We arrived at the Balocco Proving Ground expecting to feel the frost that comes with being designated persona non grata.
It'd been only weeks since Maserati's flagship Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo saloon was given two stars in its full Autocar road test – a real demolition, but deserved – and people tend to have long memories in the high-stakes automotive industry.
Happily, both the personnel and the new product at Maserati seem to be moving on, and our brief first taste of the upcoming Grecale suggests it is categorically not heading down the same path as the QPT. This is just as well, because the Grecale is undoubtedly Maserati’s most important car for a long time. It aims to bring a level of luxury and flair as yet unknown in the big-selling mid-sized SUV class, and it’s going to be pivotal to Maserati's finances and also to its journey into the pure-electric sphere. Under the Folgore line – Italian for ‘lightning’ – an electric Grecale will be shown in 2022, and that car will eventually sit alongside similar versions of the new MC20 supercar and the upcoming replacement for the Granturismo.
Our pre-production Grecale is a ‘synthesis’ vehicle. It exists as an amalgamation centre for the massive number of subsystems being honed on some 250 other prototypes. It means that at any given time, this particular Grecale is the most advanced Grecale, and it is currently close to being the finished article. Were it not for the shortage of semiconductor chips, development would already have been halted and the car would be on sale. As it is, the launch has been stalled until late spring, and the tweaking can continue a little longer.
One thing we can't really assess today is the interior, because the dashboard is covered up on our test car. Still, we have a peek underneath the fabric cladding. There’s lots of leather, and a broad, glossy infotainment touchscreen halfway up the dash. The traditional Maserati clock is also now digitally represented, with the royal-blue dial able to be switched between showing the time, g-force, heading and brake/throttle pressure. Elsewhere inside, the front seats strike a good balance of softness and support, and their scalloped backs means there's unusually generous second-row leg room (to match the excellent head room).
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I don't care much about the greatness of any Maserai design and character, as long as I am not sure that I start a drive and return without any problem. This is your challenge, stellantis
Hi Andrew – we'll always take the earliest opportunity to try any new car, and sometimes that means driving prototypes (though we never give a hard verdict on these as they're not finished, hence no star-rating). It's not a new thing, and in this case the alternative would be to wait until June to try the full production-spec Grecale, which we'll also do when the time comes (with star-rating). Thanks, R
TBH just wait till June.
IMO the sneak preview only dilutes the wow factor on release day. You may be doing more harm than good in terms of initial sales... Food for thought methinks.
The purpose of the story is to serve the reader, though, not the sales dept. at Maserati. If the car's obviously no good, or underwhelming, don't you think a prospective buyer would much rather know sooner than later?
Any potential buyer will wish to see the interior, surely. Not least the finished exterior.
Autocar serves the reader extremely well and 99% of the articles are well researched and informative.
I stick to my earlier comment.
With respect, seriously you actually said that, "The purpose of the story is to serve the reader, though, not the sales dept. at Maserati. If the car's obviously no good, or underwhelming, don't you think a prospective buyer would much rather know sooner than later?"Umm, it is a pre-pro it will have issues and you comment that you do not give it a star rating, well no one actually takes any notice of those anyway, they read what you put and if you say it has a shocking drive, they will remember that, and not buy because you said it, when the car is still being made, and NO, no wants to be told a car is rubbish and why a brand would allow it is beyond me, to then be told a car is not good, when it is not even finsihed WILL HURT SALES, like snidey comments about a previous models road test, you are not road testing that car, you have done that, this is something else, you totally contradict yourself, and makes the comments in the report and yours, at odds, so what is the reader actually supposed to think....I for one, and MANY other readers will actually wait for the real car to come out, before decisions are made, on whether we like it or not, and not based on something we cant see properly, or a car that is currently still in the prototype stage....I assume the next car you will get will be the new "whatever" just a chsasis and seat, with an engine up front, and you will review that.....
The camo is bare and they should just reveal it already. It's probably very good and will sell like hotcakes. Interior might be low rent.
If interior is low rent and expected FIAT reliabity, how many meatheads would by these hotcakes?
Trident Badge. Crossover Vehicle. Hybrid for tax benefits. A lot of meatheads will buy these.
You really need to move on from your dated and heavily biased and misinformed stereotypes. The Fiat 500 came only second to the Yaris in its class for reliability a few years ago in a UK survey, and the Panda and Doblos are known as sturdy workhorses. I had an Abarth 500 that was quite dependable, leagues ahead of the Mini Cooper that preceded it.
If interior is low rent and expected FIAT reliabity, how many meatheads would by these hotcakes?