There are a few car brands that I want to like but inevitably find myself being disappointed in. Maserati is right at the front of this list. Despite being disappointed by the Ghibli and the Quattroporte and also the Levante, I keep going back to the well, hoping for something to change. So, when I was offered the chance to spend a few days with the 2023 Grecale Trofeo, I said yes while crossing my fingers.
Like other Trofeo models, the Grecale is all about its drivetrain, and with one caveat, what a drivetrain it is. The star of the show is a detuned version of the Nettuno V6 that made its first appearance in the MC20 supercar.
In the Grecale, the 3.0-liter twin-turbo produces a robust 523 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque, and if anything, it feels like Maserati is underrating those figures. The Grecale Trofeo is shockingly quick, with a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds, assisted by all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. That caveat I mentioned, though, is the sound. The Nettuno sounds bad in the MC20, and it sounds worse here. At least in the MC20, you can hear the over-the-top turbo noises clearly. The extremely farty sound it makes when shifting under full throttle is particularly awful.
The Grecale’s chassis is only a tiny bit less impressive than the drivetrain. The standard air suspension in the Trofeo is incredibly well-calibrated. It’s exceptionally comfortable on the road in comfort or GT mode and firms up appreciably in the Sport and Corsa modes, making for a surprisingly capable canyon carver. Another fringe benefit of the air suspension is height adjustability, which can be done manually or automatically based on drive mode. There’s even an off-road mode that jacks the Grecale way up, and I almost believe it would be halfway decent in the dirt, provided it had different tires.
The overall experience of driving the Grecale Trofeo is great. It has an excellent gearbox and a very willing engine, and the ride quality is, as I said, excellent. Steering is direct, and the steel brakes are super strong with good initial bite. Driving it through several hours of Southern California freeway traffic as well as through LA was awesome, and I don’t doubt that someone who buys the Trofeo would find enjoyment in it pretty much anywhere as a daily.
So, while the drive is great, that’s not typically where I find the Maserati experience to be the weakest. That dubious honor goes to the brand’s interiors and I’m happy to report that things in the cabin are pretty decent. Don’t get me wrong, the interior quality when it comes to materials and design isn’t necessarily befitting a car that starts at $105,000, but it’s not exactly what I’d call embarrassing, either. Really, the meh interior is more a function of being the most expensive trim of a model that starts at around $65,000.
The seats are comfortable but narrower than I’d expect, and the leather only feels ok and not on par with the hide you’d get in a Macan, for example. The stitching is straight, and the metal column-mounted shift paddles are great. The leather-like material used on the steering wheel feels awful, though, and I found the wheel’s shape to be uncomfortable to grip. Weirdly, it’s also covered in buttons, where the rest of the interior notably, isn’t. Maserati’s “3D Carbon Fiber” trim looks and feels awful, but that’s subjective, and there are other options that I’d probably like more.
There is a decent amount of room in both the front and the back seats, even for someone as tall as me – I’m 6 feet, 4 inches tall – and cargo room at 20.1 cubic feet is pretty good for what ultimately isn’t that big of an SUV. The panoramic sunroof didn’t seem to eat up much headroom either and let plenty of light into what would otherwise feel like a pretty dark cabin.
The highlight of the interior for me is the central screen setup. It’s split into two sections with a bend in the lower third, with the larger top portion dedicated to infotainment and the lower third handling climate control and a few other features. It looks great and is very responsive. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and the optional Sonus Faber stereo system is great too. One bummer about this whole setup is a lack of physical buttons, besides the ones on the steering wheel. But, because the system is so responsive, it’s something I’d ultimately be fine living with.
Despite its six-figure asking price, the Grecale Trofeo doesn’t offer many advanced driver assistance features as standard, instead burying them in an optional $3,100 driver assistance package. That said, my test car is optioned with that package, and I’m happy to report that the systems – which include adaptive cruise with stop and go, intersection assist, traffic sign recognition, driver monitoring, blind spot assist and more – all work really well. You can also option a heads-up display and wireless charging pad for $1,100, and the $4,100 Premium Plus package nets you the Sonus Faber stereo, heated and ventilated seats, as well as a heated steering wheel and heated windshield washer jets.
My fully loaded test car retails for a not-inconsiderable $122,395, including a $1,495 destination fee. If you’re looking at the Trofeo, the odds are good that you’re also probably mostly looking at the likes of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the Porsche Macan GTS and the BMW X3 M as competition. I’m pleased to say that the Maserati holds up well here. The Alfa is the most similar, but it’s down 18hp and has a lesser interior. Though it is cheaper, with a starting price of $87,770, including a $1,595 destination fee. The BMW offers 503hp (provided you add the $7,000 competition package) and has a significantly less refined ride for $82,395, including a $995 destination fee. The Porsche Macan GTS is down the most on power, with only 434 available. Still, it has arguably the best interior of the bunch and, being a GTS, has most of the good performance options equipped as standard, but it is the most expensive at $88,450, including a $1,695 destination fee.
Ultimately, I’m pleased to see Maserati break its streak of sad, overpriced “also-ran” cars and offer something extremely competitive in an already competitive market segment. The Grecale Trofeo isn’t perfect, and there’s still some Italian quirk here, but that’s part of its considerable charm and doesn’t detract from the overall experience of driving it. If the Grecale is indicative of Maserati’s approach going forward, then it has me incredibly excited to spend some time with the new GranTurismo too. It’s nice to finally not be disappointed.