Compared to its German rivals, there’s a certain level of expectation when it comes to Maserati, even with the Grecale 300, which is the cheapest car in the Italian brand’s range. The design of the 300 is identical to the old GT, and while it’s neatly proportioned with some key Maserati design traits (a huge grille, the three air vents on the front arch, trident badge on the rear pillar and quad exhausts), it strangely doesn’t have a tremendous amount of road presence.
The interior is also a mix of genuine luxury and some suspect parts sourced from Maserati’s parent company Stellantis. Quality items in the Grecale’s cabin include that customisable clock at the top of the dash which takes a classic Maserati design cue into the digital era, open-pore wood trim (far better than the carbon fibre offered as an option), and squishy leather almost everywhere else.
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The driver’s display is a classy layout, too, while being perfectly easy to scan on the move. What isn’t as good is the central infotainment screen – it’s the same 12.3-inch unit you’ll find in other Stellantis products such as the Vauxhall Astra and Peugeot 3008, and while the Grecale gets its own bespoke display, the truly awful integrated sat-nav is carried over. A positive, however, is that Apple CarPlay connected almost instantly for us, so we could avoid the slow, narrow-view sat-nav.
Other slight oddities to the interior include the only physical volume controls being hidden behind the steering wheel, door opening buttons taken from the Fiat 500 and a strip of gear selector buttons on the dash which are suspiciously similar to the ones you find in the Jeep Avenger, and just as sluggish and annoying to use. That the wireless phone charger is a £300 option is a tight move from Maserati as well.
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Model:Maserati Grecale 300Price:£59,990Powertrain:Turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinderPower/torque:296bhp/450NmTransmission:Eight-speed auto, all-wheel drive0-62mph:5.6 secondsTop speed:149mphEconomy/CO2:32.1mpg/200g/kmOn sale:Now
