18 - 22
296 - 523
8 speed, Automatic w/OD
Intercooled Turbo Gas/Electric I-4, Twin Turbo Premium Unleaded V-6
All Wheel Drive
Photo: Perry Stern
The Maserati Grecale competes in the Compact Premium SUV market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the JD Power 2023 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, Compact Premium SUV owners rated their vehicles in 10 primary categories.
Listed below in descending order, you’ll find their preferences, from their most favorite thing about their vehicle to their least favorite:
Photo: Perry Stern
In the sections that follow, our independent expert analyzes a 2023 Maserati Grecale Trofeo equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $120,195, including the $1,195 destination charge.
Photo: Perry Stern
The first look into the cabin of this Italian SUV shows an elegant interior with soft leather on the seats, doors, and dashboard, elevated with stylish red stitching throughout, as well as the 3D carbon fiber trim.
There are multiple screens in the Grecale, including a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a dual-screen center display that features a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and an 8.8-inch comfort display. The gear selector is between the two center screens, with Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive selected via soft-touch controls.
The classic analog clock is in the center at the top of the dashboard—if you want it to be. What looks like a clock is a tiny digital display that can show a digital clock, compass, or G-meter. I preferred to leave it as a clock.
Aside from the buttons on the steering wheel, the Grecale’s cabin has no physical controls. Function access is via one of the touchscreen displays or voice control. With the gear selector and buttons removed from the center console and the start button on the steering wheel, there’s good, covered storage ahead of the cupholders and a sizable bin under the armrest. A wireless phone charger is below the display screen.
The premium look continues with the leather-trimmed front seats featuring a stylish Chevron pattern and embossed Maserati trident headrests. Seats offer excellent support without feeling overly snug and are comfortable for long cruises or spirited back-road drives.
The rear seats are quite spacious, with plenty of legroom and headroom. A center display provides access to the rear-zone climate control and outboard seat heaters. It also features USB-A and USB-C ports. Seats have the same styling as up front, and even the middle seat is reasonably comfortable.
Photo: Perry Stern
Maserati is one of the brands that fall under the Stellantis umbrella, and there are benefits to this relationship. The basis of the infotainment system is Uconnect 5, one of the best on the market. Features included in the infotainment system are:
Powered by Android Automotive, Maserati’s infotainment system is intuitive and easily customized. The driver accesses the primary interface via tiles to keep the most used features at the forefront. Pages of tiles are swipeable for quick access.
Setting up my Samsung Galaxy S23+ to run Android Auto was a breeze. Connection via Bluetooth went quickly, and there was an immediate prompt to activate Android Auto. From then on, every time I got into the Maserati, the phone integration would appear on the screen.
Shortcuts to navigation, media, vehicle settings, and Android Auto remain static on the left side of the screen, even when Android Auto is operating. This makes getting back to the native systems quick and easy.
All climate functions are on the lower screen. Temperature settings, air flow, steering wheel heat, and seat heating/cooling are all conveniently accessible on this screen without digging into a sub-menu.
In the interest of eliminating all buttons, there is a collection of functions accessible from the lower screen in addition to climate controls. These include headlights, vehicle height, stability control, and ambient lighting. Volume adjustment is via a sliding soft-touch control. It’s not as intuitive as a classic knob, but it’s usable.
Voice interaction is perhaps the least impressive feature of the system. Unlike many new natural-voice interfaces found in a BMW or Lexus, the Maserati system can only respond to specific statements or questions. You can access navigation, adjust the cabin temperature, change the audio selection, or make a phone call via voice control. Still, the request must match the system’s required verbiage.
Photo: Perry Stern
The 2023 Maserati Grecale Trofeo gets power from a Nettuno 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, producing 523 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. An 8-speed automatic transmission and standard 4-wheel-drive system with an electronic limited-slip rear differential manage the power.
Starting up the Grecale delivers a pleasing rumble from the quad exhaust outlets, and switching to Sport or Corsa mode opens the active exhaust valves for a meaner growl.
Acceleration is strong. According to Maserati, the Grecale Trofeo can reach 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, with 120 mph coming up in 12.5 seconds. The top speed isn’t 185 (hat tip to Joe Walsh), but with enough space, Maserati says the Grecale will reach 177 mph.
