The new Maserati Grecale will sit under the Levante in the brand’s SUV line-up and arrives with up to 385kW.
Italian manufacturer Maserati has revealed the new model that it hopes will kick-start its revival: the Maserati Grecale. The Grecale is a model at the larger end of the mid-size SUV segment designed to rival other sporting SUVs of this size, such as the BMW X3 and the Porsche Macan.
The Macan is a strong seller for Porsche – it’s strongest, in fact – and Maserati hopes that the Grecale will pull off a similar trick of growing sales. It’s based on a heavily updated version of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio’s Giorgio platform, enabling not just petrol versions, but also a fully electric model, which will be the first in the brand’s ‘Folgore’ electrification plan.
Going on sale in the second half of 2022, the Grecale incorporates elements of the MC20 sports car’s design in an SUV package, with what the brand calls a more ‘vertical’ design language. “We opted early for a design philosophy that is pure and not ostentatious. It doesn’t scream ‘look at me’,” claims designer Klaus Busse.
Sizing up at 4.85 metres long and 1.98 metres wide, the front end wears a typical Maserati grille with trident badge, but new vertically arranged headlights make the difference compared with the horizontal look of the larger Levante SUV. The brand’s trademark triple side air vents are found behind the front wheel arch, while around the back, the horizontal ‘boomerang’ style taillights are said to be inspired by the 3200 GT.
GT spec opens the range, with sportier Modena and Trofeo models adding more aggressive bodykits, larger wheels, and wider rear tracks.
The five-seat interior is all-new, too, and features a more digital environment than any production Maserati before, with a 12.3-inch digital dashboard and an 8.8-inch touchscreen – the central touchscreen powered by new Android Automotive software.
There’s also a new digital clock placed atop the redesigned dashboard. This clock acts as a reference point for the car’s voice control and digital assistant features – ask the car to do something, and the clock will react and respond.
Grecale Trofeo models will be offered with adaptive air suspension (optional on the other models), while a new all-encompassing driving dynamics control system called VDCM has been developed for the car. All versions of the Grecale use four-wheel drive, and an eight-speed automatic transmission with gearshift paddles on the steering wheel. A locking mechanical rear differential is standard except on the entry level GT model, where it is an optional extra.
Power comes from a 218kW 2.0-litre turbocharged mild hybrid petrol engine in the GT, rising to 242kW for the Modena. Both units produce maximum torque of 450Nm and both achieve a top speed of 240km/h. The GT variant takes 5.6 seconds to hit 100km/h from standstill, while the Modena is slightly quicker, at 5.3 seconds.
The 48-volt hybrid system consists of a belt-driven starter-generator and a battery located in the boot, plus an electric compressor. The electrical assistance can be used to boost performance, or reduce consumption, depending on the way the car is driven in one of five driving modes: Comfort, GT, Sport, Race and and Off-Road mode.
High-performance Trofeo models use a 385kW/620Nm twin-turbo V6 with cylinder deactivation technology, good for 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 285km/h. It’s a power output that sees the Grecale take aim squarely at the V8 powered Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S and the Jaguar F-Pace SVR.
The electric Grecale Folgore is the brand’s first road-going electric model. It uses the same platform and will arrive in 2023. Maserati hasn’t revealed range or performance figures, but a 105kWh battery will power an electric motor set-up with around 400kW and 800Nm of torque. The platform it uses will be electrified to 400v.
Maserati says that the Grecale will arrive on roads in the second half of 2022 with Australian price and spec details yet to be announced.
James Brodie