Sounds like a shady character from a Martin Scorsese movie, doesn’t it?It’s meteorological: “Grecale” means northeasterly wind in Italian and “Folgore” means lightning. As opposed to lightening, which is what in all likelihood this new Maserati can do.
Because it’s the purely electric edition of the company’s well-received midsize SUV, and with two electric motors (one on the axle) and a 105 kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery, it weighs 2,480 kg. Yes, we know the hardware of the electric vehicle is heavy, but it is the same as 3 Maserati A6GCS from the 50s (a very good car, by the way). With 4 adults on board. . . Well, do the math.
If you insist. The Grecale is Maserati’s biggest seller, with 18,000 units sold internationally last year. This is very important to the ambitions of the company, which continues to assert itself as a genuinely credible force in the face of the leftist selection of incurable romantics and hardcore Italians. In the United States, almost a portion of the Grecales sold are bought through women. However, it would be difficult to distinguish the Folgore from its combustion engine brethren.
It is, and it’s deliberate,” says Maserati designer Alessandro Silva. “We don’t need to stick to a trend, we need to be timeless,” he tells TG. com. Our purpose is to achieve visual longevity. Some electric cars have been designed to produce that “wow” effect, which may appear in the moment but doesn’t last beyond a few years. We don’t need to surprise our customers, we need to take them with us on the path to electrification.
Silva also talks about something called “tri-identity,” short for Maserati-specific design elements (analogous to Lucidity and Teslattitude, perhaps), such as the lights, wheel design, and fuselage effect on the hood. The Grecale Folgore is a lovely machine, which is encouraged through the high-performance Trofeo edition while adding some twists and turns.
Although the motors and battery still need some cooling, Maserati’s concave, shrill grille has fewer openings. There’s a redesigned diffuser at the rear. The iconic trio of air vents on the front fenders here are filled with LEDs. Look closely and see copper-colored details on the brake calipers, a task reserved for electric vehicles. New alloy wheels are also available, in 19, 20 and 21-inch diameters, all designed to help reduce drag coefficient and thus improve diversity and efficiency.
There’s also a custom-made paint finish, called Rame Folgore, which comes alive through the exterior façade of Frank Gehry’s majestic Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao. Depending on how the sunlight arrives, the result is gray/brown/blue, and is achieved thanks to iridescent pigments. Maserati is struggling to differentiate itself, in terms of colours, fabrics and fabrics. Keep in mind, however, that iridescent pigmentation is expensive – this final paint is a roughly £15,000 option.
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The Grecale is a physically imposing car: it measures 4. 8 m long and 1. 6 m high, but its almost three-metre long wheelbase offers enough space in the rear seats. The battery is underground but still spacious and the boot has a capacity of 535 litres. Maserati claims that the Grecale can accommodate 99th percentile people in the front and rear, further increasing that weight. Just like the panoramic roof.
Some great hitters. Porsche’s new Macan, for example, which we’ll be driving very soon. Audi has just unveiled its new Q6 e-tron, BMW’s iX continues to impress, and there’s the Mercedes EQE SUV, the Kia EV9 if you want seven seats, and the Tesla. Model X. Ah, and not the impressive Lotus Eletre.
Some question Maserati’s relevance in 2024, and given that this is a more combustion-focused logo than the maximum, they are possibly right. The Grecale Folgore is imbued with a spirit ancient enough to protect itself effectively, we’d prefer something a little more extroverted. It’s a stylish choice for the popular EV core, well-designed and complete to drive. But its value is ambitious, and the Porsche Macan beats it in most key parameters. So close, but don’t smoke.
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