Maserati Grecale 2022 Review

Australian pricing has yet to drop for the 2022 Maserati Grecale, which is perhaps understandable for a car that won’t touch down until early next year.

But take it from us, that glorious trident badge won’t come cheap on the sports-luxury brand’s inaugural mid-size SUV.

With little guidance to go on, when it arrives here expect the cheapest versions to cost around $120,000 (plus on-road costs) and the most expensive Trofeo to be priced from around $180,000, possibly even more.

There’s no official confirmation on when the battery-electric Maserati Grecale Folgore will arrive, but it’s expected to go on sale in Europe in March 2023, suggesting it could trail the petrol versions by just a matter of months.

Like the European market, the Grecale finally squares up to the likes of the Porsche Macan, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC, Maserati’s sub-Levante SUV will be available in just three model grades – GT, Modena and Trofeo, the latter equipped with the mighty Nettuno twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 from the sublime MC20 supercar.

The other two grades will only be offered with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine (with mild-hybrid tech), tuned to 221kW in the GT and 243kW in Modena.

Whichever version you choose, all models come with a 12.3-inch infotainment system that’s flanked below by an 8.8-inch ‘comfort’ panel that incorporates functions like the climate control and eliminates almost all buttons from the cabin.

In place of the traditional Maserati carriage clock there’s a small panel that projects the time digitally – a playful hint of the advanced tech beneath, the Italian brand claims.

In its home market, the Grecale is already available to configure and early indications suggest a price premium over its closest rivals and a long list of pricey options too.

On the GT, Modena and Trofeo, special paint options are priced from €1122 ($A1700) to €9150 ($A13,600) and larger 21-inch rims to replace the standard 19s cost as much as €4307 ($A6400) on GT and Modena. They’re standard on the high-performance Trofeo flagship.

If you want adaptive cruise control, it will cost an extra €2818 ($A4200), which also throws in full LED headlights. A more advanced package of driver assist safety tech raises this to €6051 ($A9000).

Some options, like the 13-speaker premium sound system almost seems reasonable at €2562 ($A3800), but there’s some options that smack at penny-pinching.

The rear climate control panel and very useful 360-degree camera costs an extra €1025 ($A1500) each. And Maserati even goes as far as charging €5 ($A7) for a branded rag to clean the numerous screens dotted around the cabin.

What is useful for those who value comfort is the single-chamber air suspension that’s standard on the Grecale Trofeo, but this costs an extra €2867 ($A4300) on the lesser GT and Modena.

Of course, there’s no guarantee Australian-spec cars will follow in the tyre tracks of Maserati’s home market. But you have been warned; the price discrepancy between a Grecale and its less exotic Porsche Macan opposition might be much, much higher than it looks at first glance.

All versions come with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the two lower grades available with the added option of a mechanical limited-slip rear differential.

The Trofeo gets a more sophisticated electronically-controlled differential.

Maserati is bullish when it comes to performance claims and says the 2022 Maserati Grecale will deliver nothing short of best-in-class acceleration, no matter which model you choose.

In the case of the base 221kW 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder mild-hybrid, that translates to a 0-100km/h time of 5.6 seconds and a 240km/h top speed.

The more powerful 243kW version musters an identical 450Nm torque as the entry-level powertrain but still shaves 0.3sec off its 0-100km/h dash with a brisk 5.3sec sprint.

At the top of the tree, the Grecale Trofeo pumps out a very healthy 390kW and 620Nm of torque from its 3.0-litre biturbo V6, which is enough for a mighty 3.8sec 0-100km/h time and a 285km/h top speed.

The latter is about what a Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S can manage but, importantly, the Grecale Trofeo completely overshadows the fastest Porsche Macan GTS, which can only manage a 4.3sec 0-100km/h time and a 272km/h.

Pricing will dictate the closest rivals for the two lesser versions of the Grecale, but we’re willing to bet the Macan S will be more affordable than both the GT and Modena.

If that’s the case, the best-in-class claims will truly be tested as not only does the German SUV produce more power (280kW) from its twin-turbo V6, it’s significantly quicker off the mark to its 100km/h benchmark (4.6sec).

