Maserati Grecale Modena V6 2027: internation review

Porsche’s major miscalculation in prematurely discontinuing its petrol-powered Macan — leaving only an electric version on sale until at least 2028 — has created a golden opportunity for that German SUV’s Italian rival, the Maserati Grecale.

While the Grecale also offers a fully-electric trim called Folgore, we think most Australians considering an SUV with the 100-year-old Trident badge on its snout and tail would be more interested in a powerful, sweet-sounding petrol engine.

And that means a V6 — which you can get in the Grecale. The problem has been that buying a desirable six-cylinder has been supremely expensive, with Maserati gatekeeping the three-litre engine to the top Trofeo grade with a price of $179,900 plus on-road costs.

A pair of cheaper Grecale grades are equipped with a perfectly serviceable turbo four-cylinder ($120K and $145K respectively), but who wants a 2.0-litre in an Italian sports SUV? Not very many people, with the Grecale notching up just 238 sales in Australia last year.

It turns out even Italian car enthusiasts have boundaries, and it has become clear that the Grecale V6 is just too expensive. Last time Porsche offered a six-pot Macan here, it started at just $117K — albeit in a light specification that asked lots of pricey option-ticking.

But a plan is now on to shake things up. Maserati wants to seize on Porsche’s overzealous commitment to making the Macan EV-only. While Porsche hurries to develop a petrol Macan replacement, due only in two or three years, the Grecale needs a shot of adrenaline.

And it’s getting one in the form of a new grade being added: a version of the mid-tier Modena, equipped with a detuned 287kW/500Nm iteration of the Nettuno V6 from the top-end Trofeo. It might be down on power, but all that sound is still there.

In the UK and US markets, the Modena V6 has slashed the six-cylinder cost of entry by 20 percent. If echoed in Australia, that could see pricing land at an almost approachable $140K-$145K, but local distributor Ateco is yet to make a final call on the numbers.

We’d like to see some aggressive moves here. As we discovered on a long drive in Italy and Slovenia, the Grecale is a thoroughly decent premium SUV, and one that does not deserve to be outsold by Macan nine-to-one — but it needs to be priced appropriately.

How does the Grecale Modena V6 drive?

From behind the wheel, the Grecale is completely competitive with capable combustion-fuelled sports SUVs like the BMW X3 M50 ($131K) and Audi SQ5 ($122K). The Maserati’s performance and handling capabilities exist in that ballpark.

But there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and the cuts to the output of the V6 to create the new Modena grade are noticeable: power and torque fall by 27 percent and 19 percent respectively, and the 0-100km/h time rises from 3.8 seconds to 5.1 seconds.

Does it matter? Probably not. The Trofeo isn’t going away, so those who want ultimate acceleration can pay for it. Frankly, the Modena V6 is still quick enough to feel punchy and in any case, the reason you’d go V6 here is for the sound rather than outright speed.

Even the four-cylinder engines in the Maserati are fast enough, but the Italian brand has been savvy enough to realise that the buyer cohort that would consider the Trident want authenticity rather than absolute efficiency.

To that end, the Modena V6 works really well — with a couple of caveats. Unlike the tractable, torquey BMW X3 M50, the Maserati has to be grabbed by the scruff of its neck and driven hard to extract the best out of the Nettuno V6 and eight-speed ZF automatic pairing.

The Italian SUV can pootle around slowly, but there is a lack of low-end torque and the tuning of the automatic transmission in its default ‘GT’ drive mode is very lazy — probably to attain a respectable fuel economy number.

You’ll want to mash the drive mode button every time to select ‘Sport’, which livens up the gearbox map, makes the throttle more sensitive and allows the V6 to chase higher revs without getting too crazy.

Let the engine sing and you’re rewarded with good forward progress and a great noise. The engine builds from a relatively muted base note at low RPMs to a genuinely loud rasp towards redline that is pretty addictive.

The platform of the Grecale was adapted from the fantastic Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, so it is no surprise that you can build up to a flow state while cornering in the Grecale, allowing the stiff and compliant chassis to breathe with the road.

We just wish the Stelvio’s steering tune was present here. Maserati, keen to ensure that the Grecale didn’t feel just like the Alfa, has given its SUV a heavier and more muscular rack which differentiates it in a negative way.

A surprise is the compliant ride quality. Sharper bumps can certainly be felt in combination with the 21-inch wheels of our test car, but there’s decently long wheel travel.

