Maserati is making a play for top spot on the podium of big-selling SUVs with its sparkling new Grecale model.

A partner to the Italian carmaker’s other SUV model, the Levante, the Grecale is aimed at the market currently inhabited by the Porsche Macan and it will be available in three versions: the GT, powered by a turbocharged, 224kW four-cylinder mild hybrid engine; the Modena, with a four-cylinder, turbocharged 246kW mild hybrid engine; and the Trofeo, powered by a high-performance 395kW/620Nm petrol twin-turbo V6 based on the company’s MC20 supercar Nettuno engine. Power runs through an 8-speed transmission.

At the top end of the four-wheel-drive Grecale range, the Trofeo – with its V6 utilising Maserati’s clever twin combustion tech – packs quite a punch, with a 0-100km.h time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 285km/h.

In its hybrid version, the Grecale combines a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with a 48-volt mild hybrid system. The hybrid system consists of four components: a Belt Starter Generator (BSG), a 48-volt battery, an e-Booster and a DC/DC converter. The BSG acts as an alternator, charging the battery which in turn powers the e-Booster fitted to the engine. The engine features dual turbochargers, where the internal combustion component is combined with the e-Booster, powered by either the BSG or the battery. An electric compressor compensates for the lack of a conventional turbocharger in the early engine cycles.

Performance for the mild hubrid GT and Modena models is excellent, with the Modena reaching 100km/h in 5.3 seconds and the GT doing the same sprint in 5.6 seconds. Top speed for both is 240km/h.

Maserati have already stated that a pure-electric variant, using 400-volt technology, is on the cards, and the Grecale Folgore, as it is to be known, will launch in 2023. It is to be equipped with a 105kWh battery and will deliver up to 800 Nm of torque.

The Grecale features Maserati’s Vehicle Dynamic Control Module (VDCM) system – which works to monitor and control the dynamics of the vehicle – to ensure better performance and safety, and there are four different drive modes: COMFORT, GT, SPORT, and OFF-ROAD, with the Trofeo variant gaining a fifth, CORSA mode.

Air suspension comes as standard on the Grecale Trofeo, and is an option on the Mild Hybrid versions. The height of the air springs is closely related to the drive mode used. Six levels of suspension adjustment can be selected.

The Trofeo gets what Maserati calls quadrilateral suspension with virtual steering axle plus active shock absorbers and air springs at the front and a multilink with active shock absorbers and air springs at the rear. Same goes for the other models except the air springs are an option. Braking comes from Brembo and the Trofeo gets 21-inch wheels all round, while the Modena sits on 20-inch wheels and the GT on 19-inch wheels.

In the cabin, the Grecale is luxurious and full of quality technology, with different trim styles across the three variants.
There are four screens – the classic cluster and a new central 12.3-inch panel, a smaller 8.8-inch comfort panel with extra controls and a new digital clock. An optional heads-up display is available.

The latest Maserati Intelligent Assistant (MIA) multimedia system runs via the 12.3-inch screen. Running the Android Auto operating system, the MIA can be configured with multiple tab-based screens for a driver’s favourite functions or the most commonly used ones. Up to five different user profiles can be stored, and those profiles can include music preferences, temperature and seat/mirror positioning and so on.

MIA lets two smartphones be connected at once via Bluetooth, and also available is voice control of on-board functions.

The in-car sound comes via a Sonus faber 3D sound system that includes up to 21 speakers.

At launch, the Grecale is to be available in a special PrimaSerie Launch Edition – a limited edition featuring exclusive interiors and technological content.

VIDEO: THE ALL-NEW MASERATI GRECALE. EVERYDAY EXCEPTIONAL

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (April 2022) 

20 April 2022