MASERATI GRECALE FOLGORE

Big SUV relinquishes V6 engine as Italian luxury brand initiates electric transition

- DAN JONES

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 super car.

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.