The Maserati Grecale was recently revealed as the brand’s new compact crossover to compete with models like the BMW X3, Porsche Macan, and Alfa Romeo Stelvio, among others. It follows the typical recipe with four doors, mild ride height, and a slightly sloping roof, all of which come together to make it look more like a raised hatchback than a real SUV. What if Maserati changed up that recipe, though? What if the Grecale was actually a three-door crossover instead?

Maserati Grecale Two-Door

The likelihood of Maserati ever building a two-door (three-door with the hatch) Grecale is so slim that we have a better chance of Elon Musk being a true-to-life alien. But, this new rendering from X-Tomi shows just what it would look like, and I have to admit that I like this design better. Of course, there is a huge deficit of vehicles like this in America. One of the last three-door crossovers offered on this side of the pond was the Range Rover Evoque, but that was discontinued when the second-gen model launched in 2019. The three-door design was essentially replaced by the somewhat controversial but increasingly trendy coupe-SUV look. Personally, I’d prefer the three-door design, but to each their own, I suppose.

There are a few three-door SUVS still on the global market if you’re really interested, though. Short-wheelbase versions of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Land Cruiser 70 Series, and the Nissan Patrol can all be found with two front doors and a hatch. You’d have to go through the import procedure to bring them stateside, though, and that’s only if they are old enough to meet the current import regulations. As for this one, the redesign does it some serious justice. The front doors have been elongated to make up for the lack of rear doors and with the B-pillar further back, it looks like it has a shorter wheelbase.

Such a design might have made the Grecale a bit faster and even sportier than it already is. The base GT and mid-level Modena trim levels come with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder. In the base model, the engine makes 296 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 332 pound-feet of torque between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm. In the Modena, the torque output remains the same, but horsepower jumps up to 325 ponies. The range-topping Trofeo trim level has a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, which just so happens to be the same engine found in the Maserati MC20. In this application, however, it’s downgraded to produce 523 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 457 pound-feet of torque between 3,000 and 5,500 rpm.

Grecale Performance Specs

 

GRECALE TROFEO

GRECALE MODENA

GRECALE GT

Engine architecture 

Twin-turbo V6 90° MTC

L4 MHEV with BSG

L4 MHEV with BSG

Displacement (L)

3.0L

2.0L

2.0L

Bore x stroke (mm)

88 x 82 cm

84 x 90 cm

84 x 90 cm

Compression ratio

11:01

9.5:1

9.5:1

Peak output (hp)

523 hp @ 6500 rpm 

325 hp @ 5750 rpm

296 hp @ 5750 rpm

Peak torque (lb-ft @ rpm)

457 lb-ft @ 3000 - 5500 rpm 

332 lb-ft @ 2000 - 5000 rpm

332 lb-ft @ 2000 - 4000 rpm

Ignition system

Maserati Twin Combustion (MTC) Twin Spark with passive pre-chamber

Single ignition coil for each cylinder, connected directly to the spark plug

Single ignition coil for each cylinder, connected directly to the spark plug

Fuel system

PDI (350-bar direct injection + 6-bar door injection)

Direct injection – High-pressure ICE – 200 bar

Induction

Twin turbines with electronically activated wastegate

Turbocharger with electronic wastegate + e-Booster

Lubrication

Continuously variable displacement wet-sump oil pump with cylinder deactivation system

Variable displacement oil pump as required

Distribution

Double overhead camshaft with variable valve timing

Second-generation MultiAir™ valve control system


As for straight-line performance, the Grecale is actually quite impressive. The GT can sprint to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds while the extra 29 horsepower in the Modena allows for a 5.0-second sprint to 60 mph. The Trofeo makes the same sprint in 3.6 seconds. Top speed for the lower trims is pegged at 149 mph but the Trofeo tops out at 177 mph. I can’t but think that – if a three-door Grecale was really lighter – that the straight-line performance would be even better. Not that it really needs to be better. If you compare the Grecale as it is to the Macan and X3, it wins two-thirds of the time.

The GT trim, for example, competes against the Standard Macan and X3 30i. Both models take six seconds to hit 60 mph, which is exactly one-second slower than the GT. The GT’s top speed of 149 mph also trumps the Macan’s limit of 144 mph and the X3’s limit of 130 mph. It’s the same story for the Trofeo, where it’s 3.6-second sprint to 60 mph beats out the Macan GTS at 4.3 seconds and the X3 M and 3.9 seconds. Its 177-mph top speed is also a bit higher than the Macan GTS at 169 mph and the X3M at 174 mph. The only place the Grecale loses is with the Modena trim. It competes with the Macan S and the X3 M40i. In this case, it’s slower to 60 mph by 0.4 seconds vs. the Macan and 0.6 seconds vs. the M40i. Its 149 mph speed is also a letdown, with the Macan S capable of pulling 160 mph and the M40i maxing out at 155 mph.

That said, the Grecale has one other big problem, and that is the price. Full details aren’t yet available, but the base GT starts out at $64,995, which is enough to move up a level to the Macan S or BMW X3 M40i. If you were to go for the Moden limited edition, which is said to start out at $78,895, you might as well just spend $79,900 on the Macan GTS or $70,100 on the BMW X3 M. Trofeo pricing hasn’t been revealed yet, but we’re guessing it’ll start in the mid-$80,000 range making it way more expensive than all of its competitors. A limited three-door model like the one in this rendering would be even more expensive, and while it would be a hard sell to consumers, I’m sure the bean counters would shoot it down before the pitch was even made.

Grecale Pricing Comparison

MSRP

Grecale GT

$64,995

Grecale Modena

$78,895 (limited edition)

Grecale Trofeo

$84,000 (est)

Macan

$54,000

Macan S

$65,400

Macan GTS

$79,900

X3 30i xDrive

$45,700

X3 M40i

$57,800

X3 M

$70,100