(By Tom Lohnes) – Maserati isn’t in great shape as of right now. Sure, they’re slowly reinventing their brand with the MC20 supercar and various new EVs, but the sales of their volume models, the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans and Levante crossover are definitely less than great. Well, the second step of their re-birth begins today with the Grecale, yet another entry into the polluted premium crossover class.
With styling that slightly resembles a Ford Escape, the Grecale doesn’t really look all that great for a vehicle wearing the famous trident. Sure, it does have the grille and fender ports, but the Grecale doesn’t really look wide enough, at least in the photos that were attached to the press release. It could definitely be the wild yellow color it was released in distorting the angles, but who knows. The side profile is better than the front end, but once again looks sort of bunched up and not big enough. With that being said, the rear end is quite nice looking, with the Top-spec Trofeo model having conjoined quad exhaust tips.
Inside, the Grecale is very minimalistic. With four total screens in the front seat, this new Maserati definitely packs the tech in tight. There is one screen in front of the driver for the gauge cluster, two in the center stack for your infotainment system and climate controls, then a small one on top of that pretending to be an analog clock. Thankfully, the Grecale takes some interior touches from other Maserati products, such as the massive column-mounted paddle shifters and start button on the steering wheel.
Speaking of other models, the Grecale has three powertrain options, two of which are shared with other vehicles. In the base trim, you get a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, which is seen in many vehicles such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Jeep Gladiator. The sole transmission option for this engine is an 8-speed automatic, and if you get the GT trim a nice mechanical limited-slip diff comes standard. Step up to the for now top-spec Trofeo model, and you get the same 3.0-liter “nettuno” V6 as the MC20. In this configuration, it gets 523 horsepower, which is quite a bit for a crossover that size. You of course get the 8-speed auto, and Trofeo models come standard with an electronic LSD. Also, an EV version is coming next year called the “folglore”.
Overall, the Grecale isn’t exactly the Maserati for enthusiasts. Sure, the Trofeo is cool, but this is more meant as a sales device to get more money for other products. Think of it as maserati’s base model Dodge Durango.
