Is the new Maserati Grecale the classiest SUV on the market?

A four-cylinder Maser is always going to feel a bit rough and gutless compared to a Modena V6 or V8. It’ll be the bigger seller, tiding over wealthy suburbanites until they’re confident enough in the charging infrastructure to order the Folgore. But it’s the Trofeo that’s the keeper of the light. Soul is intrinsic to this brand, which is expanding its global reach cleverly but needs to safeguard its DNA. The two-seat mid-engine MC20 is a wondrous silhouette which was birthed so as to sell £60,000 SUVs. With heavy 4-cylinder cars, that bloodline becomes quite diluted.

Prices for the UK are unconfirmed but the Trofeo is expected to be around £90k. Across the different powertrains, the main competition comes in the form of the Porsche Macan and Alfa Romeo Stelvio, with which it shares a platform. The interior of the Maserati is of much higher quality than the Alfa and it’s less clinical than the Porsche. The ride and handling is right up there with the Macan too, thanks to its air suspension. You can barely fit a Rizla between the three in terms of performance. The Alfa is about £20k cheaper, note. What does elevate the Grecale is the electrification. The Stelvio and Macan’s move towards BEV has yet to transpire.

In this, Maserati are ahead of the pack and next year’s Grecale Folgore could be a game changer for the company. While one worries about that soulful trident DNA suffering without glorious noises from the exhausts, what Maserati are succeeding in doing is building the classiest of SUVs.

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