Maserati unveiled its new Grecale SUV Tuesday, the beginning of an aggressive product offensive for the Italian luxury brand, now a part of Stellantis. The midsize SUV is expected in U.S. showrooms by the end of the year as it fights such competitors as the Jagaur F-Pace, Porsche Macan, BMW M3 and others.
The new Grecale SUV, its name coming from a northeasterly Mediterranean wind, was unveiled in a glossy, highly-produced film featuring Klaus Busse, Vice President of Design for Maserati.
Some familiar Maserati parts
The Grecale will be offered three models, beginning with the GT, powered by a 296-horsepower 4-cylinder mild hybrid system; and the Modena, with 325-hp 4-cylinder mild hybrid system. Maserati will also offer the Trofeo, powered by a high-performance 523-hp V-6, based on the MC20 Nettuno engine. It’s good for a 3.8-second 0-62 mph time, versus low-to-mid five-second acceleration runs for the hybrid.
The Grecale’s new Vehicle Dynamic Control Module is derived from the Maserati MC20 and provides for five different drive modes: Comfort, GT, Sport, Race and Off-Road. All-wheel drive is standard, as is an air suspension on the Grecale Trofeo; it’s optional on the Modena, and allows for up to 3 inches of travel.
The new Grecale will be built using the Giorgio platform that’s also used for the Alfa Romeo Stelvio midsize SUV, and will be manufactured with the Stelvio at its plant in Cassino, Italy.
The inside story
In a change for Maserati, the Grecale uses buttons for its transmission, rather than a traditional shifter. This frees up 12 liters of storage space up front. In fact, Busses claims the Grecale’s cabin provides best-in-class shoulder, head, and leg room — a common automaker claim during new model intrioductions.
The Grecale’s instrument panel is fitted with four screens, including a 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster alongside a center-mounted 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and a smaller 8.8-inch comfort touchscreen, along with a new dash-mounted digital clock — a first for the brand. A Sonus Faber 1200 W 21-speaker Sonus Faber audio system is standard.
The new infotainment screen will come with Maserati Intelligent Assistant, the revised multimedia system that Maserati introduced in 2021 and works with the Maserati app. Using an Android Automotive operating system, it allows owners to stay in touch with their Grecale, apprising them of the SUV’s health, notifying them of any needed maintenance, assisting in emergencies, and helping in case of car theft. If you’d rather not use another app, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa will also work.
And, as you’d expect, the Grecale is trimmed in leather, wood and carbon fiber.
A familiar look
Not surprisingly, the new SUV bares a strong resemblance to the Levante and the MC20.
“The design of a Maserati is always about visual longevity. And the way we accomplish this is through great proportions, clean surfaces and iconic details,” Busse said in the film. “The face, directly derived from the MC20 supercar, with his high mounted headlights, and the low mounted grill that frames our iconic logo.”
The new GT measures 191 inches long on a 114 inch-wheelbase, stands 66 inches tall with a width of 85 inches.
More new Maseratis are coming soon
The new model arrives as Maserati has announced last week it will have a full electric model lineup by 2025. Dubbed Folgore, the Italian word for lightning, it will include the new GranTurismo, which will be offered in both gas and electric variants.
An all-electric Grecale Folgore with a 105-kW/h battery will follow in 2023. Other new models in Maserati’s upcoming product offensive include the MC20 Spyder, expected to arrive later this spring, as well as a GranCabrio version of the GranTurismo Folgore, followed by the previously mentioned Grecale Folgore early next year.
Executives have also said that when redesigned for 2025, both the redesigned Quattroporte sedan and Levante SUV will be offered solely as Folgore EV models, and will be joined Folgore version of the MC20. The Ghibli sedan will soldier on, and eventually be dropped and not replaced. By 2030, all Maserati will be a fully electric automaker; gasoline engines will no longer be available.