The Grecale’s traction control seems a bit overzealous, making accelerating on wet roads challenging. Power cuts out whenever a wheel slips, which is frustrating when trying to accelerate into traffic on a busy highway. With the excellent AWD system, the traction control didn’t need to be so intrusive. I selected Corsa (Race) mode, which turns off traction control. Under strong acceleration, the Grecale remained stable and in control, even with a little wheel slip.
This confident ride continues when the road gets twisty, especially with Sport mode selected. Sport mode provides quicker shifting, maximum engine boost, stiffer suspension, and tighter steering. I thoroughly enjoyed the Grecale when pushing it on the backroads in southeast Michigan outside of Detroit.
Gear shifts are quick when left in automatic, but I found the manual shifting via the steering wheel paddles more engaging. Steering is precise, with quick response and excellent feedback, and the suspension keeps the SUV stable with very little lean in the turns. The brakes deliver smooth, predictable stopping power, making the Grecale feel much lighter than it is.
Changing the drive mode to GT gives the Grecale a completely different personality. The exhaust is quieter, the air suspension is more pliable, and the throttle response is smoother for a more comfortable experience. The Maserati is perfectly at home while cruising on the freeway at 70 mph and can move along at much higher speeds if one desires. With comfortable seats, great sounds from the Sonus faber premium sound system, and a smooth ride, the Grecale would be a welcome ride for a long road trip.
Photo: Perry Stern
Maserati equips the Grecale Trofeo with the expected advanced driver-assistance features. These include:
My Grecale Trofeo featured the driving assistant and lane management (lane-keeping assistance). Activating the system was straightforward. Once achieving the desired speed, I activated the adaptive cruise control. With the speed set to 70 mph, the Grecale stayed centered in the lane and smoothly paced the car ahead if it went slower than my set speed.
While the Maserati system provides steering assistance, it is not hands-free. After a few seconds, the system will issue a warning if it doesn’t detect the driver’s hands on the wheel. The lane-keeping assistance also worked well without being obtrusive, providing smooth correction if I ventured over the lane marker.
Photo: Perry Stern
The Grecale has a reasonable level of cargo space, with 20.1 cubic feet in the Trofeo (18.9 cubic feet in the GT and Modena). Rear seats fold in a 40/20/40 configuration for added versatility and can release from the cargo area. The wide cargo opening makes loading easy, and the available cargo rails on the cargo floor with movable hooks provide a convenient way to secure items from sliding around.
Considering its level of performance, the Maserati Grecale Trofeo is reasonably fuel efficient. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the most powerful Grecale achieves 20 mpg combined. With a smaller 4-cylinder engine, the Modena and GT variants rate 25 mpg combined. With its 16.9-gallon fuel tank, the Grecale can travel up to 423 miles on a full tank. During my time in the Grecale, the trip computer indicated 16 mpg—slightly less than the EPA ratings.
While the Grecale features the latest advanced active and passive safety features, official crash-test ratings are unavailable from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
The 2023 Maserati Grecale GT is the base level trim of the model lineup, carrying a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $65,300. The Modena is the next step up, with an MSRP of $74,900, while the top-level Trofeo has a starting MSRP of $105,500. These prices don’t include the $1,195 destination charge.
In the JD Power 2023 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Alfa Romeo Stelvio ranks highest in the Compact Premium SUV segment. The BMW X4 and the Cadillac XT4 are the next highest-ranked models.
In the 2023 APEAL Study, the BMW X4 ranks highest in the Compact Premium SUV segment. The Jaguar F-Pace and the Genesis GV70 are the next highest-ranked models.
Other competitors to the 2023 Grecale include the Infiniti QX50, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Porsche Macan.
Photo: Perry Stern
Maserati has built its reputation upon more than 100 years of beautiful, high-performance sports and grand touring cars. The new Grecale expands the lineup as a fresh take on the GT, carrying the style and performance expected of a vehicle wearing the brand’s trident logo.
The Grecale delivers a premium experience with its blend of high-end materials and high-tech features that fit nicely into the elegant cabin. With good space for passengers and cargo, the Grecale fits the bill as a proper crossover SUV.
But it wouldn’t be a Maserati if the performance weren’t also impressive, and it certainly is. Plenty of power on tap, especially in the top-level Trofeo, and the comfortable ride and excellent handling make the Grecale an ideal Maserati GT.
Perry Stern has worked in the automotive industry for over 30 years and has always been a car enthusiast. Driving almost every new car on the market, Perry has written for multiple publications in addition to his work for JDPower.com. Recently relocated to southeast Michigan, Perry is still crazy about cars, especially his 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
