2023 Maserati Grecale Modena First Test: Luxury SUV Hits the Sweet Spot

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New for this year, the 2023 Maserati Grecale is the Italian luxury brand's first venture into the über-popular compact SUV category. Based on the same Giorgio platform as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Jeep Grand Cherokee, both of which also belong to Maserati parent company Stellantis' large brand portfolio, the Grecale SUV represents a continuation of the Italian automaker's comeback story. Named for the northeasterly winds that blow across the Italian peninsula, the Grecale is available in three trims: GT, Modena, and Trofeo. The battery-electric Folgore is coming soon.

While all 2023 Maserati Grecale models arrive similarly styled and equipped, their powertrains are the biggest differentiator between them. Both the base GT and mid-trimmed Modena come with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but there's a 29-hp difference between them. The Grecale Trofeo kicks everything up a notch with its 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6—while also adding more than $30,000 to the starting price tag.

Despite not landing a finalist slot during our 2023 MotorTrend SUV of the Year event, there's a lot to love about the Maserati Grecale. And we suspect most people will find the sweet spot in the middle-of-the-road Modena model (read: less expensive) trim.

As mentioned, tucked under the hood of Modena-trimmed models is the more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine equipped with a mild hybrid system. It pumps out impressive peak figures of 325 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. Backing the engine is a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission; power is routed to the wheels through a permanent all-wheel-drive system.

From behind the wheel, we found the 2023 Maserati Grecale Modena's on-road driving experience depends greatly on which of its three available drive modes you select. Driving in the standard Comfort mode delivers a less than exhilarating experience—accelerating from a stop is lazy, and there is an abundance of turbo lag. The transmission also prioritizes its higher gears and is reluctant to downshift. The entire experience is relatively dull, as it's tailored to deliver reasonable EPA figures (22/29/25 mpg city/hwy/comb).

Rotating the steering-wheel-mounted knob into "Sport" mode livens everything up and provides the most spunk. The engine revs more freely and launches the luxury SUV hard at each green light. Any lag that was present before is pushed to the wayside as all 332 lb-ft of torque are unleashed in a fury of exhaust crackle. It all really does sound good, at least for a four-banger. The transmission holds each gear until the engine nears the rev limiter, and the suspension also becomes firmer and provides a more aggressive feel. However, unless you're working hard at slaying canyon roads on the way to Saturday morning coffee, this driving style gets tiresome quickly as the engine revs to the moon while constantly holding low gears, and you feel every expansion joint and pothole through the firm suspension.

If Goldilocks owned a 2023 Maserati Grecale Modena, she'd find "GT" drive mode to be just right. This mode provides the proper blend of engine performance without Sport mode's hypersensitive pedal or aggressive exhaust burble. The transmission fires off shifts expeditiously yet quickly finds the highest gear without being averse to downshifting when commanded. We also enjoyed this middle-of-the-road suspension setting the most, as it was firm without being harsh, yet it still eliminated much of the wallow allowed by Comfort. Best of all, once set in GT mode, the Grecale would recall that setting on each subsequent start up.

The top-trimmed 2023 Maserati Grecale Trofeo model steals the show with its 522-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter Nettuno V-6 engine, but Modena owners still expect their vehicles to maintain a certain level of performance despite being at a 197-pony deficit. From a standstill the Grecale Modena sprints to 60 mph in a modest 5.3 seconds, which isn't terrible considering the SUV tips the scales at more than two tons. Indeed, the slightly less portly 2024 Porsche Macan T, also equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo-four, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in the same 5.3 seconds. Racing through the quarter mile took the Grecale Modena just 13.8 seconds, and it crossed the stripe at a blistering 99.7 mph. The Macan T did the same run in 14.0 seconds at 97.1 mph.

Highlighting the importance of tire choice, the Maserati Grecale Modena needed 126 feet to stop from 60 mph. For reference, this is a worse showing than the 2023 Toyota 4Runner's 125-foot stopping distance on all-terrain tires. Unfortunately, the tire trouble didn't stop there— we noted on the skidpad how the Pirelli Scorpion Zero all-seasons screamed for mercy. In our figure-eight test, they provided such a minute amount of grip that we had to perform all of our braking in a straight line rather than employing any turn-aiding trail braking. This resulted in a maximum lateral grip that averaged just 0.80 g on the skidpad, and a figure-eight time of 27.0 seconds. The Macan T pulled 0.90 g on the skidpad and lapped the figure-eight course in 26.4 seconds. By contrast, the Macan T wears near identically sized Pirelli P Zero summer tires, illustrating how much of a difference rubber makes.

Unsurprisingly, all 2023 Maserati Grecale models are trimmed to the same high standard of luxury the company is known for, which makes sliding into the Grecale Modena a welcome experience. Materials used throughout the interior are properly upscale; we struggled to find anything that resembled Stellantis parts-bin bits. The SUV's front seats feature aggressive bolstering that provides a comfortable yet firm embrace. (The non-adjustable bolsters might prove to be a bit much for larger-framed drivers and front-seat passengers.) The rear seats, though less bolstered, provide exemplary comfort for passengers of all sizes, and the rear cargo area is big enough to handle even the largest shopping haul from your local big-box warehouse store.

The center stack is difficult to ignore, as it houses three of the Grecale's six screens. There is the central 12.3-inch infotainment display, which runs on a modified Android operating system, and a lower 8.8-inch touchscreen for HVAC control along with other comfort and vehicle settings. Up top, a smartwatch-like digital clock is configurable to show not just time but also interesting tidbits such as a g-meter, pedal position, and more. While we sampled all the clock's modes, we ultimately left it as, well, a clock. We figure most owners will, as well. The Grecale also comes with a 12.3-inch digital driver-information screen, and our Modena tester was optioned with the company's massive head-up display. A 6.5-inch touchscreen is employed for rear-seat climate control. With the exception of the rear 6.5-inch screen, we found the learning curve to be steep for all of these screens and their associated controls, as the menus and functions are less than intuitive. Once we located the audio system controls, however, we were blown away by the sound quality of the Modena's premium Sonus Faber audio system.

Being Italian means the 2023 Maserati Grecale Modena comes with a few, well, eccentricities. For starters, we fought the car for several days in an effort to reduce the number of times it would honk at us. Lock the doors? Honk. Unlock the doors? Double honk. Open the driver door? Double honk. Open the passenger door? Double honk. It got really old, really quick. As it turns out, there's no way to disable this feature. Unless, that is, you turn off the horn "confirmation of locking" function, and then it all stops. Makes perfect sense. And don't bother with the owner's manual or local dealer, as neither can explain it.

The Italian luxury SUV also uses an interesting array of unique warning tones, which while entertaining, often left us wondering what the vehicle was actually trying to convey. The split-screen dash is a classy and elegant touch, but we found the transmission controls that divide the screens are less than intuitive and not nearly as responsive as we expected. The lack of a physical volume knob was frustrating, but not as much as attempting to navigate stereo inputs and stations. We also found the myriad of available displays to be less than useful, as most appeared to be geared toward the more powerful Trofeo or yet-to-be-released Grecale Folgore EV.

And then there's the aluminum paddle shifters. Affixed to the steering column, these large shift levers remain in place as the wheel turns, allowing the driver to locate and utilize them without needing to process which direction the steering wheel is facing. They're great for track outings, but the shifters provide practically no meaningful use in day-to-day driving. Our biggest gripe, however, is the fact they're mounted so close to the steering wheel that using the volume and other controls located on the backside of the wheel itself is difficult. Being the only physical stereo controls present, we attempted to use them quite often. If Maserati asked us what it should do, we'd say either save the paddles for the top-spec Trofeo or move them back a few millimeters to get them further out of the way.

First, consider the cost of the top-spec Grecale Trofeo. With an eye-watering starting price of $105,500, and easily optioning past the $125,000 mark, it sits among the elite group of six-figure compact SUVs. Despite Maserati's boutique nature and the level of exclusivity the marque offers, that price still feels like a lot of coin. For customers willing to take a step back when it comes to horsepower, however, the $74,900 2023 Maserati Grecale Modena makes a compelling argument. The Modena offers similar refinement and driving dynamics as the Trofeo, along with all of the same opulent materials, design, and technology for just a small upcharge over the base Grecale GT. We suspect the 30 large left in your pocket would more than cover the cost of a nice holiday to feel the actual Grecale wind blowing gently across the countryside as you summer in the beautiful town of Modena.