Review | Maserati Grecale - Modena The SUV with Motor Racing Heritage
Maserati is one of the most globally recognisable automotive brand names. In terms of brand recognition, it's up there with Ferrari, Bentley, and Porsche, and for good reason. Like the others listed, the Maserati brand is famous for producing legendary racing cars.
Even as far back as before WW2, Maserati racing cars competed in Formula 1, Sports and GT, World GT1, Rally, and even the British, European and World Touring car championships in the 1980s. With this in mind, it's no surprise that the brand appeals to buyers and admirers today as much as it did to our parents and grandparents before us.
Shamefully, I've spent very little time behind the wheel of a Maserati, but that all changed when the kind folks at Graypaul Maserati Nottingham invited me to their showroom on a Friday afternoon with the promise of a new car for the weekend.
The Grecale is Maserati's stab at the increasingly demanding performance SUV market, a car category started initially by fellow racing royalty/alumni Porsche (and its brand saviour), the Cayenne back in the early noughties. Despite some raised eyebrows around the time of the first few sports and performance SUVs, their demand has grown exponentially and continued to be huge. Now, the segment's popularity is more significant than ever.
Maserati has been clever with the Grecale by offering four 'off the shelf' editions: GT, Modena, Trofeo, and the EV variant called the Folgore. The Grecale I'd be driving for the weekend is the Modena, a happy medium between the entry-level GT and the most potent petrol-engined variant, the Trofeo. Powering the Modena is a humble 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which on paper might seem a little unexciting in comparison to the Trofeo's 3.0-litre V6; however, the little four-pot packs a significant punch with 330hp and 450Nm. In return, you're rewarded with a sporty SUV, which will sprint from 0-62 in 5.3 seconds and top out just shy of 150mph. What's more, it does all this whilst ensuring trips to the petrol station aren't too frequent with an average fuel consumption of 32mpg combined.
As a general rule of thumb, tall and heavy SUVs have historically not been the most engaging vehicles in terms of driving dynamics, but that has changed in recent years, with manufacturers prioritising the suspension geometry and set-up for the driver. It would be remiss for a brand famed for building championship-winning racing cars to produce a vehicle in any form that is anything less than excellent in terms of handling, and thankfully, the handling engineering brief for the Grecale has been executed perfectly. The Grecale Modena has a cycle of driver settings that adapts the throttle response, steering feel, and chassis: Comfort, GT and Sport. Sport offers the most engaging drive with throttle response, gear shifts and the chassis in the most dynamic modes. Thanks to some exhaust trickery, the Modena, despite its humble 2.0-litre inline-4, has a reasonably impressive exhaust note and even rewards a few rumbles on overrun, which adds to the overall sporty feel of the car.
The Grecale's interior is packed with convenience and comfort features and has plenty of tech within reach of the driver and passenger. The centre console accommodates two screens: a lower panel for quick adaptations to comfort and climate settings and a higher panel for navigation, media and more intricate settings. There is a 3rd screen in place of the instrument cluster, which can be cycled for various layouts, including speed and tachometer, navigation and road positioning. The steering wheel is packed with buttons that are easy to reach for additional adaptations on the fly. The Maserati Grecale feels special, both as a driver and a passenger. The seats offer support and comfort in equal measure, with the overall interior environment rewarding a feeling of luxury and quality.
Another benefit of the Modena over the more powerful Trofeo is financial savings. The Grecale Modena starts at £70,925, whereas the Trofeo V6 jumps significantly by over £31,500 to £102,480. Naturally, with a few options and specification packages ticked, the price tag will increase, with the Modena, as tested, having a price tag of just over £83,000. The options I enjoyed most were the upgraded sound system from Sonos & Faber (a £2,300 option) and the Panoramic Sunroof (£1,600).
My weekend with a Maserati Grecale offered a substantial selection of eye-openers, the biggest perhaps being the realisation that if it were me and my money in the showroom, I'd most likely be opting for the Modena trim over the more performance-focused Trofeo. The Modena offers an adequate level of performance with the perfect balance of luxury and convenience. It feels special and, importantly, makes you as a driver feel special - precisely as a Maserati should.
words: John Marcar
pictures: Henry Faulkner-Smith
special thanks to Sytner Graypaul Maserati Nottingham
