Grecale blows into view

Teaser images have been released of Maserati’s medium sports utility.

THE name? Maserati’s long-time tradition has been to name its models after winds – Grecale is said to be the “fierce north-east wind of the Mediterranean Sea.”

In year from now it’ll be in the showroom, affixed to the rump of Maserati’s first  medium sports utility, which has just been photographed on the road for the first time.

Blurred images of the car outside the brand’s factory in Modena, Italy, came via a hammy marketing stunt – they were distributed to employees who were then tasked with seeding the images out on social media.

 The smaller sibling to the Levante SUV is expected to be based on the same underpinnings as the Alfa Romeo Stevlio, but powered by the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine as the new MC20 supercar, overseas’ reports say.

Performance figures for the SUV are yet to be confirmed, but Maserati’s Nettuno engine is capable of producing 463kW and 730Nm of torque. However, it will be detuned for use in the Grecale. 

It’s believed Maserati will also offer the Grecale with a pure-electric powertrain. Power and torque figures for the electric model are yet to be confirmed, but Maserati has suggested that the architecture will feature the 800-volt battery technology and support up to 300kW rapid-charging.

Maserati's electric powertrain, branded Folgore, Italian for “lightning,” will consist of a three-motor system with one motor up front and two at the rear.

It’s likely to be shared in due course with the Levante and the Ghibli sedan, which already represents with a mild-hybrid option.

The images support contention that Grecale prototypes are currently undergoing road, track and off-road testing. An official reveal is scheduled for later this year but distribution is set to be a 2022 task.

Maserati is aiming for Grecale to have the greatest top speed of any SUV in its class, while also being the fastest accelerating, best handling and most spacious. Ambitiously, Maserati also plans to go up against the Germans in terms of technology, claiming the Grecale will offer the best in class sound system.

Maserati is busy refettling its entire family. A redesigned GranCabrio is supposed to arrive this year with an electric version in  2022. Also en route is a convertible version of the MC20.

Redesigned versions of the Quattroporte and Levante are also planned, with every job complete by 2023.

Red blood buys into Green St

Who’d have thought they’d ever see this powerplant behind a trident badge?

THINK Maserati and what type of engine do you imagine?

Traditionally, something thumping, multi-cylindered, in recent times, touched by Ferrari.

And now …?

A 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine, with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance, placed in the Ghibli sedan to provide what Maserati claims is the performance of a V6 petrol with the economy of a V6 diesel.

Keen on this formula? It’s an unavoidable acknowledgement of the way the world is heading. Emissions, economy, European Union regs for both. Every brand must comply.

So, for Maserati, the double-header of not only its first hybrid but also it’s first ever four-cylinder try-out.

The whole shebang is at least being kept Italian. The engine is basically the same used by Alfa Romeo in the Stelvio sports utility and Giulia sedan, but has been given a small 'eBooster' electric motor, and a compact battery, that brings power up to 246kW and torque up to 450Nm.

The Ghibli Hybrid's top speed is 255kmh and it'll hit 100kmh in 5.7 seconds. 

Speaking of pace, how long before it hits New Zealand? Interestingly, that information has yet to be shared by the marque’s local market distributor, which operates from Australia. However, production for right hand drive will be under way from early next year, so …

As you might have gathered, this is the mildest form of hybrid system the Fiat-owned luxury sports brand could have conceivably chosen. So why not something a little more advanced or stronger?

Maserati is quite upfront about this. It says adding a full hybrid, or plug-in hybrid, would have made the car too heavy. As is, the Ghibli Hybrid weighes around 80kg less than an equivalent model running the diesel engine which has been at the forefront of the brand’s economy run previously but has now been retired.

 The brand reckons this new approach provisions the "perfect trade-off between performance, efficiency and driving pleasure." Fans will ultimately decide, of course, but at least it does hit the nail for economy, with a claimed 8.5 litres per 100km from the WLTP test.

Style-wise, you'll pick a Ghibli Hybrid from the little flashes of bright blue scattered around. It's on the brake calipers, in the little 'portholes' on the front wings, in the headrests, and in the seat stitching. The trident badge, mounted on the rear pillar, also gets a little blue flash below the fork. There are new tail-lights too, with a 'boomerang' profile said to be inspired by the 3200 GT model of the early 2000s.

To further enhance the appeal, the Ghibli Hybrid also gets to debut a new infotainment system, with a bigger 10.1-inch screen, and some software input from Google's Android Automotive software arm. It gets the new Maserati Connect online connectivity package, and the screen's menus and layout are fully customisable by the driver.

One of the big treats of an encounter with a petrol Maserati is sensory - the exhaust note is awesome. How doe the four-cylinder match up? Well, they’ve done some work there, as well. It won’t roar and burble like a V8, but does get a specially designed exhaust system to try and capture as much as possible of the traditional Maserati aural experience, the brand says.