2026 Maserati Grecale Modena V6 | PH Review
People really love the old Porsche Macan - can a new Nettuno-powered Grecale fill the void?
If you want a sharp handling SUV with a six-cylinder engine producing around 400hp, the outgoing Macan GTS really is bang on the money. It’s why they sold so well despite being conspicuously long in the tooth. And with ‘Model unavailable to order’ now blocking the entire lineup on the Porsche configurator, Maserati has chosen arguably the perfect time to carve itself a slice of the pie by de-tuning its Grecale Trofeo to offer disappointed Macan buyer's a plan B.
Meet the Modena V6, a 390hp mid-rank newcomer to the Grecale range, which, while not on sale just yet, is expected to cost somewhere between £80-90k when it reaches Britain later this year. That will make it pricier than the £75k Porsche previously asked for the Macan GTS - and what a BMW X3 M50 currently costs - despite being less powerful than both.
But the Grecale has a 3.0-litre trick up its sleeve - the Nettuno. Because as a modified version of the Trofeo’s twin-turbo motor, the Modena V6 possesses a direct link to the MCPura (formerly MC20) and therefore feels more than a bit special. By contrast, the BMW’s B58 isn’t a proper M motor, and though the Macan’s 2.9-litre V6 powered some pretty potent saloons, SUVs and estates, none are a supercar. Even with a power disadvantage, there’s reason to believe the Grecale might offer buyers something different.
Along with the rest of Maserati’s line-up, the Grecale has received some exterior tweaks to give it a front grille and taillights that bear a passing resemblance to the MCPura. This is a handsome car made handsomer, in other words, and its more understated looks do little to hint at a performance focus, which contrasts with the GTS- or M-badged alternatives. To some, that will count for a lot, because not everybody wants to be seen driving an SUV that shouts about its need for speed. Especially when it isn’t trying to fulfil the role of range-topper.
Inside, the Grecale gets the same new switches to change from Drive to Park etc as in the updated GranTurismo. While they look like individual toggles, they’re actually a single-piece of plastic that rocks as one, meaning they don’t feel particularly premium - especially when compared to the Macan’s old-school gear lever. However, and again like the GranTurismo, the Grecale makes up for it with a pair of ‘click-clack’ aluminium shift paddles that leave everything in the class behind (aside from its identically-underpinned sibling, the Alfa Stelvio, of course).
The rest of the cabin feels well built with soft leathers, tight stitching and only a few other less than premium bits, mainly centred around the window switches and the steering wheel buttons. The upper infotainment screen is mostly quick to react, although the software isn’t as sharp as rivals, while the lower screen controlling the climate settings (among other things) is, at times, a bit of a faff to use on the go. Having said that, with permanently on-screen shortcuts, it’s easier to use than much of the competition, namely the BMW.
Back seat space is good enough for a six-footer to fit comfortably behind someone of the same height, and boot space is pretty decent for the class, beating the old Macan comfortably and ranking only just behind the X3. Oh, and you can get a 1,200-watt sound system in the Grecale to keep passengers entertained, making the Modena V6 as practical and survivable on a long journey as anything else in its segment.
That long-distance ability would be doubly true in an air suspended car, but while our Modena V6 made do with the standard-fit coil springs and adaptive dampers, it still proved pretty comfortable. More fidgety over uneven surfaces, yes, but with the damping softened off, squidgy enough to deal with the bigger bumps and lumps of northeastern Italy’s coast-hugging roads.
Click into Sport mode and the damping - which can be wound back individually via a button on the wheel - gives the Grecale tighter body control with only a slight drop in ride comfort. But it’s the e-LSD’s added eagerness that takes precedence, dynamically. Rear-biased SUVs that can power oversteer are hardly unusual these days, yet the Modena V6 feels more willing to ‘play’ and from lower speeds than most, allowing you to turn every corner into a grin-inducing opportunity for throttle and corrective lock. There’s even some steering feel to help the sense of connection with its front driven axle, which suggests the limits are overall lower in the Maserati than its rivals.
This means that cross-country pace isn’t quite as high as it would be in the outright quicker cars from Germany - but you also don’t need to break the speed limit to extract the best of the Grecale’s lively handling. The chassis offers small but informative amounts of pitch and roll, which helps Maserati's SUV feel mobile and very much alive as you charge down a winding B road.
Granted, a Macan GTS is definitely the more agile prospect, and is equipped with a sharper front end - and the X3 M50 does a better job of bolting down straights. With its throttled power output, the Modena V6 needs to be revved before it feels anywhere near as quick as its rivals, and sudden requests for more get up and go will have the ZF torque converter (while smooth to shift and quick to react in manual mode) fumbling for a downshift. Perhaps appropriately for its positioning, this feels like a less outright performance-focused SUV than some.
The engine sounds good though - damn near identical to the GranTurismo Trofeo when the windows are down - and the crack from the exhaust with every upshift is entertaining too. But despite having a gravelly V6 voice in its natural state, Maserati has insisted on adding synthesised V8-style tones that are played via the speakers, which, as you might expect, aren’t fooling anyone. It means the car sounds better from the inside in its quieter GT mode than Sport - unless your bit of Italian autoroute goes through a tunnel, that is.
This shortcoming notwithstanding, the Grecale, like the sleeker GranTurismo, manages to get under your skin with its accessible limits and rounded character. The Trofeo flagship is definitely the more exciting SUV, but it’s also £106k, meaning the Modena version - even with a 140hp deficit - feels like the sensible option for most. Is a Macan GTS still the better driver’s SUV? If you want something that feels like a sports car on stilts, yes. But you can’t buy one of those new any longer, and in the middleweight Grecale, Maserati has supplied an SUV that prioritises fun over outright pace.
Moreover, one thing is for certain: a supercar-engined SUV is considerably more interesting than the four-cylinder model that sits beneath it in the Grecale pecking order. Meaning that finally, and as it intended, Maserati has itself a 400hp-ish contender capable of facing its rivals on something like a level playing field. It will hope that its timing proves auspicious as Porsche heads for self-imposed early bath…
SPECIFICATION | MASERATI GRECALE MODENA V6
Engine: 3,000cc, V6, twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 390@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 369@2,000-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.9 seconds
Top speed: 162mph
Weight: 1,895kg
MPG: 26.9
CO2: 239-250g/km
Price: TBC (est £85,000)
At this point it feels like people are just buying any obese car but with a fancy badge. If they had less to spend, they'd be in a Qashqai. What's the point? Who buys this stuff?
Forums | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff