Maserati is reborn (again)……or maybe not (again)

[bigbob]

3.5 stars for the Grecale. I stopped reading with boredom part way through:

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/maserati/grecale/first-drives/maserati-grecale-gt-2022-review

Actually the problem isn’t Maserati it’s people collectively for the stupid cars they want to buy, pretending that a ‘sports’ SUV is a sports car which it is not. Sure the Macan is brilliant in the context of what it is which is why the Grecale will struggle but what we really need is Porsche to build an RS4 estate (Maserati can have a go too) which will be lighter, more aerodynamic and closer to the ground to handle better than the Macan. However, no one wants this as they want to sit up high and play with two TVs whilst driving. Many modern cars are **** and it’s our fault.

PS Maserati is still going to fail…again… so hang on to what you have got.

 

[GeoffCapes]

After I read 4 cylinder I closed the page down.

Whatever happened to Maserati being a premium brand?

 

[lozcb]

After I read 4 cylinder I closed the page down.

Whatever happened to Maserati being a premium brand?

Its hereditary mate , its in their DNA ....... rumour has it they are going into disabled chariots , sure going to be a market for them when they shoot off their other foot

 

[bigbob]

After I read 4 cylinder I closed the page down.

Whatever happened to Maserati being a premium brand?

I still don't get why they don't use Alfa for the sub £75k market and Maserati for the £100k+ stuff with more design flare, exclusivity and power.

 

[stindig]

I still don't get why they don't use Alfa for the sub £75k market and Maserati for the £100k+ stuff with more design flare, exclusivity and power.

Makes so much sense

 

[midlifecrisis]

Alfa don't even make a supermini anymore so the whole thing is fkdup.

 

[outrun]

I like it and a pal that works at a Ferrari/Maserati dealership went to the launch and says it feels really well made and premium.

However.....it's 10k too much for the base car before options. The base Macan is £45k. I have a mega high spec Macan that I've had for 3 years or so now. We have put 20k miles on it and it's currently worth about 5k less than I paid. So there is no way, with those residuals, that any sane human should chose to right their cash on the Grecale over the Macan.

I think it will sell well in the Asian and USA markets though, and they are more important than us.

 

[Ewan]

That said, car values over the last 3 years have been kept unrealistically high due to the lack of supply of new vehicles because of disruptions from COVID. This won’t last.
So far, Levante values have held up well, and easily in line with the Cayenne. So I see no reason why the Grecale won’t do similarly to the Mecan. The bottom-of-the-range Grecale will be faster, more economical and more exclusive than the equivalent Mecan, so why not charge a bit more for it?
And while some people don’t like this genre of vehicle, the reality is that they are very practical all-rounders for those that don’t want a stable of more function-specific vehicles.

 

[Twinspark]

I still don't get why they don't use Alfa for the sub £75k market and Maserati for the £100k+ stuff with more design flare, exclusivity and power.

Easier to take a brand downmarket (low hanging fruit) than it is to go up. There’s also the fact that Maserati is a global brand while Alfa Romeo is an obscure brand outside of Europe.

 

[Andyk]

To be the honest the review isn’t a bad one and looks like it just needs a little more development to be a contender to challenge. I am sure Maserati had a Macan to dissect when making this so in this day and age it should be as good as so not sure why Maserati would release the car if it wasn’t. Interesting that they say the 4 pot doesn’t feel that much slower than the Trofeo….It does sound like another almost Maserati which let’s face it will not be good enough. I hope it sells well as another non seller will not help the cause.

 

[bigbob]

And while some people don’t like this genre of vehicle, the reality is that they are very practical all-rounders for those that don’t want a stable of more function-specific vehicles.

Agree with this point but does anyone on here only have one car? I have five and I reckon you have at least twice that.

Seriously if I only had one car it would be a Macan S or GTS on air suspension but I would not spend £80k on one car only.

 

[MrMickS]

I still don't get why they don't use Alfa for the sub £75k market and Maserati for the £100k+ stuff with more design flare, exclusivity and power.

Because they can't make a profit on those numbers. The market for £100k+ cars is limited. The model of using cheaper SUVs has been proven by Porsche. I think you'll struggle to spec a Grecale for much under £75k with options that you think you need.

After I read 4 cylinder I closed the page down.

Maserati have had a 4-pot in the range for a while now. The Ghibli and Levante Hybrids use the same engine. It produces more power than the diesel engine it replaces and similar economy.

Having had a Levante, and having a Stelvio at the moment, I'd take a look at this. I'm interested in a test drive to see whether its closer to the Stelvio or Levante in terms of handling. The reality is that if we were looking to replace the Stelvio it would probably with a Levante rather than this.

 

[bigbob]

Because they can't make a profit on those numbers. The market for £100k+ cars is limited. The model of using cheaper SUVs has been proven by Porsche. I think you'll struggle to spec a Grecale for much under £75k with options that you think you need.



Maserati have had a 4-pot in the range for a while now. The Ghibli and Levante Hybrids use the same engine. It produces more power than the diesel engine it replaces and similar economy.

Having had a Levante, and having a Stelvio at the moment, I'd take a look at this. I'm interested in a test drive to see whether its closer to the Stelvio or Levante in terms of handling. The reality is that if we were looking to replace the Stelvio it would probably with a Levante rather than this.

I don’t buy the ‘can’t make a profit point’. £100k+ is a lot of money and with a large amount of shared development, technology and platforms it can work. They need to look at Alfa and Maserati as a combined entity in this regard internally but with distinct marketing and delivery.

Just because it works for Porsche with the Macan does not mean it will work for Maserati. People expect a Maserati to break down, cost too much to service and have poor residuals. Much of this is untrue but the brand remains a ultra premium one for me and should be run as such. All IMHO but if essentially they can’t make people buy the same SUVs at a cheaper price point with an Alfa badge on them why will people pay more for a Maserati SUV? If had not worked for the Levante even though it is a very good car (have driven a few).

 

[safrane]

Few 'buy' any cars these days, they just rent them on a PCP etc - Its the monthly payment that makes or breaks a car and the problem with Maserati cars at the moment is that they don't hold their value in the same way as other premium models do, so this has to be factored into the monthly.

 

[bigbob]

Few 'buy' any cars these days, they just rent them on a PCP etc - Its the monthly payment that makes or breaks a car and the problem with Maserati cars at the moment is that they don't hold their value in the same way as other premium models do, so this has to be factored into the monthly.

Servicing costs do not help. I phoned up the two Scottish dealers for a service price on my Granturismo. Nuts!

 

[MaserMike]

Unless you really really want the Grecale and Maser badge, you may as well get the Ford Puma top spec model and at a fraction of the cost. As previously discussed they look very similar.

I prefer the Levante older shape which I recently had, at least it has a sharper front end and lights. Unfortunately the new bubble style headlights on the new Grecale, Levante and MC20 don’t do it for me….