Maserati Grecale Folgore review

With those twin motors and a combined power output of 550bhp, the Folgore is the most powerful Grecale you can buy. And while it’s not quite as quick in a straight line as the V6 Grecale Trofeo, it’s still jolly quick, needing just 4.1sec to reach 62mph.

The power is reasonably progressive and easy to mete out, but even in a straight line, it feels like too much for the chassis to handle. Put your foot down at low speeds and the front wheels will scrabble as the nose rises up and unloads them. You also need a firm grip on the wheel to stay in your lane, because the Grecale Folgore torque-steers like a hot hatch on the rowdier end of the spectrum.

Maserati has fitted speakers to the Grecale Folgore because “every Maserati must make noise”. This worried us, 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. You can’t turn it off, but it’s pleasantly subtle and fades into the background at speed.

The Folgore retains the large metal steering-wheel paddles from the petrol versions. Of course, there’s no more gearbox to shift; instead they now control the regenerative braking.

The regen can be adjusted between a free-wheeling mode and one where it slows you down quite strongly. Even in that strongest mode, it’s easy to control and drive the car smoothly. There’s no true one-pedal mode, however: you always need the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.