By Otsile Kadiege

Maserati has added yet another SUV to their line-up – the all-new Grecale. The Grecale sits below the Levante and brings Maserati’s SUV tally to two. The new Grecale boasts a clean and modern design with a premium-looking cabin kitted with the latest technologies. It’s available in three new grades and it’s powered wide range of powertrains. These include 4-cylinder hybrid engines as well as a V6 powerplant sourced from their MC20. Maserati says there will be an all-electric Grecale in the future.

Unique by Design

The Grecale’s exterior design is typical Maserati with design elements forming an integral part of the overall stylistic vernacular and a few cues borrowed from the Levante. Like the MC20, the Grecale’s front-end takes on a vertical rather than a horizontal aspect, which Maserati says have been adapted for SUV requirements. The familiar-looking LED headlights with L-shaped daytime running lights (DRL) are nestled on the flanks of a low and imposing grille with the signature ‘devil’s fork’ trident. The sporty Grecale Trofeo’s grille is shifted slightly forward, to make it bolder and accentuate its sporty character. Further accentuating its sportiness are large air inlets with contrasting accents on the Trofeo.

Its side profile is clean and uncluttered thanks to minimal use of sharp body creases and, depending on grade, it’s sitting on 19- to 21-inch wheels. The rear-end features boomerang taillights inspired by the Giugiaro 3200 GT and quad exhaust outlets for all derivatives. The Grecale is 4,846 mm long, 2,163 mm wide, 1,670 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,901 mm. It’s available in three grades, namely the entry-level GT, the mid-range Modenna and the high-performance Trofeo. Next year Maserati will add an all-electric Folgore grade to the Grecale line-up.

Modern Italian flair

Inside, the Maserati Grecale’s design is inspired by the concept of a clean, modern and emotive design, with room for new technology. The latter is accentuated by four displays – one 12.3-inch display for the digital instrument cluster, another 12.3-inch for the centre touchscreen displaying Maserati’s Intelligent Assistant Multimedia System with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as Maserati Connect, an 8-inch comfort touchscreen with extra controls and the new digital clock. Other highlights include a multifunctional flat-bottom steering wheel with prominent steering column mounted pedal shifters, a panoramic sunroof, patterned leather seats with contrast stitching and heating function, and a standard 14 speaker Sonus faber hifi  or the optional 21 speaker Sonus faber 3D sound system.

Powertrains

Powering the Grecale are mild-hybrid engines and a 3.0 litre twin turbocharged V6 engine. The Maserati Grecale GT and Modenna are powered by a 2.0 litre mild-hybrid engine which consists of four components: a Belt Starter Generator (BSG), a 48-V battery, an e-Booster and a DC/DC converter. The GT derivative produces 221 kW (300 hp) and 450 Nm whilst the Modenna makes 243 kW (330 hp). Top speeds for both GT and Modenna are capped at 240 km/h.

The Grecale Trofeo is powered by an MC20 sourced 3.0 litre twin-turbo six-cylinder engine developing 390 kW and 620 Nm. It’s paired to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and power is fed to an AWD system allowing the Grecale Trofeo tosprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 285 km/h.

The all-electric Grecale Folgore will pack a 105 kWh battery with 400V technology and is said to deliver 800 Nm. The new Maserati Grecale will be built at the Italian marque’s Cassino plant. Local availability and pricing are yet to be confirmed by Maserati South Africa.