With New Year’s Eve, 110 million euros worth of fireworks went into the air. A Maserati Grecale Trofeo costs a fraction of that amount. And then you have fireworks 365 days a year. Enjoy while you can!
What is striking about the Maserati Grecale Trofeo?
The Maserati Grecale is the ‘little’ brother of the Maserati Levante. But when we come face to face with Maserati’s latest SUV, it turns out to be quite a lad. It is therefore 4.86 meters long, or only 16 centimeters shorter than the Levante. It makes even less difference in height and width. The Maserati Grecale does look a bit more cuddly from the front than its stablemate. The rounded headlights make him look a little friendlier. In profile and from behind, the similarities are very large. You can recognize the Grecale mainly by the fully recessed door handles. By the way, you unlock the papers inside with push buttons instead of ordinary levers. Not extremely useful, but nice and stubborn.
If we look at the technology, the Maserati Grecale builds on the Alfa Romeo Giulia and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio in terms of chassis. At the motor level, you mainly expect (plug-in) hybrids and fully electric powertrains at this time, but the Grecale does not do that for the time being. We will have to wait a while for a fully electric Grecale. Until then, Maserati will deliver its most compact SUV as a mild hybrid in which a four-cylinder two-liter engine and a starter motor generator together produce 300 or 330 hp.
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The Grecale Trofeo doesn’t do such modern posturing. Under its hood you will find a V6 placed far back. And what kind! It comes from the Maserati MC20, the supercar of the company, and houses special ignition technology that comes from Formula 1. In the Maserati Grecale Trofeo, the Nettuno V6 delivers an output of 530 instead of 630 hp and a torque of 620 Nm. With that, it still makes Bratwurst of the Porsche Macan GTS (440 hp/550 Nm), just to name a competitor.
What are the advantages of the Maserati Grecale Trofeo?
When making a sporty SUV, automakers force themselves into an almost impossible split. One succeeds better than the other and the Maserati Grecale Trofeo turns out to be a top turner. Because 530 hp is already impressive, but the way the 2000 kilos and 1.66 meters high SUV handles it is even more impressive. The steering is precise and direct, but never gets nervous. Under the watchful eye of the electronics, the air suspension with adjustable damping and the differential lock make the four-wheel drive SUV feel like a rear-wheel drive sports sedan. Light-footed, playful and … terribly fast.
Accompanied by a powerful V6 growl and loud explosions in the exhaust, the Grecale gives its occupants a collective neck hernia. In 3.8 blood-curdling counts the trick is done. A Porsche Macan GTS (0-100 in 4.3 s) cannot match that either. The thrill of strings, mortar bombs and Chinese scrolls, but you won’t lose your hands or eyes. At most your driver’s license … For the sake of form, you can operate the alert eight-speed automatic transmission yourself with the huge aluminum paddles on the steering wheel, but that is not really necessary.
Even if you go along with the Dutch traffic flow, there is still plenty to enjoy on board the Grecale Trofeo. The comfort is pleasant and there is also more than enough legroom in the back. Heaven never seems far away in the Grecale, but only very tall people bump their heads against it. And when that happens, they come into contact with soft, alcantara-like material – no punishment either. And you actually want to touch everything, from the ubiquitous leather, the brand logos in the headrests to the carbon on the tunnel console and the doors.
What are the negatives of the Maserati Grecale Trofeo?
Although you are soon inclined to iron your heart with a sensational car like this, we did find a few flaws with the Maserati Grecale. We find the operation of the machine the most annoying. The Maserati does not have a selector lever or rotary knob for this, but push buttons on the center console, between the large infotainment screen and the climate control screen. Sometimes we had to repeatedly press D, P or R before the desired mode was actually engaged. Then the paddle shifters; on the one hand we like that they are so large and therefore always easy to operate, on the other hand they are a bit in the way of the indicators and wipers.
If we set the cruise control to 108 km/h on 100 km / h roads, the car cannot resist constantly pointing out to us with a flashing 100 sign that we are going too fast. This is downright annoying, especially in the Head-up display. And when we slowed down a little, the otherwise great V6 let out a rather annoying thump. No, this car is not made for the Dutch rules …
When will the Maserati Grecale Trofeo come to the Netherlands and what is the price?
You can already order the Maserati Grecale Trofeo, provided you have reserved at least 174,613 euros in your bank account. Leather upholstery, sports seats with extendable seats and heating are standard, as are the beautiful carbon finish and 21-inch alloy wheels. If you want a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, a 360-degree camera, heated rear seats and a few more goodies, you quickly go to the two tons. Well, an average terraced house costs twice as much … A Maserati Grecale GT with 300 hp four-cylinder mild hybrid powertrain is available from 106.48 euros. If you want 30 hp extra, you must have the Grecale Modena at 117,426 euros.
What do I think of the Maserati Grecale Trofeo?
Even an SUV skeptic like me loses his reservations about this type of car when it drives so great and sounds like the Maserati Grecale Trofeo. I have experienced this before with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio and the Porsche Macan GTS.
Yet the Grecale adds an extra dimension. This is due to the legendary brand name, but also to the beautiful interior design with the characteristic clock. Although with the Grecale this is now digital and configurable. And also look at the materials. This is far from German confection and comes very close to a tailor-made suit. Still, Maserati hopes to sell a lot of Grecales. Outside the Netherlands that will probably work very well. In Belgium, for example, the Grecale Trofeo costs a ‘pale’ 118,601 euros. That’s what you pay here for an entry-level Macan with half the power …