I’m afraid if you’re hoping for a definitive verdict on the way the 2022 Maserati Grecale rides and drives, you’ll have to wait a little longer.

Instead of an exhaustive driving route to truly put the Grecale through its dynamic paces, Maserati laid out more of an appetiser for a future drive and evaluation. Our first taste at the international launch in Milan consisted of just 200km on mostly highway and slow urban driving.

It’s perhaps understandable. COVID and the semi-conductor crisis has hit the luxury brand hard, delaying both the launch and production by many months, and the emphasis was to get both journalists and customers into the Grecale as soon as possible.

That also meant rolling out late-stage prototypes rather than the finished article, which explained the few odd gremlins our cars suffered.

That said, when it comes to fit and finish, Maserati’s inaugural mid-size SUV is deeply impressive.

The cabin too, lacks nothing compared to its rivals, offering all the tech owners demand in this segment.

There are fine levels of both attention to detail and quality that helps make the Grecale feel special, and everything from selecting driving modes and tweaking the climate to all minor features were both easy and intuitive and lacked the mad idiosyncratic nature of other Maserati models.

Despite having no decent roads to attack, the steering feels well-weighted and precise in its default GT mode (and Comfort mode), with a quick rack hinting at the Italian SUV’s sporting emphasis.

We only drove cars with the air suspension fitted and had some concerns over the ride in the softest Comfort setting, where the Grecale felt too undamped, lacking body control even for gentle highway cornering.

Final calibration of the eight-speed automatic transmission still needs to occur. In slow jams there was too much shunting for our liking, not something we’ve ever noticed in a car with the usually excellent ZF eight-speed auto equipped.

The turbo four-pot mild-hybrid, which uses an electric motor to drive a second compressor to overcome turbo lag, is responsive and delivers enough performance for most, even in the 221kW iteration.

The obvious drawback is the lack of aural drama, something highlighted by a spin in the Grecale Trofeo.

Back-to-back, even at idle, there’s no mistaking you’re in the V6 twin-turbo, which produces a deep rumble that actually might annoy some owners.

Sadly, like the MC20, engineers have still yet to gift the Nettuno engine its voice. An AMG 63 S beats the Maserati for drama with its bent-eight but there’s nothing wrong with the way a Grecale fires itself away from the toll booth.

It’s remarkable, in fact, how cleanly Maserati’s neat Twin Combustion V6 can deploy all of its 620Nm to all four wheels away from the line.

Again, I’d love to describe how the Grecale demolishes a typical country road, how its electronic rear differential improves agility, but that will have to wait.

All we can say is the Maserati doesn’t feel any bigger than a Macan, even though it is – a considerable 133mm longer, for example.

It’s something of a relief that our first impressions of the 2022 Maserati Grecale leave us wanting more.

The cabin is well designed, feels beautifully made and lacks nothing in the tech department.

Some pundits have been left cold by the exterior styling following the reveal and, viewed from behind, the Grecale too easily slips under the radar on the road as just another generic SUV.

But from other angles, the Grecale’s proportions make far more of a visual impression, and, combined with that trident badge, Maserati’s first mid-size SUV remains an alluring proposition.

While the mild-hybrid four-cylinder powertrain feels anything but extraordinary in this first outing, the Nettuno-powered V6 twin-turbo restores our faith that the Grecale will indeed be a true rival for the Porsche Macan.

Perhaps even more appetising will be the arrival of the battery-powered Folgore, which is also due in 2023. Set to feature not one, but three electric motors, the EV is primed to deliver monstrous levels of performance that will overshadow even the Trofeo.

We’re hoping our next meeting with the Grecale will reassure us that Maserati’s second SUV after the hugely popular Levante will have what it takes to square up to a class bursting with dynamic talent.

And hopefully you won’t have to pay an extortionate amount for the privilege.

How much does the 2022 Maserati Grecale Trofeo cost?
Price: $180,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Available: First quarter 2023
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol
Output: 390kW/620Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.2L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 254g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

How much does the 2022 Maserati GT and Modena cost?
Price: $120,000/$140,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Available: First quarter 2023
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 221kW/450Nm (GT), 243kW/450Nm (Modena)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.7-9.3L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 198-210g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested