I don't know when, SUVs have become the "life-saving straw" of various car companies.
Author: Xiong Ruifeng
Remember that Sergio Marchionne, the chairman of Ferrari at the time, after reading the SUV sketch drawn by netizens for Ferrari, said a sentence that shocked the world, "Let Ferrari launch an SUV unless someone shoots him." "Perhaps seeing that Porsche, which is also a sports car family, has made a lot of money because of the launch of Cayenne and Macan, ferrari, which has always been arrogant, has actually made a breakthrough compromise and decided to unveil its first SUV Purosangue this year.
In the face of sales and faith, car companies can only survive. As Porsche's core competitor - Maserati, in 2016 also launched the first SUV Levante, once launched, it undertook the sales responsibility of the entire brand; perhaps found that the SUV is really too good to sell, this is not Maserati's second SUV Grecale, he came, vowed to compete with the Porsche Macan!
The tail value is finally online!
When I first saw The Grecale, my intuition told me that this car must be from Italy, the unique Design Charm of the Mediterranean Makes it difficult not to "imagine"; the overall body design is just right, no matter which part is very coordinated, and in order to create a simple sense of luxury, it is very restrained in the application of various types of decorative parts, removing all superfluous elements.
On closer inspection, Maserati Grecale still inherits many family elements, and in terms of style, it is interpreted in three different forms of GT, Modena and Trofeo (divided into three versions); the GT version embodies the modern spirit of Maserati's minimalist city, Modena shows a timeless and elegant temperament, and Trofeo embodies the most extreme side, and performance is the first element.
Among them, the iconic straight waterfall aerial net on the front face is matched with the trident brand logo, the recognition is instantly full, and with the three-stage (GT)/carbon fiber penetration (Trofeo) below, the romance and sports have a perfect encounter; and the design inspiration of the headlight group on both sides is inspired by the family's flagship sports car MC20, the unique L-shaped day running lights are extremely eye-catching.
On the side, the compact and sporty body proportions still don't lose the style of the Coupe model, while the classic shark cheeks at the front fenders and the trident logo at the D-pillar show the "stubbornness" that Maserati should have; the hidden door handle used for the first time seems to tell us that Maserati is keeping up with the times. As for the body size, I don't know if I have done market research in advance, Grecale's length, width and height of 4847x1979x1659mm are slightly longer than the Porsche Macan, which perfectly fills the problem of The Macan's compact space.
For a Maserati, everyone says that it is the face of the angel / the buttocks of the devil, whether it is Levante or Ghibli tail design always seems to lack of fire, but this time Grecalle is to help the big brothers to support the façade, the tail shape is more simple and stylish than levante, the angular three-dimensional layout of the tail light group will perfectly integrate the light group with the body line; and the radical diffuser below with the bilateral four-out exhaust, a look is "fierce horn"!
When luxury meets technology
Maserati said at the press conference that the interior of Grecale is the first time Maserati has dedicated its design to functionality, and everything is inspired by the concept of minimalism.
The T-shaped central control structure, which has been used since 1970, is a maserati reinvention of the era, reinterpreting the unique craftsmanship of Made in Italy by incorporating unique textures and color pursuits.
At the same time, in the context of the new era, Grecale removed the traditional buttons and knobs, and instead used the combination of 12.3-inch full LCD instrument + 12.3-inch central display + 8.8-inch central touch screen, with MIA intelligent multimedia system, always at the forefront of science and technology.
The unique digital clock above shows Maserati's unique commitment to luxury. It is worth mentioning that the clock can not only display the time, the dial can also respond to voice commands from the owner, or change the skin and appearance according to the owner's preferences, or use it as a compass or g-meter.
From a detailed point of view, Grecale's one-button start button is also integrated into the steering wheel, making people feel like they are in a sports car; the gear shift mechanism is embedded in the physical button between the two screens; and the four-door opening method is also the first time to adopt a button design.
In terms of configuration, the Maserati Grecale is equipped with a new Sonus faber (Italy Worldmaster) 3D stereo system, with 14 speakers as standard (optional to 21); it also supports L2-level driver assistance systems, OTA online upgrade functions, and some models will also be equipped with HUD head-up display.
As for the space, thanks to the 2900mm wheelbase of the Gregare, the rear seat space can not be worried too much, and it also provides rear seat heating, independent air conditioning, USB power and other functions for the rear passengers.
Undoubted performance
When it comes to motivation, first of all, Grecale is not a miniature version of Levante, because it does not use Levante's platform, but is based on the platform of Alfa Romeo Stelvio.
In terms of specific power layout, gt and Modena models are equipped with a light mixing system composed of 2.0T four-cylinder twin-turbo engine + 48V motor (BSG), which matches ZF's 8AT gearbox, of which the GT version has a maximum power of 300PS, a peak torque of 450N·m, and a peak torque of 5.6 seconds for 0-100 km/h; the maximum power of the Modena version has been increased to 330PS, the peak torque is 450N·m, and the acceleration time of 0-100 km/h is 5.3 seconds.
If you're disgusted with gt and Modena, the next version of Trofeo will definitely satisfy you, powered by the Nettuno 3.0T six-cylinder twin-turbo engine from the flagship sports car MC20, which inherits formula 1's dual-burn (MTC) technology, with a maximum power of 530PS + 620N·m peak torque not only outperforming the Porsche Macan GTS, but also 0-100 km/ h Acceleration time is only 3.8 seconds, and the top speed can reach 285 km/h.
At the same time, Grecale also offers 5 different driving modes, including COMFORT (Comfort) mode, GT mode, SPORT (Sport) mode, CORSA (track) mode and OFF-ROAD (off-road) mode, of which the Trofeo version also has its own ejection starting system and air suspension system, a total of 6 levels of adjustment, the total suspension travel is about 65mm.
On the chassis system, Grecale also added a vehicle dynamic control system based on the MC20 chassis control module, which reduces intervention time by replacing reactive response with active prediction, thereby improving vehicle driving comfort, extreme performance and active safety.
Maserati's future depends on her!
Maserati is a well-known sports car brand in the minds of fans, and its unique handling makes it have the name of "low-end Ferrari", coupled with the trident logo that is deeply liked by the little sister, which has attracted countless people to covet it. But perhaps it is that Maserati's current "value" of models is too noble, resulting in its sales have been stagnant, and global sales have dropped from 35,300 in 2018 to 17,000 in 2020.
In contrast, the rival Porsche can be described as a boom, in 2021 global sales exceeded 300,000 vehicles, an increase of 11% compared with 2020, as the most entry-level model Ofcan is more than 88,000 units to assume the role of Porsche brand sales champion, after all, compared to the million-dollar 911, Cayenne, Panamera, 60+W Macan can be described as really fragrant.
Now the release of The Gregale also proves that Maserati itself has figured it out, and putting down its body and launching a more people-friendly medium-sized SUV is undoubtedly a "good medicine" to increase the company's revenue. Writing this, I can't help but wonder if the starting price announced by The Gregale at the Beijing Auto Show in April can really be controlled at 50+W similar to the Porsche Macan, perhaps Maserati will usher in another wave of "boom".
(Some image source network)
Today's topic
Will 500,000 choose Porsche or Maserati?
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