Maserati Grecale Folgore stands apart in luxury electric SUV field
You might not know what to expect from the 2024 Maserati Grecale Folgore, its first battery electric SUV, unless you know what its name translates to. Grecale means Greece, Folgore means lighting. Is the 110-year-old Italian automaker secretly trying to tell us something?
Maserati is the top luxury brand in Stellantis’ grab bag of automakers. As such, it’s being revitalized with a host of new products. By limiting production and raising prices, Maserati hopes to reinstate its status in the market.
Grecale, meant to be its mainstream offering, starts at $68,500, and the new Grecale Folgore EV expected to top $100,000.
The 2024 Maserati Grecale Folgore, like its fossil-fuel-powered Grecale SUV stablemates, is built using Stellantis’ Giorgio architecture that underpins the Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV. But the engineers had to accommodate the Grecale Folgore’s 105-kWh battery pack, so it lowered the Grecale’s floorpan by 1.6 inches, causing some loss in ground clearance, although it’s still sufficient for most tasks, at 6.7 inches.
And those cells produce 550 horsepower and 605 pound-feet of torque, enough to move this mass of metal to 60 mph in about 4 seconds. Top speed is 137 mph. Power comes on smooth and strong, much like a petrolpowered Grecale.
Range is rated at 311 miles, but that’s according to the optimistic European WLTP rating, not the EPA’s, which hasn’t been released. Don’t be surprised if the range is actually closer to 250 miles. Blame the lack of range on the fancy footwear,
which is comprised of grippy 21-inch Pirelli P-Zeros, rather than the EV-friendly rubber typically used to extract miles at the expense of traction.
But Maserati has done much to make this puppy perform, placing air shocks at each corner that adjust along with the driveline through its GT, Sport, Offroad and Max Range driving modes.
Once the road twists and turns, the Grecale Folgore handles it admirably. It’s well-mannered, with very little body movement and minor body lean.
Compared with its Folgore siblings, the Grecale has an updated rear end, a more aerodynamic nose, a redesigned grille, portholes on the front fender with LED
lighting, and aerodynamic wheels.
Climb inside, and you’ll find the transmission shifter is gone, its job now handled by pushbuttons. And the paddle shifters by the steering wheel do not shift the transmission. After all, it has one forward gear. Instead, it adjusts the amount of regenerative braking — that’s the amount of energy recovered during deceleration used to recharge the battery.
Other interior tech is top-notch. The instrument panel houses a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and an 8.8-inch touchscreen for other vehicle functions, such as climate control. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, two simultaneous Bluetooth phone connections and an excellent 1,200-watt, 21-speaker Sonus Faber audio system.
Throw in sumptuous cabin finishes and you have a uniquely favored EV that stands apart in an increasingly crowded part of the market. If you’re looking for a luxury electric SUV that has the chops to perform and stands apart in a sea of Mercedes-Benz EQs, BMW iXs and Audi Q8 e-trons, Maserati has your sumptuous automotive gelato.