Big SUV relinquishes V6 engine as Italian luxury brand initiates electric transition
DAN JONES @turboblag
TESTED 8.3.24, PUGLIA, ITALY ON SALE NOW
Electric cars struggle to excite enthusiasts, so Maserati has used some powerful imagery to sell its inaugural crop of EVs: lightning, or folgore if you’re Italian.
The first of them to arrive is the Grecale Folgore, a large (4.8m-long) SUV that has been on sale here in V6 and four-cylinder turbo petrol forms (and viewed with tempered admiration by Autocar) since 2022.
There’s a lot of weight on its broad shoulders, not just because it sets the tone for the Italian luxury brand’s switch to electric power but also because it will be the volume seller – well, at least relative to the impending Granturismo Folgore coupé and MC20 Folgore supercar.
That might be why, unlike the standard Grecale, which was very late to the D-segment SUV party, the Grecale Folgore has arrived promptly to fight it out with the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV and the closely related inbound Porsche Macan Electric and Audi Q6 E-tron.
So, what’s actually new? Well, while it externally looks very similar to the petrol Grecale, the front grille has been modified to optimise the cooling of the EV componentry under the bonnet, while almost all the other holes have been blocked off. Even the quintessential triple side vents have been replaced with LED lights.
The interior retains its restrained and luxurious design, which we’re fans of – and in keeping with the sustainable theme of going electric, leather is no longer your only material choice.
Made of nylon found in old fishing nets and fabric scraps otherwise destined for landfill, Econyl is really quite nice to the touch and still manages to look the part. You definitely wouldn’t say it was just regenerated nylon.
The best thing about the interior, though, is that the Folgore is just as big inside as the petrol Grecale. So there’s more front and rear passenger space than you will find in most rival EVs, and even the boot has remained large, losing none of the 535 litres. Considering that a whopping great battery has been put into the floor, that’s impressive.
Said battery has a large usable capacity of 97kWh, giving the car an official range of 311 miles – quite a lot less than is claimed by the comparable EQE 500 (341 miles) or Macan Turbo Electric (367 miles).
At least you have plenty of power, as there’s a 275bhp motor on each axle, keeping its four-wheel driv
