Nobody, in Maserati’s near-80-year history of making cars, has bought one of its products because it made sense. Its cars have always been completely emotional purchases. And that poses a bit of a problem for the Maserati Grecale.
See, it’s a mid-sized SUV. One that, in most forms, has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder. And comes as an EV, too. These are the kinds of cars that sell in vast numbers these days, but one with a trident on its nose? Are these things not totally at odds with one another?
It’s sort of a lose-lose situation for Maser because it needs to make a car like this to survive in the cut-throat modern car market, but it simultaneously seems to dilute everything the brand is about.
Still, if it can inject some of that Maser-ness into a crowd-pleasing package, it could just about work, and there are some good signs. This Grecale isn’t a 2.0-litre, nor is it the Folgore EV. Instead, it’s the Trofeo, which borrows its ‘Nettuno’ engine from the MC20 – a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 with pre-chamber combustion, a clever system that would take too long to explain here but in theory, means more power and more efficiency.
It’s a corking engine, too. When m’colleague Ryan drove the MC20, he posited that it didn’t quite feel special enough for a proper supercar. I can see where he’s coming from, but in a mid-sized SUV, it’s another matter.
It starts off all rich and burbly then gets a proper rasp on at the top end. I thought all of this was being piped through the speakers for my benefit, but no, turns out passers-by are treated to it too, albeit at a regulation-satisfying volume. It’s certainly a more charismatic engine than any of its rivals have, especially now the V8-powered Jaguar F-Pace SVR is no more. Maserati box: ticked.
You don’t get the full 621bhp that the MC20 does. Here, the Nettuno’s making 523bhp and 457lb ft of torque, so you still couldn’t really accuse it of being underpowered, even when the Grecale weighs just the wrong side of two tonnes.
The quoted 0-62mph time is 3.8 seconds, and it feels every bit that quick. It launches off from a standstill, the rear-biased four-wheel drive system allowing an amusing degree of slip from the back, especially if you pop the car into the extra-naughty Corsa mode.
ZF’s ubiquitous eight-speed auto swaps cogs, and it’s as good here as it is in the billion other cars it’s fitted to, shifting up with an aggressive whoomp when you’re pushing on but settling into almost unnoticeable smoothness when you’re going steadily.
Maserati Grecale Trofeo – rear detail
The Grecale sits on a stretched version of the ‘Giorgio’ platform that also underpins the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio, and this is a very good starting point. Much like the Stelvio Quadrifoglio that it shares plenty with, the Grecale has unusually quick and darty steering endowed with an impressive amount of feedback.
Its chassis isn’t the last word in sharpness or body control, and the four-wheel drive system’s not totally infallible in its grip, but this only adds to the character. Unlike some rivals, the Grecale never takes itself too seriously, always ready to give you a cheeky shimmy from the back end.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s still an impressive physics-defier in the way these fast, heavy SUVs always are, and is still viciously effective on greasy, wintery roads. It just has some very welcome personality dialled into the way it handles.
Maserati Grecale Trofeo – front, driving
The tradeoff for this is that it eats into the Trofeo’s abilities as a relaxed cruiser. The sharp, alert steering can get a bit fidgety on the motorway, and it wants to follow cambers and ruts quite aggressively. Though it sits on air suspension and adaptive dampers, even the slackest Comfort and GT modes will jostle you about a bit over bumps.
Things can get a bit boomy over bad road surfaces, but on the smoother stuff, it will play the cruiser nicely enough. The exhaust noise fades away when you want it to, and intrusive outside noise is kept mostly at bay. Maser has also integrated its ADAS systems very sensibly. There’s no big ‘off’ button for the dreaded lane-keep assist, but you can set it to only give you a very unintrusive rumble through the wheel, and the car will remember this each time you start it.
Maserati Grecale Trofeo – interior
The interior’s a mixed bag. The leather is lovely, the seats comfy (once you’ve deciphered the method of slackening the uber-tight bolsters) and the big fixed aluminium shift paddles – also pilfered from Alfa – are a real treat. You will find bits that aren’t on the level of the German brands – the air vents, for instance, feel quite cheap – and I had a few little squeaks and rattles that I couldn’t trace. Largely, though, the inside feels like a step in the right direction.
Shame it’s so frustrating to use. Maser has decided on the minimal-button approach, all the car’s settings migrated onto a bank of two screens. The bottom one, in particular, is trying to do too many things at once, and it took far too long to figure out that audio could be controlled with a pair of little plastic nubbins on the back of the wheel in addition to the screen and the rubbish haptic volume slider. You get used to it eventually, but this stuff should be done right from the get-go.
Maserati Grecale Trofeo – interior detail
In fact, the only proper buttons you do get (save for the ones, mercifully, on the steering wheel) handle gear selection. Yes, this frees up more storage space in the centre console, but I’d prefer a proper selector, especially in a car at this price point. The buttons are unintuitive, look a bit cheap, and remove an avenue for manual shifting.
The Trofeo occupies a curious spot in the market at the moment. Not long ago, rapid mid-sized SUVs like this were everywhere, but the F-Pace SVR is dead, and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio won’t be far behind it.
There are no full-fat M or RS versions of the new BMW X3 or Audi Q5 yet, and the most powerful petrol Porsche Macan you can get these days is the 434bhp GTS. That leaves its biggest contender as the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63. Frankly, with that car’s disappointing four-pot hybrid powertrain, there’s not even any competition if you’re blessed with a pulse.
Maserati Grecale Trofeo – rear, driving
The Merc’s pricier, too, starting at just over £109k – pretty much the same as this Grecale, as specced with stuff like the posh surround sound system and 360-degree cameras (although, really, the latter should be standard on a car that already starts at £102,775).
Despite this, the Grecale remains a fairly scarce sight on UK roads. That, I suspect, has nothing to do with its quality, and everything to do with its badge. Shorn of the Trofeo’s lovely powertrain and mischievous handling, I suspect it’d feel a lot more normal, and that wouldn’t do it any favours, but in this guise, the Grecale got under my skin, in spite of its flaws. Just like a Maserati should.