Maserati’s Australian operation says it is nudging 150 customer orders for the new Grecale SUV already, as it prepares to launch its vital new offering in the first quarter of 2023.
This equates to about three months worth of orders being held before the first examples roll into showrooms. Maserati executives say this is the most early interest they’ve seen in a new Trident-badged product in memory.
The company says its new Porsche Macan rival is drawing a younger clientele than it is accustomed to, and attracting more women to the brand.
Reflecting its desire to improve its brand value, Maserati Australia says it will build to order as much as possible, thereby limiting floor stock so as not to cheapen the marque’s reputation.
Any luxury brand forced to clear stock is hurting its image.
In further good news for a reborn Maserati, close to half of the early Grecale order intake is for the range-topping Grecale Trofeo, which will use a detuned version of the MC20 supercar’s ‘Nettuno’ twin-turbo V6.
This variant – expected to cost about $195,000 drive-away – shapes up as the Trident brand’s answer to the Macan GTS, BMW X3 M Competition, and Mercedes-AMG GLC 63.
Meanwhile, about 12 months after the three-variant Grecale range arrives, Maserati will commence sales of the Grecale Folgore – a fully electric version.
The Grecale measures 4846mm long, 1979mm wide, 1670mm tall, and sits on a 2901mm wheelbase. This makes it a smidgen longer than the class average.
It’ll be produced alongside the Alfa Romeo Stelvio at the Cassino plant in Italy, and the pair are both based on the rear- and all-wheel drive Giorgio architecture.
Maserati has confirmed there’ll be three distinct AWD models at launch, each with their own unique drivetrain.
Leading the line is the GT, which has a 48V mild-hybrid system with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 221kW of power at 5750rpm, and 450Nm of torque between 2000 and 4000rpm.
Next up is the Modena, which retains the mild-hybrid system but has a tweaked 2.0-litre turbo delivering 242kW at 5750rpm, and 450Nm between 2000 and 5000rpm.
Sitting atop the pack is the Trofeo that uses a derivative of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine from the MC20. The Nettuno V6 engine has been detuned to 390kW at 6500rpm, and 620Nm between 3000 and 5500rpm.
While the V6 Grecale has significantly less power than the 463kW MC20, the crossover can blast from 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 285km/h.
There are a number of user-selectable drive modes available, including Comfort, GT, Sport, and Off-Road, with a Corsa setting exclusive to the Trofeo.
Completing the range at a later date (2024) will be the all-electric Folgore.
The Folgore will have a 400V electrical system, a 105kWh battery and “as much as 800Nm”.
Inside the Grecale’s cabin are plenty of screens, including a completely digital instrumentation display, and a control display between the rear seats.
In the middle of the dashboard is a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, which looks to be running the latest uConnect 5 operating system, has support for two simultaneous Bluetooth phone connections, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a built-in voice control system.
Underneath this and angled upwards is a secondary 8.8-inch touchscreen for the climate control, suspension and drivetrain systems.
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