2025 Maserati Grecale Folgore First Drive: Electric Shock Reset
Maserati’s future starts now, with its first all-electric SUV.
For legacy automakers, electrification can be viewed as either a death knell or an opportunity. For some it can feel as though nearly 100 years of institutional knowledge and the character of their beloved internal combustion engines was for naught. For others, it's a reset—a chance to recapture past glory and reformat it for future success. Maserati, the 109-year-old Italian luxury sports carmaker, enthusiastically falls in the latter camp. Though high-performance electric sports cars are coming, the new 2025 Maserati Grecale Folgore we just spent time touring the heel of Italy in is a more important sign of the brand's next chapter, as it'll surely find its way into more driveways than those pricier sports cars.
Translating the Past to the Future
Maserati's goal with the Grecale Folgore was to capture what historically makes Maseratis great without compromising on its brand values of luxury and sportiness. In plain English, it wanted the Grecale Folgore to simply be another flavor of Grecale, just like the four-cylinder Grecale GT and Modena, and the twin-turbo V-6-powered Grecale Trofeo. To that end, the modifications made to the Folgore are restrained.
Its Giorgio platform—shared with the standard Grecale, and both the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio—loses its gasoline engines, transmissions, and driveshafts in favor of a CATL-sourced 105 kWh battery pack and identical front and rear permanent magnet motors sourced from Jing-Jin Electric that combine for a healthy 550 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque.
The Folgore (Maserati's descriptor for all of its electric models) is fit with a 400-volt system capable of being charged at rates of up to 150 kW on a Level 3 DC fast charger or 22 kW on the included load-balancing Maserati-branded Level 2 charger. Other mechanical changes consist of regenerative-capable brakes and unique wheels and tires. Most everything else, including its double A-arm front and multilink rear suspension with height-adjustable air springs, are shared with gas-fed Grecales.
Visual changes are minor. The Grecale Folgore gets a more aero-friendly nose, new grille, front fender portholes replicated with LED fixtures, and a revised rear-end treatment to mask the lack of exhaust pipes. Inside, the gear shift lever is replaced by pushbutton transmission controls placed between the 12.3-inch infotainment and 8.8-inch multifunction displays, with the freed space used for a new cubby (and, underneath the skin, the computer responsible for controlling the new electric hardware). The Grecale Folgore also gets copper interior trim, and seat bottoms and backs covered in laser-etched "Econyl," a neoprene-like fabric made from recycled ocean plastics.
Aside from the hardware changes there are some substantial software ones. That larger Uconnect 5-based infotainment screen, for instance, gets a bespoke navigation system that's capable of planning EV-friendly routes for long road trips. Favoring Stellantis' "network" of third-party chargers (which as of now primarily consists of ChargePoint stations in the United States, but is much more expansive overseas), it will tell drivers the kW rating and real time availability of chosen chargers, as well as clearly communicate the time and needed state of charge to continue on their journeys. Given its 400-volt architecture and 150 kW peak rating, figure a 40 minute or so 10-80-percent charge time. EPA range is pending, but the Grecale Folgore scores a 500 km (310 miles) rating on the ever optimistic WTLP range test. We suspect about 250 miles would be a realistic target for American buyers.
How It Works
While lacking the legs of the upcoming Porsche Macan Electric, the miles of range you do get are good ones. Thumb the Grecale Folgore on and it roars to life, thanks to a V-8-like audio track that's played over the standard Sonus Faber audio system (Maserati felt it was important to capture some of the audible character of its other cars, so after startup the track is linked to throttle input, even getting louder in Sport mode). That audio track, in many ways, serves to set expectations in the Grecale Folgore.
Unlike some of the EVs in its class, the Grecale Folgore accelerates similarly to its gas stablemate. Roll into the throttle and it pulls away progressively and predictably, almost like it too is powered by the Grecale Trofeo's twin-turbo V-6. The Folgore feels quick, responsive, and powerful, even if its performance leans more towards the grand tourer end of the spectrum than sports car. Steering is quick, and despite some artificial-feeling on-center resistance in its default GT mode, well-weighted and responsive.
Sport mode swings things the other way. Throttle response gets amped up, steering resistance builds, and the overall feel is that you're driving a sporty gas-powered compact luxury SUV with its transmission shifted into the lowest possible gear—an impression backed up by the suddenly louder faux exhaust note. Get greedy with the go pedal and the Grecale Folgore will step out on you, predictably swinging its tail out before the front motor claws for grip and pulls you out. The electric Maserati never quite shrinks around you like some sporty SUVs do, but it remains enjoyable and confidence-inspiring to drive, no matter what you throw at it.
Despite the roughly 1,100-pound weight gap between the Grecale Folgore and gas versions, its extra mass is well hidden. The lowered center of gravity helps minimize body roll, while the air springs do an admirable job at keeping that weight in check without negatively impacting ride quality, even when presented with a rutted dirt road and, uh, "prudent" speeds.
One constant no matter the drive mode is its rubbery brake feel and confusingly tuned regenerative brake modes. The four modes, from least regen to most are D+, D, D-, and D--. The D+ mode allows the Grecale Folgore to coast; D, the default, feels like typical engine braking from a gas car; D- adds 0.1-g more braking force to D, while D-- adds 0.2-g and allows for one pedal driving. Except, as the Folgore is currently tuned, D- and D-- respond differently based on your speed, with less regenerative braking happening at low speeds and more at high speeds, making it hard to brake predictably and smoothly. Maserati engineers are aware of this issue and are in the opening stages of making possible tweaks to the braking software.
Interior Compromises?
The rest of the Grecale Folgore package effectively matches that of its gas-powered brethren. Build quality is exceptional, and the mix of contrasting colors, wetsuit-like Econyl, thick leather, and metal trim is both visually and texturally interesting. Also worth noting is the Grecale's "texturized" graphite blue exterior paint, a neat matte blue that feels rough like sharkskin to the touch.
Even more impressive is that despite its platform effectively being that of a gas-powered car, the new battery pack and motors don't eat up any of the Grecale Folgore's roomy interior space—far from a given with EV conversions.
Maserati plans to reveal exact pricing closer to the Grecale Folgore's summer 2024 on-sale date, only telling us that it will start at about $100,000, a hair under the Grecale Trofeo model. Considering the luxury and relative performance on offer, that might seem reasonable. But with the quicker-charging and similarly priced Macan Electric expected around the same time, consumers will soon be spoiled for choice as the gas greats make the most of the resets afforded by electrification.
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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