The Grecale is Maserati’s long-awaited rival to the Porsche Macan and will play a fundamental role in its rapid transition to electrification.
Maserati has unveiled its all-new Grecale SUV, shortly after parent company Stellantis announced that the brand – along with Alfa Romeo, DS and Lancia – will launch only electric cars from 2025. The Grecale has then been engineered to accommodate pure-combustion, hybrid and fully electric drivetrains, which will lend it a similar flexibility of purpose to its German rival, the Porsche Macan, which itself due a pure-EV in 2023. The Grecale obviously sits below the Levante in Maserati’s line-up of SUVs.
- Maserati Grecale will be available in GT, Modena and Trofeo variants
- Gets 2.0-litre mild-hybrid and 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine options
- All-electric Grecale Folgore showcased
Maserati Grecale: exterior styling
Design-wise, the Grecale gives strong clues as to what to expect from other models Maserati’s new-era line-up; its silhouette is a close match for the larger Levante, but the influence of the new MC20 is evident in its “low and imposing grille” and its silhouette, which “takes on a vertical rather than a horizontal aspect”.
The rear end, meanwhile, is characterised by new boomerang-shaped tail light designs claimed to be inspired by the Giugiaro-designed 3200 GT sports coupé from 1998 and a new-look exhaust, while the performance-minded Trofeo variant is marked out by a rear track widened by 34mm over the standard Grecale GT and Modena variants – as well as bespoke bumpers and chrome detailing on the front grille.
Maserati Grecale: interior and features
The cabin represents a radical departure from existing Maserati models, chiefly in the adoption of a new four-screen set-up which brings enhanced digital functionality and allows for a more minimalist, switchgear-light design.
The driver display is digital as standard and there’s a 12.3-inch central infotainment screen, a 8.8-inch touchpad for the climate control and a new digital clock mounted prominently at the top of the dashboard. The removal of the bulk of physical controls, as a result, allows for a larger central armrest and a dedicated phone charging cubby.
Materials and colour schemes differ according to trim level; the GT adopts a more minimalist look and warm colours, while the Modena features bespoke embroidery, trim elements and stitching, and the Trofeo is market out by its exposed carbonfibre panels, perforated leather seats and contrasting stitching.
Maserati Grecale: engine options
From launch, the Grecale will be available with three engine options: two variants of a twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre mild hybrid petrol engine for the entry level Grecale GT and mid-rung Modena variants, while the top-spec Trofeo variant gets a retuned version of the 3.0-litre ‘Nettuno’ V6 first used by the MC20 supercar
The twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine makes 300hp and 450Nm in the base GT variant, and comes mated to a belt-integrated starter-generator (BiSG) and a 48V battery in the boot to give improved economy and an electrical power boost under hard acceleration.
Maserati claims a 0-100kph time of 5.6 seconds for the GT variant and – crucially – an engine note “that retains the usual characteristics of any other Trident-brand car”. In the Modena, the 2.0-litre engine is tuned to give 330hp and 450Nm of torque, for a 0-100kph time of 5.3 seconds.
Meanwhile, the V6 engine in the Trofeo variant produces 530hp and 620Nm to shave the sprint time of 0-100kph to just 3.8 seconds – quicker than the BMW X3 M Competition.
The V6 uses the same pre-chamber combustion technology as the full-fat MC20 engine, which aims to boost both performance and efficiency, but has been modified in line with its more mainstream billing. It has a wet rather than dry oil sump, for example, and 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.
All engines send their reserves through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox to both axles, with a self-locking limited-slip differential fitted to the rear of the Modena and Trofeo, and optional on the GT.
Maserati Grecale electric sibling showcased
Alongside the standard Grecale, Maserati also revealed the all-electric Grecale Folgore that will take on Porsche’s upcoming Macan EV and the Audi Q6 E-tron when it is introduced in international markets sometime in 2023 – a year after the combustion engined car. It will be one of six new electric Maserati models due by 2025.
Technical details of the Grecale Folgore remain largely under wraps this far out from its launch, but Maserati promises it will pack up to 800Nm – almost as much as the Audi E-tron S. The Grecale Folgore will be largely identical to the combustion car inside and out, save for the option of an exclusive Rame Folgore paint finish which changes colour according to the angle of light and the use of recycled fishing nets throughout the interior.
Maserati Grecale: chassis
The Grecale measures 4846mm long by 1670mm tall and 2163mm wide, with a wheelbase of 2901mm, which makes it a similar size to Alfa Romeo’s similarly conceived Stelvio SUV – no coincidence, given it fundamentally shares that car’s acclaimed Giorgio underpinnings.
Optional air suspension gives six levels of adjustment over a 65mm height range – sitting lowest in park mode and at full height in Off-road – and a new vehicle dynamic control module (VDCM) serves as “a top-ranking orchestral conductor” for all dynamic elements of the chassis. Maserati says this system’s predictive intervention into suspension movements differs according to the drive mode selected (Comfort, GT, Sport, Race or Off-road) and gives “levels of performance and integration that could not have been achieved in the older architecture”.
Ventilated brake discs with four-piston callipers are standard but higher-spec cars get dual-cast perforated items paired with performance six-piston callipers at the front and four-pots at the rear.
Upcoming Maserati models globally
The Grecale will be joined in dealerships by the long-awaited second-generation Gran Turismo sports car – which will also be offered with an electric drivetrain, as well as the all-new versions of the Quattroporte and Levante due in the coming years, each with a full spread of drivetrain options.
What are your first impressions of the all-new Maserati Grecale? Let us know in the comments below.
