A cool breeze blowing from the Mediterranean Sea across Italy has brought with it the new Maserati Grecale. This luxury mid-sized SUV is a breath of fresh air for this historic Italian brand in more ways than one.
The Trofeo grade is the sportiest Grecale on offer and is powered by a 3.0 litre, V6 engine with 390kw of power and 620Nm of torque. Push the steering wheel mounted start button, firmly press the button on the dash to engage drive, and with the twist of the knob on the steering wheel this Grecale goes from a pleasant SUV to an Italian performance machine. The drive modes available on the Grecale Trofeo include Comfort, GT, Sports, Corsa, and Off-road with downhill descent control.
In GT mode I felt that the engine was geared too low and that it was labouring at times, particularly going up hills. But aggressively changing up and down the 8-Speed Automatic ZF gearbox using the Aluminium column-mounted paddle shifters in Sport mode rewards your ears with raspy V6 goodness. The Grecale Trofeo weighs just 2,027kg and is capable of accelerating from 0-100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 285km/h. The official combined fuel consumption for the Trofeo is 11.2L/100km and for my week driving this one I used 13.4L/100km.
The drive mode selection also raises or lowers the Grecale thanks the Skyhook Air Suspension or you can also do this via the lower screen with off-road, normal and aero settings available. You can also separately soften/harden the dampers using the button in the centre of the drive mode selection knob. Regardless of the setting chosen though the Grecale rides beautifully on the optional 21″ Pegaso forged staggered wheels.
This top spec Grecale Trofeo with optional Blu Intenso metallic paint and optional yellow painted brake calipers is oozing with Italian charisma. From the carbon fibre highlights splashed on the exterior and interior to soft, smooth leather that covers much of the interior, the Grecale is an opulent experience.
The full premium leather upholstery, with chevron graphics and the optional stitched Trident on headrest, is lovely to touch and smells amazing. Both front seats have powered adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height front and rear, and 4-way lumbar support with the controls for these features located on the side of the seats. There is additional side bolster adjustment as well, which is accessed on lower screen where the climate controls are, and the three memory positions for the driver’s seat are also found here. The driver’s seat also gets manual front leg extension and both front seats are heated, but this did not feel to me that they were up to Euro standard.
The luxury continues with push button door opening buttons, electric-adjustable steering column, Aluminium door sills, a 14 speaker Sonus Faber Premium Sound System with DAB+ as well AM/FM radio, and Bluetooth. Even the warning bongs in the Grecale are pleasant to listen to. The only thing I noted in the cabin that I didn’t like was the gloss black on door trims as they attract dust and finger marks. The cup holders in centre console have grippy sides and I found that they were a little too deep for a standard sized coffee cup. The drink bottle storage cubbies in front doors are suitable for large water bottles, but they ate on a 45-degree angle.
Maserati have delivered on the Grecale from a technological standpoint, even down to the central dash mounted clock, which is now digital with three designs to choose from, but this classic design is still my favourite. The clock can also be a compass, a brake/throttle application display, and a G meter. One smart feature on the digital climate controls is that you can swipe up or down on either side of the lower screen to adjust cabin temperature rather than having to touch the smaller temp adjustment graphic. The driver’s dash has a full digital display and this Grecale was fitted with the optional Tech Assistance Pack that adds Head Up Display, IR Protection Windshield, and wireless phone charger.
The wireless phone charging pad is located at the front of the centre console and adjacent to this under the carbon fibre flip up covers in the centre console is a cubby with one USB-A port and one USB-C port and under arm rest is a felt lined cubby with wireless charging pad for the substantial key fob and one 12V socket. The wireless Android Auto worked well, but like other Stellantis vehicles I have driven it did drop in and out on occasion.
I found that the rear seats had ample head and leg room for myself, but taller individuals may find head room to be tight. For younger passengers there are two ISOfix/three rear tether child seat restraint points and the centre seat folds down as an arm rest with two shallow cup holders at the front. Thankfully the cup holders have grippy sides to reduce the chance of them falling over and there are additional drink bottle storage cubbies in rear doors, but they are also on an angle.
Rear passengers will enjoy having a Panorama sunroof and also get a rear touch screen for the climate controls with digital temperature, mode and air speed controls or you can also adjust the climate settings from the front of the Grecale as well. The two central air vents have individual on/off and direction controls and below the vents there is one USB-A port and one USB-C port. One potential risk to children sitting in the rear seats are the sharp metal covers on the speakers. Although it is very unlikely for you or your children to do, if skin was pushed along the speaker covers it does feel like they could cause an abrasion.
The Grecale’s boot lid is powered with a kick sensor for handsfree opening, but I could not get this to work for me. It can also be opened/closed using the buttons on the boot lid, the robust key fob, or in the cabin located near the sunroof controls. The boot is quite large with four substantial tie down points, two hooks, two lights, and one 12V socket. Under boot floor is a small amount of extra storage and the tyre repair kit is located here. If more space is needed the rear seats have a 60/40 split fold mechanism with the release to fold them down located in the boot and on the side of the seats. You can also individually fold down the centre seat for longer items.
The Maserati Grecale does not have an ANCAP safety rating, but does come with a long list of advanced driver safety aids. These include Automated Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Recognition, Active Lane Management (Blind Spot Assist + Lane keep assist), Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Path, and Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go (With radar). The standard rear-view camera is paired with a 360-degree overhead view camera and front and rear parking sensors with Rear Active Braking. Passive safety includes advanced dual stage front air bags, front and rear side-curtain airbags, and front seat-mounted side airbags. For convenience you also get full LED dusk sensing headlights and rain-sensing wipers.
All new Maserati vehicles come with a three year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which can be extended through to the 10th year on driveline components of your vehicle with no limits on mileage by purchasing extended warranty cover with a 1 year additional warranty costing $3,172, and two year’s $4,893. A Pre-Paid Maintenance plan can be purchased up front and offers fixed prices assured for spare parts, consumables and labour, for the entire term of your service plan. A 3 years servicing plan is $4,563 with an addition two also available at $4,660 (so 5 years servicing would be $9,223). Maserati also off a pick-up and delivery service applicable to all vehicles for any service within a certain distance from the dealership with a courtesy car can be provided.
The Maserati Grecale Trofeo will leave you feeling like you’ve been kissed by a soft Italian breeze every time you drive it. The Grecale Trofeo is priced from $174,900 excluding on road costs and as tested this Grecale Trofeo was $184,890 excluding on-road costs. You can Build Your Own Grecale online or visit your preferred Maserati dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| The interior looks and smells amazing | The potentially abrasive speaker covers |
| Plenty of technology on offer | Heated seats are not up to Euro standard |
| The raspy V6 engine | Wireless Android Auto dropped out occasionally |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.