2023 Maserati Grecale - The $90,000 X3 Fighter

Grecale or X3?
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The Maserati Grecale, a compact SUV has been an obvious hole in Maserati’s lineup for a while

And a very competitive and lucrative hole I might add

So this Grecale needs to bring it if it wants to compete in this arena

The good news is it seems like its brought the fight with it. We’re in the Modena trim which is the middle of the range and as such it gets a 2.0T 4 cylinder with a 48V mild hybrid system. Total output is good for 325hp and 332 lbft

And that’s not bad consdierig a 4 cylinder X3 makes like 75 hp less than this

But if you still weren’t sold, there’s a Trofeo version coming which will drop n the powertrain from their halo MC20

That means twin turbo V6 with over 500 hp

But even without that, this 2 liter can boogie

The power gets sent through a snappy ZF 8 speed transmission to all 4 wheels which means 0-60 is done in under 5 seconds..pretty impressive

But my favorite thing about it isn’t the speed or power it’s the snaps and crackles you get on shift

A dramatic shift at load is one of my favorite things and a quick way for a car to get on the nice list

The quick and torquey motor is just a nice bonus

Speed and power is great, but as a Maserati there are some handling and dynamic expectations to be met as well..

And this Grecale delivers there too

You have a sharp front end that likes to bite and dive into a corner
You have the optional air springs here that will firm up and adapt to the road
Your AWD system is rear biased AND brings an LSD
And this thing weighs only about 4500lbs with the hybrid component

And all that means this Grecale likes to dance and it likes to rotate

And that’s what im looking for out of a fun SUV…and of course cracks on shift

But let’s s;pw things down a second because this isn’t the Trofeo and people might want to drive their italian premium SUV like upstanding citizens once and a while. Well dialed back into comfort mode all the sharp edges are sanded away and the car just becomes a nice place to sit while you get from A to B

The steering lightens up
The transmission smoothes out and slows down shifts
The suspension relaxes
And it feels like the cabin somehow gets quieter

All that is to say, it’s got a nice ride

In terms of the design you have this nice rich red leather
You get Maserati logos stitched into the headrests in contrasted white stitching
And the stitching through the rest of the seat is nice and clean too
The dash design is clean and modern
And that center Porcshe clock is back, but it’s digital this time and you can change the face
You’ve got a huge HUD with augmented reality
You have a fully digital cluster here that you didnt in the Levante
And then you havea really handsome steering wheel
The start stop button is on the steering wheel which i love
And the drive mode selector is on the other side - very ferrari indeed
And then in classic maserati fashion you have mile long paddle shifters that are column mounted behind the steering wheel
But now let’s talk about something we don’t usually - the door card
It’s nice and wrapped in leather, but it also has one of the coolest speaker covers on it
AND if you were looking for the handle it’s button..
and the safety lever below isn’t hidden at all in case the battery dies
And then back on the dash you’ve got a big infotainment screen
It’s running the same software as UConnect 5, but that’s a nice thing
The graphics are sharp and crisp
Just l;ike the 360 cameras
And you get ACP and AA and a bunch of other modern stuff
There is one thing I don’t love and it’s not part of the screen but it looks like it is
It’s the gear selector which is almost hidden between the screens
But then below that is the secondary center screen which is dedicated to climate functions
Which reminds me heavily of Audis and Range Rovers
Not bad company
And then you look up and you’ve got a huge pano roof that bathes this red interior in light
And then there’s the rear seats which are a lot bigger than I expected and way more roomy than the cousin Stelvios
In the rear ou get great stuff like climate controls, vents, heated rear seats and a bunch of charge ports
And finally the trunk is a great useable size that rivals things like the X3 and maybe even the GLC

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