans up the design and removes the buttons from the central panel, leaving more room for the spacious armrest, the large storage compartment with double butterfly doors and the mobile phone charging area.
Classic Italian craftsmanship is highlighted in the materials and finishes: the dashboard stitching takes up the double saddle style, just like Levante, the other SUV in the Maserati range. Tremendous attention has been paid to the design cues: the detail of the laser-cut metal grilles for the new Sonus faber sound system’s tweeters and mid-range speakers, or the chrome-plated finish of the digital smartwatch, the central air vents and the drive mode selector.
The Grecale is 4846mm long, with a wheelbase of 2901mm, allowing for roomy rear seats and a completely flat boot floor. Optional air suspension gives six levels of adjustment over a 65mm height range and a new vehicle dynamic control module functions as “a top-ranking orchestral conductor” for all dynamic elements of the chassis. All of these components are harmoniously brought together in a range of different modes: Comfort, GT, Sport, Race or Off-road.
To learn more about the Maserati Grecale or to place your order contact your nearest H.R. Owen Maserati.
