Maserati Grecale Folgore review

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Big SUV relinquishes V6 engine as Italian luxury brand initiates electric transition

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Electric cars struggle to excite enthusiasts, so Maserati has used some powerful imagery to sell its inaugural crop of EVs: lightning, or folgore if you’re Italian.

The first of them to arrive is the Maserati Grecale Folgore, a large (4.8m-long) SUV that has been on sale here in V6 and four-cylinder turbo petrol forms (and viewed with tempered admiration by Autocar) since 2022.

There’s a lot of weight on its broad shoulders, not just because it sets the tone for the Italian luxury brand’s switch to electric power but also because it will be the volume seller – well, at least relative to the impending Maserati Granturismo Folgore coupé and Maserati MC20 Folgore supercar.

That might be why, unlike the standard Maserati Grecale, which was very late to the D-segment SUV party, the Grecale Folgore has arrived promptly to fight it out with the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV and the closely related inbound Porsche Macan Electric and Audi Q6 E-tron.

So, what’s actually new? Well, while it externally looks very similar to the petrol Grecale, the front grille has been modified to optimise the cooling of the EV componentry under the bonnet, while almost all the other holes have been blocked off. Even the quintessential triple side vents have been replaced with LED lights.

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INTERIOR

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maserati grecale foglore review 2024 06 interior

The interior retains its restrained and luxurious design, which we’re fans of – and in keeping with the sustainable theme of going electric, leather is no longer your only material choice.

Made of nylon found in old fishing nets and fabric scraps otherwise destined for landfill, Econyl is really quite nice to the touch and still manages to look the part. You definitely wouldn’t say it was just regenerated nylon.

The touchscreen’s menus are logical enough and the icons are large. It’s quite slow, though, and don’t even bother with the sat-nav. The climate controls are also by touchscreen, regrettably – DJ

The best thing about the interior, though, is that the Folgore is just as big inside as the petrol Grecale. So there’s more front and rear passenger space than you will find in most rival EVs, and even the boot has remained large, losing none of the 535 litres. Considering that a whopping great battery has been put into the floor, that’s impressive.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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maserati grecale foglore review 2024 09 tracking front

Said battery has a large usable capacity of 97kWh, giving the car an official range of 311 miles – quite a lot less than is claimed by the comparable EQE 500 (341 miles) or Macan Turbo Electric (367 miles).

At least you have plenty of power, as there’s a 275bhp motor on each axle, keeping its four-wheel drive, for a combined output of 550bhp – 27bhp more than the V6 Grecale Trofeo.

However, it also weighs some 450kg more, making it nearly 2.5 tonnes, so it isn’t quite as quick off the line as the Trofeo, taking 4.1sec to sprint from 0-62mph instead of 3.8sec. Still, that’s quicker than most rival EVs, if not the 630bhp Macan Turbo Electric.

Maserati has fitted speakers to the Grecale Folgore because “every Maserati must make noise”. This worried me, having been annoyed by the Abarth 500e’s speaker, but thankfully there’s none of that monotonous fake combustion noise here. Instead, the Grecale Folgore sounds a lot like any other EV, but the noise varies in intensity and volume in reaction to how you’re driving.

RIDE & HANDLING

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maserati grecale foglore review 2024 10 panning side

Adaptive air suspension comes as standard and has been specially tweaked to make up for the weight of the battery.

Predictably, that means it’s a whole lot stiffer than the relatively soft petrol versions. That’s a good thing when it comes to handling, because it allows you to take better advantage of the impressive chassis.

Turn in to a corner and there’s barely any body lean – something that’s complemented by the same fast and light steering of the petrol Grecale, giving you loads of feedback and the confidence to push on. The thing is, when you do, it isn’t that hard to find the car’s limits, and it will start to scrub wide far sooner than you would expect. It certainly feels less playful than the petrol Grecale.

In more mundane driving, the firm ride gives the car slightly better body control over undulations but hasn’t prevented it causing head toss over imperfections, which is caused by slight underdamping.

I found having the powertrain in GT mode and the suspension in Sport was the best combination, stiffening the damping and keeping occupants more stationary. So configured, it’s more comfortable than a Tesla Model Y, and I suspect avoiding the optional 21in alloys of my test car (a 20in set is standard) will improve things further.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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maserati grecale foglore review 2024 01 tracking front

Cost remains the Grecale’s biggest sticking point, though. The Folgore costs more than the Macan Electric and makes the Model Y Performance look cheap.

For the money, you do at least get plenty of standard equipment, installation of a 7kW home charger and access to the Maserati Public Charge smartphone app, giving you access to 96% of chargers across Europe – many of them supporting the Grecale’s 150kW maximum charging rate, which will fill the battery from 20-80% in about half an hour.

VERDICT

maserati grecale foglore review 2024 14 static

The petrol Grecale has always been a left-field choice, and the Folgore is no different. It’s not without merit, being lovely inside, hugely practical and plenty fast enough, but it’s outclassed by its competitors at this price.

Dan Jones

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