Maserati is pushing to re-establish itself as a luxury brand in the public eye. It started with the MC20 supercar as its new halo model, but the route to more sales – especially for SUV-loving Americans – lies with its new Grecale model. The luxury compact crossover market has a lot of players in the space, but the Maserati Grecale plays in the upper echelons with competition that includes the Porsche Macan and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. To play in that space in the market, a brand has to have a halo trim for that model that boasts a ridiculous amount of power and handling to match.
Enter the Grecale Trofeo, powered by the same twin-turbo Nettuno V6 engine as the MC20 but tuned down to “just” 523 horsepower. It rides on adjustable air suspension and big grippy tires. If you want the short version, the Maserati Grecale Trofeo is a beast of a compact crossover that can go toe-to-toe with any hot hatch the world currently has to offer – but with a ride quality and interior that its six-figure luxury price demands. If you want the long version, we spent a couple of days experiencing the joys and occasional frustrations with this hellishly rapid piece of Italian style on wheels.
Powertrain: One Hell Of An Engine
The big talking point of the Gracale Trofeo is that Maserati has put a detuned version of its twin-turbo V6 engine, dubbed Nettuno, into a compact crossover. While it may be detuned, 523 hp and 457 pound-foot of torque is a vicious combination for a small car and controlled, in this case, by an eight-speed transmission and all-wheel-drive. The claimed 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds is verified by our butt-dyno and helped by the snappiness of the transmission in its Sport and Corsa modes. Disappointingly, it doesn’t sound like the beast of an engine it is, although it offers extravagant noises from the exhaust as it reaches high RPMs, and an upshift sound that’s more like an impending mechanical malfunction than some sporty ear candy.
Sound aside, it is hilariously rapid and in manual mode using the giant paddles, satisfyingly sharp and responsive. In its more subdued modes, it’s as easy to push around as your average compact crossover but with legs that will outrun your average tuner car that tries to show off at the lights.
Interior: Space And Style
Inside, the Grecale Trofeo is full of rich leather and stylish-looking tech, and the front seats are some of the most comfortable bolstered sports seats we’ve come across in a while. The carbon fiber trim on our tester we can take or leave, but that comes down to taste. The important thing is that we’re seeing a step up in build quality and materials over the long in-the-tooth models Maserati has been selling for the past decade or so. It’s a modern, cosseting, and sumptuous place to be, both front and back.
The Grecale is on the longer side of compact, which means that there’s decent leg space for a couple of average-sized adults, but also a deep cargo space behind the rear seats. We were concerned about taking the longest of our photo gear bags out, but the space just swallowed everything up, including a 40-inch light-stand bag.
Interior Technology: Screen Obsession
In total, there are four digital display screens across the dashboard – a 12.3-inch gauge cluster, a 12.3-inch central touchscreen for infotainment, a 12.3-inch touchscreen under that to replace switch and dial controls, and a digital clock that can double up as a G-force meter. The gauge cluster is terrific, clear, and concise, the infotainment screen runs on software familiar to anyone driving modern Stellantis cars, which is a good thing, and it includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The touchscreen below this handles everything from the exterior lights to the interior environment controls. It’s not ideal and can be a pain to use with the usual problem of there being no dials – the driver can’t develop muscle memory to change simple things like heat and has to look down every time.
While the Infotainment system is responsive and intuitive to use, the entire system isn’t as stylish or user-friendly as the considerably less expensive Porsche Macan GTS. It doesn’t feel premium, and that’s a miss in a six-figure car. There’s also the strip of buttons between the screens, going from left to right, that replaces a drive shifter, and it’s awful. There are just more black buttons, and physical press switches in this case that are annoying to use and feel cheap.
However, that’s the last of the criticism about the Grecale Trofeo because now we get to the fun bit.
On The Road: Hot Hatch Italian Style
If you’re in any doubt of the Grecale Trofeo’s dedication to going fast, sit inside one, start it up, and then use an indicator. You’ll feel the engine vibrate underneath you on its hardened mounts, and you’ll have to reach around the gearshift paddles to use the indicator or light stalk. That’s not to say the Grecale Trofeo is uncomfortable or too awkward to operate; it’s simply a lack of compromise to the Trofeo’s sporting intent. Well, it is slightly awkward to operate, but you’ll get used to the indicators and the panel of buttons on the dashboard replacing the gear selector. And it’s worth it because the Trofeo is as good in the corners as it is in a straight line. The steering is razor-sharp, the chassis is incredibly well-balanced, and it holds a corner with absolute poise. And that’s before you’ve remembered there’s a Sport mode.
It’s easy to forget there’s a Sport mode because the Grecale Trofeo fires up in GT Mode, which is the perfect sweet spot between comfort and ability. The suspension damps the hell out of lumps and bumps but cuts out chassis lean, which means you can go quick and your passenger isn’t going to be flung around. GT mode is nice for just swanning around town as well, but there is a comfort mode that softens the suspension and throttle response. It should probably be called In-Laws mode.
Sport mode cranks things up with increased throttle response and a lower, stiffer suspension setup, which really dials things up. Outright speed aside, we’ve little doubt the Grecale Trofeo could out-turn the impressive Golf R on a twisting back road; the only thing in its class that might handle better is the Porsche Macan GTS. But there’s not much in it and would take a side-by-side track test to decide.
The Grecale Trofeo loves to turn in, loves to hold the line on power, and then spit itself out of a corner with grin-inducing velocity. The all-wheel-drive system is almost as good as the sublime suspension setup. It carries speed with purpose through corners, but the Brembo brake system is equally adept at shaving speed off in readiness.
It’s an utter delight on a back road that surpasses Porsche’s highest-spec Macan and can only be compared to the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, with which it shares a platform and similar performance numbers from the engine. We did flick it into the track-oriented Corsa mode, which takes the Grecale Trofeo beyond its street-comfort zone with even lower and rock-hard suspension and turns off the driver aids. We then decided to save that one for the track.
To Sum Up: Pricey – But Worth It
What nails the Grecale Trofeo down as a brilliant sport crossover is how well it handles everyday traffic and cruising. There’s a little vibration through the chassis at idle, but we didn’t care – it fits the car’s persona, and it’s the only criticism we can find in terms of street comfort. It’s a stylish, quick, luxurious race car for the road, except it’s a crossover and in no way a hardship to drive daily. However, there’s a price to pay – and it’s six figures. Our tester showed a $105,500 starting price and the build sheet ended at $135,300 after options and packages. That’s a starting price of almost $20,000 more than an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio with its 505 hp and similar corner performance. We would say that the interior build quality of the Maserati trumps the Stelvio, and the Grecale is a little longer with better cargo space. If you’re wondering about the BMW X3 M, the Grecale trumps it in a big way in ride quality.
But $105,500 for a sports crossover before adding options? That’s a lot, particularly considering the infotainment and interior control experiance. But if you have that kind of disposable income and a smaller crossover is your ideal daily driver… why the hell not? It’s an Italian car and the stereotype demands foibles and annoyances to be offset by the sheer joy of driving the thing. We won’t blame anyone for embracing that.