Maserati unveils Grecale SUV with powerful engines

MILAN -- Maserati unveiled the Grecale midsize SUV, the Stellantis brand’s rival to the Porsche Macan and BMW X3.

The Grecale, Maserati’s second SUV after the larger Levante, will arrive in European dealerships in the third quarter and in the U.S. by the end of the year.

It will be available with a regular gasoline engine and two mild-hybrid versions. A full-electric version will launch in 2023.

The Grecale sits on a Maserati-reworked version of the Giorgio platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Stelvio midsize SUV. It will be built alongside the Stelvio in the Stellantis’s plant in Cassino, Italy.

The Grecale is named after a northeasterly Mediterranean wind, following a long-standing Maserati tradition.  

The Grecale’s most powerful version, badged Trofeo, has a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine based on the Nettuno engine used on Maserati’s MC20 sports car. It has 523 hp and a peak torque of 620 newton meters (457 pounds-feet). Cylinder deactivation is used to reduce fuel consumption.

The SUV will also be offered with a choice of two 2.0-liter, four-cylinder mild-hybrids with 296 hp on the GT version and with 325 hp on the Modena version. Both have a peak torque of 450 newton meters. The mild-hybrid engines use a 48-volt battery, a belt-starter generator, and an e-booster.

All three versions of the Grecale are four-wheel drive.

The Trofeo version has a maximum speed of 285 kph (178 mph) and accelerates from 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in 3.8 seconds. The 2.0-liter versions have a 240 kph (150 mph) top speed and a 0-100 kph time of 5.3 and 5.6 seconds, respectively.

With a length of 4,847 mm to 4,859 mm depending on the version, the Grecale is 150 mm shorter than the Levante and 160 mm longer than the Stelvio. The Grecale has a 2,901 mm wheelbase. It’s 1,948 mm to 1,979 mm wide and 1,659mm to 1,670 mm tall.

The Modena and Trofeo version have a rear wheel track widened by 34 mm compared to the GT model, to accentuate their sporty character.

The interior has a classic instrument cluster with a central 12.3-inch panel plus a smaller 8.8-inch comfort panel. Most operations are done by touch control.

The battery-electric version, called the Grecale Folgore, will have a 105-kilowatt-hour battery and deliver up to 800 newton meters of torque. It will have a 400-volt architecture, which is currently used by most battery-electric cars.

The full-electric version of the MC20 coupe and other future Maseratis will use an 800-volt architecture, which halves recharging times.

Maserati said on March 17 that it will launch only battery-electric vehicles from 2024 while continuing to sell existing combustion engine variants. By 2030, it aims to sell only full-electric cars.

Next year Maserati will launch the GranTurismo coupe and GranCabrio convertible with full-electric and gasoline drivetrains.

By 2025 Maserati will unveil successors to the Quattroporte large sedan and Levante large SUV. Both will come as full-electric cars only.  A full-electric version of the MC20 will also be launched by 2025.

The Grecale was due to be launched in 2021 but Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares delayed the SUV’s arrival.

Tavares told Automotive News Europe that he has postponed the launch “to make sure it is absolutely where it should be in terms of fit and finish, electronics and infotainment.”