The new Maserati Grecale SUV has been spied on camera for the first time, ahead of landing on the road in 2022.
Intended as a smaller sibling for the Levante, this new mid-size crossover will be officially revealed at the end of the year as a new rival for the likes of the newly facelifted BMW X3, and the soon to be updated Porsche Macan.
We’d already been served a couple of official glimpses of the Grecale by way of some teaser images and a look at a design model, but these spy shots are arguably our best look yet at the important new model’s styling.
The Grecale won’t introduce a totally new Maserati SUV design language. Instead it will evolve from the look established by the Levante, with subtle differences. The SUV’s rear end looks like a shrunken version of the Levante’s, sporting a similar tailgate, taillight configuration, diffuser and quad-exit exhaust system.
The overall profile of the new vehicle is very similar to that of its bigger brother, despite the reduction in size to roughly 4.7 metres in length. The windowline and rakish rear screen mean that it will be a mid-size premium SUV straddling the line between a traditional two-box appearance and coupe-SUV models like the BMW X4 and Mercedes GLC Coupe.
Previous teaser images also suggest the SUV will adopt Maserati’s trademark vented wings, while the Grecale will be fronted by a vertical headlight configuration rather than the Levante’s horizontal units, for a bit of differentiation.
Maserati Grecale engine technology
Maserati Grecale engine technology
The Grecale is expected to be based on the same underpinnings as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, but powered by the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine as the new Maserati MC20 supercar. Performance figures for the SUV are yet to be confirmed. Maserati’s Nettuno engine is capable of producing 464kW and 730Nm but it will be detuned for use in the Grecale.
Maserati will also offer the Grecale with a pure-electric powertrain. Power and torque figures for the electric model are yet to be confirmed, but Maserati has suggested that the architecture will feature 800-volt battery technology (like the Porsche Taycan) and support up to 300kW rapid-charging.
New Maserati Folgore electric sub-brand
The Grecale will also introduce a new badging structure for Maserati. From 2022, all of the company’s pure-electric models will carry the “Folgore” suffix which, rather fittingly, translates from Italian into English as “lightning.”
To bridge the gap between the two extremes, Maserati will also offer a range of hybrid powertrains. Again, specifications are unconfirmed, but one option available to Maserati is the 242kW 2.0-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine from the Ghibli.
Maserati has set a number of targets for the Grecale. The company claims it will have the greatest top speed of any SUV in its class, while also being the fastest accelerating, best handling and most spacious. Ambitiously, Maserati also plans to go up against the Germans in terms of technology, claiming the Grecale will offer the best in class sound system.
The brand says it will introduce 13 new cars over the next three years – seven of which will be unveiled before the end of 2022. Maserati’s revamped range will also include a host of new hybrid models and a replacement for the Gran Turismo.
The Grecale will be built at Maserati’s Cassino plant in Italy, with the firm planning an €800 million (around $1.264 billion) investment to set up the facility for the car’s production.
James Brodie