First Drive Of The Stylish SUV


Is Maserati back? Read about its the MC20 supercar – or indeed just look at it – and you’d be inclined to say yes, absolutely. But while a halo supercar with ballistic performance, gorgeous styling and doors that open vertically is no bad thing, in 2023 what an exotic sportscar company also needs is a cash cow.

Porsche proved this over 20 years ago with the Cayenne. It was at first ridiculed for producing an SUV, but it quickly became apparent how a desirable, luxury everyday car capable of selling in big numbers is what’s needed to firstly survive, then pump cash into producing the halo cars. It is fair to say Porsche’s phenomenal GT products are a direct result of the success of the Cayenne and smaller Macan SUV.

It didn’t take long for rivals to catch on, and now the upmarket SUV buyer is so spoiled for choice that it’s almost an overwhelming decision to make. Everyone from Jaguar and Aston Martin, to Lotus, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and even Ferrari recognize the balance sheet-boosting powers of an SUV.

Maserati joined the party in 2016 with the Levante, a full-size SUV powered by either a Ferrari-derived V6 or a diesel. Although that car remains on sale, attention now shifts to the smaller Grecale.

This SUV, which broadly fits into the same market segment as the Porsche Macan, is a mid-size SUV priced from $63,500 in the US and £58,500 in the UK. Based on Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio platform that also underpins the Alfa Stelvio, the three-model range begins with the GT, as driven here. Above this sits the Modena, then there’s a big jump up to the range-topping Trofeo. An all-electric Grecale is due later.

Both the GT and Modena are powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine with a belt-driven, 48-volt mild hybrid system that provides torque to the engine under acceleration, helping out until the turbos have spooled up, then improving economy when cruising. The GT produces 296 horsepower, accelerates to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds and has a top speed of 149 mph. The $72,900 Modena uses the same engine but turns up the wick slightly to produce 325 hp, which lowers the 0-60 mph sprint to 5.0 seconds. The top speed remains the same.

Up your budget considerably and the $102,500 Trofeo delivers more of what you’d expect from a car with a Maserati badge on its nose. Related to the Nettuno engine of the MC20, the Trofeo’s 3.0-liter V6 produces 523 hp; 60 mph is reached in 3.6 seconds and the top speed is 177 mph. All three variants use an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddles behind the steering wheel for manual control, and all are four-wheel-drive.

You will likely hear more about the Trofeo and electric Folgore than the common-or-garden GT and slightly spicier Modena, but it’s these two that will likely sell in the biggest numbers, and which will decide Maserati’s fate. If they are a success, we might see more halo cars like the MC20. If they fail to sell, a difficult decision will be made at the top of parent company Stelantis.

I arrive in Modena during a pre-Christmas cold spell. The temperature is barely above freezing, the roads are wet in town and wearing a dusting of snow up in the hills. Freezing fog sits over the so-called Motor Valley, an engineering hotspot in northern Italy home to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Maserati, Ducati, Delara and others.

Sat on a patch of artificial grass, next to an MC20 at the front of Maserati’s town-center headquarters, the Grecale GT is a good looking thing. The slim headlights and familiar Maserati grille exude an eager, sporty look that makes the car look more compact than it is. Claims of the Grecale looking like the current-generation Ford Puma are unfortunate but not inaccurate, and on passing one I briefly wondered if a fellow Maserati driving was heading towards me.

Around the back, the Grecale’s tail lights resemble the iconic boomerang lamps of the Maserati 3200 GT from 1998.

There are more Maserati signatures inside, from the metal, over-size gear shift paddles and steering wheel-mounted start button, to the dashboard-mounted clock (albeit now with a digital screen instead of analogue hands). It’s a stylish interior that fits the brand well and which feels more spacious than the exterior suggests.

Infotainment is handled via a pair of centrally-mounted dashboard displays. The upper, 12.3in screen is more conventional and is used for navigation and media, while the lower, 8.8in screen cascades down to the transmission tunnel and permanently shows cabin climate controls. This all works well, and both quickly fall into your muscle memory.

What’s less impressive is the gear selector, which comprises individual buttons for drive, reverse, park and neutral. These are mounted horizontally on the dashboard and, while you’ll get used to this placement in time, they lack the tactile click and immediacy that such controls deserve.

On a couple of occasions during my time with the Grecale I pressed D or R and nothing happened. A firmer prod overcomes this, but a more sensitive button with greater feedback would be preferable. So too would conventional, physical door handles instead of the buttons used here. They work well enough, but I fear that they are just another item to eventually fail – and when cars with these systems require a physical backup too, the button feels like design for the sake of it.

Overall, it’s a smart interior that is more spacious than the interior design suggests. There’s easily enough space in here for four adults, the trunk is larger than you’d expect and I can see the Grecale fitting in well as a family car.

My route begins at Maserati HQ in central Modena. Here, going with the flow of weekday traffic, the Grecale feels very much like the everyday car. There isn’t much in the way of supercar sparkle, but then the same can be said of a Porsche Macan. These are the environments where SUVs spend most of their time, and despite the romance of a Maserati badge looking back at you from the steering wheel, a quiet cabin, compliant ride, good control ergonomics and an unobscured view out take priority.

Pick the Trofeo and,naturally, that potent V6 will make itself known in city traffic. But here, the entry-level four-cylinder car is quiet and comfortable.

Leaving Modena behind, my route takes me up into the hills. As much as I’d like to paint a picture of rolling, sun-scorched Italian countryside, on this particular day the rural roads had a slight covering of snow, the hills were blocked by freezing fog, and the pace was well within the speed limit.

On the few occasions I was able to switch from GT to Sport mode, the Grecale served up a decent punch of torque out of the corners. It’s a turn of pace that should satisfy most mid-range SUV buyers looking for practicality over performance — and for those who want (a lot) more, there’s the Trofeo. The GT’s mild hybrid system’s input is subtle – honestly you don’t really know it’s there – but no doubt contributes to the Grecale feeling pretty brisk under hard acceleration from low speed

The GT’s exhaust note is synthesised, as so many are these days. The soundtrack is that of a gruff four-cylinder motor; it’s sporty enough, with VW Golf R-style eruptions between up-shifts, but lacks the sophistication Maserati buyers should expect.

Point the Grecale at some corners and the steering is quick and accurate. There’s some roll, as expected from an SUV, but the ride remains composed enough and is pretty agile too. There’s fun to be had here, but the overall feeling is of one that isn’t as resolved as a Porsche.

Ultimately, the entry-level Grecale is not a car you’ll be attacking a winding canyon road with and frankly nor should it be. This is a mid-size luxury SUV that families will buy because they want a stylish alternative to the Germans, with a famous badge on its nose and a spacious interior.

The link between today’s Maserati and that of the Fangio era might be tenuous at best in 2023 – the team’s final F1 race was in 1957. But the badge still has significant clout, the MC20 has proved Maserati still knows how to build proper supercars, and the Grecale will (hopefully) inject plenty of cash into the balance sheet.

The Grecale won’t give Porsche and Audi sleepless nights, but it’s a well-executed first attempt that I hope sells well. And besides, who doesn’t want to say they drive a Maserati?



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