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2023 Maserati Grecale Trofeo First Drive Review | Entry-level done right

RENO, Italy — Maserati is blowing with the SUV gales. Sedans remain an important part of its heritage, but they're no longer an important part of the new car market — especially not in the United States. Investing time and resources into filling sedan-sized gaps in the lineup would be like moving the deck chairs on a sinking cruise ship, so the Italian company is taking a different path to growth by expanding its SUV range. Named after a Mediterranean wind, the Grecale is positioned below the Levante and aimed directly at the Porsche Macan. It's not a supercar, but the Grecale is arguably the most important car that Maserati has ever released, one that could ultimately represent nearly half of its sales. I traveled to a town called Reno (not the place that Johnny Cash shot a man in) to get a feel for the smallest trident. First, let's dispel a myth: The Grecale is not merely a re-bodied Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Sure, both Italian people-movers are built on the Giorgio platform (which also underpins the Giulia and the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee), but several key changes were made in-house by Maserati. "We started with the Giorgio architecture, and we added the features that are typically found in upper segments: an air suspension system, for example," Federico De Medio, the company's head of vehicle validation, told me. "We were given the possibility to further improve this platform, and we were able to increase the wheelbase by (about 3 inches),"  He added that electronic tweaks were made as well. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The base Grecale GT consequently stretches 190.8 inches long, 76.7 inches wide, and 65.6 inches tall; the Modena and the Trofeo trim levels are 77.9 inches wide, while the latter measures 191.3 inches from bumper to bumper due to its specific body kit. Either way, the Grecale is relatively big for its segment: Porsche's Macan, its intended closest competitor, checks in at 184.3 inches long and is one of the smaller in the segment. The Grecale's weight ranges from 4,431 to 4,629 pounds. One look at the Grecale's front end shows what Maserati meant when it announced the MC20's exterior design would influence the rest of the range: the swept-back headlights are positioned above a wide grille with the trident emblem proudly positioned front and center. It's not a clone of the MC20, but the family resemblance is perceptible.

2023 Maserati MC20 Cielo First Drive Review: Fine-tuned from the top down

CATANIA, Sicily — “We wanted to give the Cielo the same behavior and character as the MC20 but with the sharp edges made a little smoother,” explained Federico Landini, the man in charge of the MC20Â’s development. Cielo is the name Maserati chose for the convertible MC20 — it means “sky” in Italian and sounds less generic than Spider, Spyder or another arachnid-inspired label. This new version of MaseratiÂ’s first supercar in over a decade slots in the range as a softer, more touring-oriented alternative to the coupe. While the two MC20s look a lot alike, Maserati ensured the Cielo has its own personality. Same heart, different bones Like the MC20 coupe, the Cielo is powered by MaseratiÂ’s excellent 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 engine, which is twin-turbocharged to develop 621 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 538 pound-feet of torque from 3,000 to 5,500 rpm. While 600+ horsepower is par for the course in this segment, achieving that number with six cylinders is rather unusual. The engine develops 207 horsepower per liter of displacement. If every engine offered this level of power density, weÂ’d have a 414-horsepower Volkswagen Golf GTI to play with. This engine also powers variants of the Grecale SUV, though the MC20 models use a dry-sump lubrication system. Landini told me Maserati felt confident sending a V6 into a ring dominated by rivals with eight or more cylinders because it fitted the engine with both direct and indirect fuel injection systems. This innovative technology — which traces its roots to Formula One racing — adds pre-chambers inside the cylinder head and a second set of spark plugs to the 90-degree V6 to provide a 100-horsepower boost. Mid-mounted, the Nettuno spins the CieloÂ’s rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission linked to a pair of steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. Maserati quotes a 0-62-mph time of a little under 3 seconds and a top speed of approximately 199 mph, so the coupe is slightly quicker and faster. Giving up two or three tenths of a second to highway speeds and forfeiting a few miles per hour at the top end is a fair trade for unlimited headroom. Going topless also makes the Cielo about 143 pounds heavier than the coupe: it tips the scale at roughly 3,400 pounds, which remains reasonably light.

Ferrari, Maseratis trashed in Chinese off-road adventure

Ready to cringe? A group of Chinese motorists drove the Sichuan-Tibet Highway in a fleet of Italian cars, fording streams and hopping rocky terrain as they went. Well, they attempted to drive it, anyway. Only five of the cars managed to survive the truly unnecessary ordeal. The trip was reportedly the idea of a wealthy Chinese businessman named Ni Haishan. Haishan was driving the red Ferrari F12, with his employees following in what appear to be 10 Maserati Ghibli sedans. The Maseratis were gifts to his employees, which makes the loss of six of them along the way only slightly easier to stomach. Even the cars that made it to the finish line in Lhasa, Tibet, arrived with some serious damage. The unsurprising fallout included several wheels and tires on the Ferrari, including one wheel that took the studs it was attached to with it. As you can see above, the "highway" route was not exactly suited to these particular cars. There is some precedent for a car from Maranello driving to Lhasa, however. In 2005, Ferrari sent two 612 Scagliettis on a tour of China called "Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles" with various journalists at the wheel. That journey started and ended in Shanghai and took the cars all over the vast country, including two crossings of the Gobi Desert, along the Great Wall, and on some of Marco Polo's route. Of course, it also involved a lot of planning, a huge support team, and at least a modicum of common sense. All of this was supposedly Haishan's way of showing the world that business is good for him and that customers should trust their money with him. We might conclude otherwise based on the results. If you absolutely have to run this road in something Italian and expensive, may we suggest a Maserati Levante next time? Related Video: Image Credit: news.163.com Auto News Ferrari Maserati Coupe Luxury Performance Sedan ferrari f12 berlinetta maserati ghibli