The adaptive dampers — in combination with double wishbone front suspension and multi-link independent rear suspension — do a good job of absorbing most imperfections.

Really start to push on and you find that the Grecale doesn’t quite match the old petrol Macan’s unbelievable bandwidth on the limit … but the petrol Macan is dead. You can’t buy one new, so it isn’t a fair comparison.

There’s a slight feeling of top-heaviness (which you also get in the SQ5 and X3 M50) that ultimately puts a damper on how much you can commit, and makes us wish for a Maserati sports sedan to compete with the BMW M3s of the world…

How is the Grecale Modena V6’s interior?

The staggering decay in the quality of so-called ‘premium’ SUV interiors has left the pleasantly trimmed Maserati Grecale interior suddenly looking like a standout.

Ten years ago we probably wouldn’t have said the Grecale cabin was that special, but times have changed. In particular, the interiors of the latest combustion BMW X3 and Audi Q5 models have seen a stark decline in material quality and perceived expense.

That has not happened here.

As a result, the Maserati Grecale now offers one of the best interiors of any midsize premium SUV right now. Beyond the fundamentals of supportive seats, workable infotainment and a decent stereo, it’s the details that surprise.

First, leather — or convincing artificial stuff — appears virtually everywhere, from the door tops and dashboard to the pads where your legs rest. Hard plastic of any kind is hard to find. If you see it in the Maserati, it feels good. That used to be the standard for this class!

Secondly, the ergonomics are shockingly well-sorted for an Italian car to the point where the Grecale feels more German than the Germans. Truly committed fans might even be let down by the lack of quirkiness — but the rest of us breathe a sigh of relief as the Mazzer just ‘works’.

The positioning of steering wheel, pedals and key controls are well-executed and the Stellantis-derived infotainment — while unremarkable to look at — is simple to operate and packs wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

A secondary screen below the main touchscreen is primarily dedicated to climate controls and while we’d prefer tactile knobs, the bright lower display serves its purpose well. Less clear is why the transmission needs to be operated via buttons — at least they’re now knurled!

In photographs, the curvaceous Grecale looks smaller than it really is. In reality it’s upper-midsize. The lenghty, 4859mm body (and generous 2901mm wheelbase) have yielded excellent rear legroom and a large 570-litre boot, making it genuinely family-friendly.

What are the Grecale Modena V6’s ownership costs?

Well, they depend on how you drive it. Leave the Grecale in ‘GT’ mode and drive around in the powertrain’s laziest mode and you should be able to see economy of 10-12L/100km. While not great, it is just about acceptable for a daily driver.

The problem is that keen drivers won’t be able to put up with ‘GT’ and will need to fire up ‘Sport’ to get the engine out of its eco-tune and onto the boil. Doing so nets results closer to 20L/100km, which is a touch ridiculous for just 287kW of power…

So there is little hope in the Grecale becoming the efficiency superstar of the premium midsize segment, but we suspect the target buyer won’t really mind.

In the past, Maserati has offered a three-year complimentary service plan with the Grecale Trofeo V6, and we are hoping to see a similar offer extended to the Modena V6.

Maserati’s standard Australian warranty (three years with unlimited kilometres) trails the five-year coverage offered by nearly every other brand (but not Porsche) though this can be extended out to ten years at additional outlay.

The honest verdict on the Grecale Modena V6

In the absence of its key rivals — the X3 M50, SQ5, and also AMG’s new GLC53 (which just scored its six-cylinder back) — it’s hard to say precisely where the Grecale Modena V6 would fall in the pecking order, but it is certainly competitive with that group.

On the dynamic front, we have no complaints at all about the V6 powertrain once it’s out of eco-tune and on song. It sounds great and has the verve expected of an Italian six-cylinder. In other wods, it feels special.

Ride and handling falls somewhere among the German set, which is to say that the Grecale is sufficient if not a standout — but it probably doesn’t have to be as long as the final pricing is fair.

The Maserati’s shock advantage is really its interior. Odd ergonomics of past Italian cars have been banished here, leaving the Grecale with a cabin that feels noticeably more premium and easier to operate than many of its contemporaries.

At the end of the day, though, the midsize SUV segment is not a playground for expensive supercars and pricing still has to be sharp enough to seduce people from the safety of a German option and into an Italian showroom.

Let’s hope the pencils are sharpened on the Modena V6 as the Grecale deserves to sell far more strongly than it has in Australia so far.