2023 Maserati Grecale Modena First Drive: Cheaper's the Keeper

Even with today's inflation, $125 grand seems like a ton of money for a luxury compact SUV. It may make fabulous Italian music and dance down a twisty road better than Beyoncé, but our expectations for the range-topping, Nettuno-V-6-powered 2023 Maserati Grecale Trofeo proved too high to earn it a trofeo (or finalist berth) at our 2023 SUV of the Year event. Might a four-cylinder Grecale in GT or Modena trim have fared better? We went to Italy to sample them in the hills above (where else) Modena to find out.

Why It's Important

"Important" undersells the Grecale's significance to Maserati. As the brand's entry-level, most affordable product competing in one of the globe's hottest segments, its success is vital to the Trident's ability to market supercars like the MC20 and luxury grand tourers like the GranTurismo, to field a Formula E racing team (launching this spring), and to electrify its lineup by 2030. Perhaps it's fitting then that the entry-level variants may prove to be the strongest.

For the uninitiated, the Grecale is a compact luxury SUV based on the same Giorgio platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, but it's stretched a half-size to provide more rear-seat space and cargo volume. Its interior is finished and trimmed to the same high standard Maserati is renowned for, even when its cars were grossly subpar (think DeTomaso-era Biturbos). That's basically true whether you purchase the $64,995 base GT model, the $74,395 Modena version we sampled, or the range-topping Trofeo—which starts at $103,995 but can easily climb to or beyond the eighth-of-a-million-bucks point where our SUVOTY competitor landed.

Given their similarities, our team drew inevitable comparisons between the Grecale Trofeo and Alfa's Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Although we found it every bit as engaging to drive as the Quadrifoglio, we thought the Trofeo's overall dynamic experience was insufficiently upgraded to warrant the 21 percent difference in base price. Its added size and opulence increased its weight beyond what the Nettuno V-6's added power and torque could compensate for, leaving the Maserati a couple tenths behind the Alfa at the dragstrip and on our figure-eight test.

The lower-trim Grecales will still outweigh their Alfa counterparts, and the additional 16-45 hp and 26 more lb-ft derived by their engines are unlikely to overcome that weight disparity (especially pulling through taller axle gearing that at least delivers 1-mpg-better highway and combined fuel economy). But the handling remains razor sharp, with decent ride quality—even on the optional 21-inch wheels.

Pros: What We Like

The Grecale feels vastly more special than its Alfa Romeo cousin inside and out, and this is where it earns its 25 percent base price bump (Stelvio Ti to Grecale GT). Materials throughout its interior are thoroughly upscale, and virtually nothing looks like it was shared with another Stellantis vehicle. Plus, you get several items not available on the Stelvio, like a head-up display, a virtual analog clock screen offering different design themes and the option of displaying info like g-forces, and a superb Italian Sonus-Faber sound system. We appreciate that there are some performance screens that seem borrowed from the Dodge/SRT gang. And the breadth of color and trim options that can be selected by those willing to order one definitely separate the Grecale from lesser compact luxury SUVs.

Its 2.0-liter turbocharged engine revs freely with a pleasing growl, and the transmission clicks off quick shifts either on its own according to which of the five modes is selected (Comfort, GT, Sport, Race, and Off-Road) or via the shift paddles. Chassis and powertrain behavior in each of those modes is overseen by the Grecale's Vehicle Dynamic Control Module (VDCM)—another item not shared with the Stelvio. Designed in-house and building off the MC20's Chassis Domain Control Module (CDCM), the system is well tuned to allow varying degrees of chassis slip in the different modes, too.

Cons: What We Don't Like

The boutique nature and elevated pricing of a Maserati guarantees exclusivity, but the flip side of a small automaker developing much of its own user interface can mean some quirky functionality and programming. There were interestingly curated warning tones unlike those in any other car (cool!) that often left us wondering what transgression or vehicle condition we were being warned of (not so cool). That great stereo could use a volume knob, and the overall mileage odometer isn't visible in all cluster configurations as it probably should be.

The Bottom Line

Although the Maserati Grecale clearly isn't for everyone, in its GT or Modena guises, you get a lot of panache, exclusivity, and sumptuous materials for a reasonable upcharge—all in an engaging vehicle that never lets you forget where it was born.