MASERATI

The brand's compact-sized SUV appears without camouflage ahead of official launch

At the end of 2020, a great presentation took place that marked the beginning of a new era within Maserati, as it not only served to present the long-awaited Maserati MC20, a supercar with a V6 engine that will soon receive an electric version (the electrification in the truth will play a key role in the future of the Italian brand), but also served to advance another very interesting and expected novelty that will have the mission of improving the company's sales: a compact SUV called Maserati Grecale.

We are talking about a vehicle that at that time had already anticipated its profile, to later show itself in a series of images while strolling around the Maserati plant in Viale Ciro Menotti, in Modena. Later, the photographers on duty were in charge of catching on public roads what aspires to be one of the most important models of the Italian brand, but with the corresponding camouflage that we have already seen during Carlos Tavares' visit to the company's factory. Now it can be seen on the street again, also in camouflage, but much lighter, leaving its aesthetic keys practically uncovered and in the company of a painting with the following main message: “I’m the Maserati Grecale. I can't tell you much more” (I'm the Maserati Grecale. I can't tell you much more).

The last images we had of this SUV came from a place radically opposite to where many customers will drive the vehicle: the snow. In Lapland, the test phases with icy climatology were ending, as temperatures reached down to -30 degrees centigrade. This allows testing of start-up and driveability in extreme temperatures and measurements of electronic controls on mixed asphalt and snow surfaces. In addition, all-wheel drive, understeer and oversteer of the vehicle are adjusted (corrected with the 4x4 and the aids) and the different driving modes, which vary the response of the mechanics depending on which one is activated. All this without forgetting the importance of tires.

The trident brand itself has confirmed the expansion of its SUV family with a smaller sibling for the Levante. Remembering that Maserati entered this trend in 2016, with a product that slightly improved its sales along with the Ghibli. This same strategy will be repeated from next year with the Grecale, a crossover of smaller dimensions than those of the Levante whose architecture will be, except for a last minute surprise, the Giorgio platform of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

The name chosen by Maserati was borrowed from the strong northeast winds of the Mediterranean Sea. The fact that the Grecale sits below the Levante means that someone within the brand thought the best way to increase profits would be with a more affordable SUV that doesn't lose the trident essence and whose lines are anticipated with the images we reference. . They have a tapered front part, rounded headlights and a sloping roofline behind the B-pillars that culminates in a spoiler. The taillights extend horizontally and the four exhaust outlets could not be missing.

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