Maserati Grecale review – interior and tech

A great deal of effort has clearly gone into the Grecale’s interior design and materials; in fact, it's top of the class in this respect. The detailing, from the dash-mounted Maserati clock (now digital), the enormous aluminium paddle shifters and Sonus Faber steel speaker grilles, is beautifully executed. It's a more special environment than almost any SUV of this kind, although the Stelvio Quadrifoglio has a more driver-centric feel courtesy of its optional carbon-backed bucket seats. 

You'll recognise most of the tech from the new GranTurismo (and, ahem, the electric Fiat 500), and it works well on the whole. The graphics are crisp and the digital dial pack is easy to read, but there are some ergonomic flaws – some annoying, others borderline unforgivable. The stereo volume, for instance, is adjusted via a finicky touch slider next to the infotainment screen, and you need to delve into the touchscreen to operate the headlights. Yes, you can set them to automatic, but you shouldn’t need to hunt through a sub menu to access a key vehicle safety function. The climate controls sit on a separate display below the main touchscreen, but these are at least a permanent fixture on the dash and always accessible.

With a longer wheelbase than the Alfa Stelvio, cabin space is good, and there’s plenty of room for adults in the back. Jaguar’s F-Pace is perhaps even more versatile and comes with a bigger boot, but the Grecale is as usable as you’d want or need an SUV of this size to be. 

Optional kit on the base car includes a surround view camera (£1000), laminated side glass (£1000) and the aforementioned Sonus Faber sound system (£2300), along with other luxuries like heated rear seats (£1520) and a panoramic glass roof (£1600).