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This is the Grecale, Maserati’s answer to increasing profits and clawing back some market share from the litany of luxury SUVs available for sale nowadays. Given its smaller proportions and variety of spec iterations, including some beautiful colour combinations and Maserati's trident-inspired wheel designs, the Grecale has a strong eye on winning more female buyers into the stable.
The intention is clear. While it is still a new model in the Maserati South Africa stable, there is no doubt that the Grecale will become the new bestseller within the next few months, and that wouldn’t surprise anyone. That’s the very point of its existence—to bring new buyers into the brand and keep them there for as long as possible.
Some criticisms have been levelled at the design of the Grecale, specifically its gaping grille, which some have called a close resemblance to the Ford Puma that has recently been launched in Mzansi. While I see it, I certainly don’t think the Grecale is as offensive or as similar in the metal. It’s a comprehensively designed vehicle with a focus on keeping the Maserati details intact. The trident badges on the C-pillars as well as the trio of side air vents finish the design, while the 21-inch Crio Matte aluminium wheels give it stance and presence.
The Grecale's newly designed interior is the real showstopper. It will certainly leave you with the impression of a truly modern and high-tech vehicle. The centre piece is a dual-screen layout powered by Google, a double-combo of 12.3-inch above 8.8-inch LEDs. These screens house almost all the switchgear and cabin controls, which can be quite overwhelming, but within the layers of menus and control surfaces, the screen resolution, system speed, and user experience are all top-notch, making it the best infotainment offering from Maserati in a long time. Further into the cabin, the mix of materials and the way the design has woven in traditional stitching cues with sculpted air vents that blend into the dash is a tasteful execution from the Italian stable. Behind the steering are large aluminium paddles fixed to the stalk as usual, and they play to an overall sporty yet trendy Maserati feel. It’s a genuinely well-appointed cabin with excellent ergonomics all around and supportive sports seats that are optionally ventilated and heated. Optional Sonus Faber sound is something to have, offering outstanding audio quality, but at over R130,000, this must be something you’re into.
To its credit, you’ll be surprised by the spaciousness of the Grecale, especially in the rear quarters, where it feels more comfortable than its rivals in all respects. The boot swallows 540 litres of stuff, and that too bodes well for Grecale, a car that will look to capitalise on those added features or benefits over its ever-popular rivals. Those rivals are, namely, the Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, Volvo XC60, and Porsche Macan—a batch of rather creditable cars.
So far, so good for the Grecale, but how does it drive? In short, it's like a Stelvio. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo, on whose platform this Grecale is based. The driver feel is very similar as far as the steering, ride quality, and chassis are concerned. That is to say, very good. The electric steering rack is a good compromise of sportiness and everyday comfort, which is really where the Modena specification needs to be. The engine is a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbopetrol with an additional 48V starter generator that is designed to feed additional torque into the system at lower engine speeds but also to improve overall engine efficiency and downplay engine load. But this is a Maserati, so performance is a big consideration even in this mid-spec Modena. Thankfully, the performance is there, and 242kW is ample power to play with. The ZF 8-speed transmission is fantastic, and you can let it do its own work by using those attractive paddle shifters behind the wheel. On a side note, you can also use the paddles to switch between reverse (left paddle) and drive (right paddle) when negotiating a parking spot, for instance. Nifty.
The engine is certainly not lacking in character, with the ability to transform through the drive modes into a burbly, excitable spirit. The GTI-esque burp on the upshifts is quite entertaining, as is the overall drivability of this motor. Even with the mild-hybrid system, the Grecale still exhibits some power lag at pull-off before all the systems spool up, but once that happens, it delivers the expected performance at this level. It could do with some work on the balance to increase rear rotation, as it does tend to wash out as a default, but one can feel that the chassis can give a little more to make the Modena a little more playful. As far as driving modes go, the GT setting is the sweet spot, adequately sporty but erring on the side of comfort.
The driver’s display layout and graphics provide various layouts and layers of information that you may need, but the one that I found myself looking at most was the battery gauge from the hybrid system. Despite the car’s sporty character when you want it, the Grecale Modena is, for the most part, going to spend its time in urban settings, doing the daily trips at slower speeds. Here, the Grecale Modena demonstrates some impressive levels of economy. I was quite pleased with under 11l/100km during our time with the Grecale. My economy cycle was able to get the reading down to 9.1l/100km over a 60-km test route.
You will have noted that the Grecale has scored an average 7/10 for this review, and I’ve not given any reason for this just yet, considering how good everything is so far. Let’s start with the price currently listed at R2,320,000. Optional extras can quickly hike that by another few hundred thousand. It is a significant step up in price compared to its direct rivals, and its price entices the consideration of some larger or more capable options. This isn’t something that Maserati South Africa can change; such is the nature of import prices under a weak Rand.
Beyond this, in terms of brand considerations, the Maser will be more exclusive than any of the competitors or options listed above bringing you into a brand of ownership where you're a client more than a number and from what I have gathered, that still means something for many of Maserati SA's customers.
There is one more problem to note, one that may or may not be quickly noticed, but within its richly textured and modernised cabin, there are some areas of concern regarding the very few buttons within the cabin. The steering wheel itself houses the starter button on the left-hand side and the Drive Mode selection toggle on the right-hand side. These are of inferior quality to the rest of the cabin, feeling like cheap plastic bits. Why Maserati? The gear selector buttons are located between the two infotainment screens. You may find the layout odd, but that’s less of a concern than the actual feel and quality of these buttons, too. It may sound nitpicky, but it's noticeable, and it begs the question again: Why? After spending so much time on the rest of the car, improving and innovating in so many areas, did they forget about these buttons?
Despite this, I can’t help but like the Grecale, as it is exactly what Maserati promised. It is indeed a modern Maser, and even with its small capacity and mild-hybrid drivetrain, it’s still a fun yet trendy new product on the SA market. If budget is less of a concern and if you’re looking to have something a little more exclusive than the rest, the Grecale is worth a look. As a product, it’s very good. As an SA-market proposition right now, that’s where the points get deducted.
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