Maserati’s new Grecale SUV has arrived — and what you’re seeing today is just the start.
Have you gotten on board yet? The SUV train is leaving the station, and the segment just continues to gain momentum with this new offering. The 2023 Maserati Grecale slots in just below the midsize Levante, and offers yet another alternative to the Porsche Macan, BMW X3, Audi Q5, Alfa Romeo Stelvio…and the list goes on. The automaker is keenly aware of the competition, as it refers to its latest creation as a “range within the range” that is all things, to all people.
How exactly have they done that? Let’s start with the fundamentals. At 190.8 inches long on a 114.2-inch wheelbase, the Maserati Grecale is about 7 inches shorter than its bigger Levante sibling. It’s also slightly larger than a Macan or a Stelvio, so you’re not sacrificing quite as much on size as you might expect stepping down a segment. This smaller SUV also makes better use of its footprint, to my eye. It looks well-proportioned with a decently sized vertical grille, a fairly long hood line and that sloping roof line. I tend to go straight for the side profile to judge a car’s appeal (or lack thereof), so take a look and draw your own impressions below:
Three engine options now, with an EV on the way
As part of the all things to all people appeal, Maserati aims to launch the new Grecale with three gasoline engines, tied to distinctive models. The base 2023 Maserati Grecale GT offers a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder unit with 296 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. In the middle of the range, the Modena offers up a beefier 325 horsepower figure, as well as a 48-volt mild hybrid system.
Both of those offer enough on-paper grunt for most folks’ everyday needs. But if you’re looking for as much power as possible from the Grecale, then you’ll want to lean toward the top-end Trofeo. Here, you get the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 as the MC20 — yes, that one — that adds some serious sizzle to the small SUV. It’s not as powerful as the MC20, but you do still get 523 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque in this application. That makes the Grecale one of the most potent small SUVs around, beating out the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the BMW X3 M Competition and the Porsche Macan GTS.
You do get air suspension as an option on the four-cylinder models. On the Trofeo it comes standard, and allows the car to raise itself up to handle trickier obstacles, though Maserati did not mention at this point what the maximum ground clearance is.
How the Trofeo’s power translates to acceleration and speed
Acceleration and top speed figures match the firepower on offer, as you’d expect. While Maserati claims the four-pots will still hit 60 mph in the low 5-second range, the Trofeo will do it in 3.6 seconds. With a top speed of 177 mph, this car sits right in line with the fastest (non-electric) models in the game, at least on paper.
And if you’re looking to jump into the EV lifestyle, don’t worry — the fully electric “Folgore” on a 400V architecture is coming next year. The Folgore (Italian for “lightning” packs a 105-kWh battery and up to 590 lb-ft of torque, but no other technical information is available just yet.
The 2023 Maserati Grecale has much leather, and many screens
As anachronistic as it might seem, the new Grecale still doesn’t ditch the traditional Maserati clock. Hey, at least it’s fully digital this time. If you’re anything like me, your eyes bounced off that feature stuck prominently atop the center stack, then pivoted down to not one, but two separate infotainment displays. That’s apropos given every other car’s tendency to bombard the user with screens, though they’re modestly sized here, at 12.3 inches for the upper unit and 8.8 inches for the lower one. The driver, for their part, gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a wide array of buttons on the steering wheel, and a couple of large shift paddles to control the car’s 8-speed automatic transmission.
Speaking of that transmission…notice a glaring omission from the center console? There’s no gear selector — not even an small electronic lever. Instead, you get four buttons, sandwiched between the two infotainment screens. It’s definitely subtle, and I have a feeling one Nathan Adlen is going to absolutely love using it when the Grecale actually launches.
As for the rest of the 2023 Maserati Grecale’s interior, you’ll get a pleasing mix of leather, open pore wood and piano black accents across the range. This car houses a Sonus faber 3D sound system with either 14 or 21 speakers, as well as several drive modes ranging from Comfort to GT, Sport, Off-Road and Corsa (the ‘Track’ mode is only available on the Trofeo).
Pricing and availability
If you’re interested in a 2023 Maserati Grecale, it will be available this summer — that’s the good news.
However, depending on your stance on pricing for its rivals, you may need to brace yourself. The entry-level GT starts at $64,995 (this is the 296 hp turbo, remember). Maserati opened up a Modena-based Limited Edition for preorder with a $500 deposit, and that comes in at $78,895.
Pricing is not available for the Grecale Trofeo yet, but it will probably land around the same price range as the $86,850 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Granted, it will undoubtedly be way less expensive than the larger Levante, but that still may be a tough ask for a brand that’s trying to woo people away from the German competition.
