I was not shy about the fact that I am a new jersey. I was born there. I grew up there. If the fiance succumbed, he might one day die there, but the state is certainly not perfect. The province is incredibly crowded and too expensive, it has a confused road network, there is a bit of smell if I'm honest, and, well, it is a misunderstanding saying the name of the food of the very Italian "soprano" and the wrong kind of way. Nevertheless, I love New Jersey and it holds a very special place in my heart. It's just fascinating - once you get it, you get it. It is very reminiscent of a certain car that I drove recently: the Maserati Grecar Retrofeo 2026.
Like New Jersey, it's too expensive not for everyone, but for what it gives you, with tricolor flags, flamboyant names, attention-grabbing schnoz, and an exhaust note greater than your family's Sunday dinner when someone accidentally insults Nonna's dishes, touting Italian heritage in the most unpleasant way. It will be. (I'm not Italian, I don't know what they do. Still, Grecale's charm and charisma are hard to ignore, and so is its stellar driving characteristics. That's why when something breaks or there's no option that should be there, it's not a simple oversight or problem, but chalk it up to a quirky Italian style. The type of person buying the Grecale Trofeo in one of Rowlang's Maserati crossovers will almost certainly care about horsepower.
The good news for them is that there is an absolute thumper of motors at the heart of every Grecale Trofeo: Maserati's Nettuno twin turbocharged V6 is also used by the GranTurismo and MCPura. We can argue that this crossover comes with "the heart of a supercar" or some other cliché even. One problem however is the fact that the base trim Grecale (Modena) has exactly the same engine as the Trofeo, detuned to 386 horsepower. If you think you can live without those extra 137 horses, Modena might be something to get. For now, it doesn't matter to us, we're taking the trofeo, so there's less power for losers anyway. Not only is the power substantial, Grecale Trofeo is also a great dance partner when it's winding to go.
I'm struggling to think of another crossover being sold today with better steering. It's just so pleasantly light and precise at the same time. Delicate, like your mom's plush shell, is the best way to describe it. Steering is a real highlight of the car's Corsa mode, which strengthens everything and puts the engine in full kill mode. Low light is how Corsa makes Trofeo's standard adaptive damper and height-adjustable air suspension too stiff for vaguely bumpy roads. Fortunately, this can be fixed by pressing the dedicated suspension button on the steering wheel, returning that side of the car to a more acceptable setting. The body roll is well controlled even when the suspension is soft.
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The suspension and drive style are very adjustable, so the Grecale Trofeo will make an excellent every day if you are the kind that interests you. The 14-way adjustable seats are comfortable enough, but they can be considered a bit snug for meatball lovers out there. Its suspension in a softer setting also does a very good job of dispatching rough pavements. Grecale is a solid commuter if you're the kind of person who makes a daily trek from Bergen County to Manhattan, thanks to its surprisingly solid driver assistance suite, including adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance. My car was equipped with an optional level 2 driver assist system with lane centering, which also worked very well, but I always had to at least put my finger on the wheel.This was a bit annoying.
Very annoying was the snow performance of Grecale Trofeo. It was terrible. During my tests, the area in New Jersey where my people live was hit by 30 inches of snow. I'm a very good son, so I left just before the blizzard made the trip impossible and left a cozy apartment in New York to help them. Even though Grecale is equipped with an off-road mode, it was really scary. I think a lot of my problems were due to the Bridgestone Potenza all-season tires being attached to the car. Thanks to the height-adjustable suspension the ground clearance was not a problem, but even if the throttle breathes lightly, the rear end of the Grecard Trofeo F I think it is a by product of the heavily rear-biased all-wheel drive system and the responsive accelerator pedal.
I obviously went home, but it was one of the most nervous driving experiences of my life, if not the most nervous driving experience of my life. I've never been so scared on a New Jersey turnpike. The interior of the Grecale Trofeo is definitely great, but it lacks the solid robustness expected from its German counterpart. There are a little too many piano black plastic and Stellantis parts going on here for my taste, but the average, non-car madman probably won't notice. To make up for the bad ones, the designers also included a strip of open pore carbon fiber trim that looks pretty beautiful and properly sporty. What the average person will notice is that the technology is working really well.
From the jump, the Grecale Trofeo comes with three screens: a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 12.3-inch center infotainment screen and an 8.8-inch screen for controlling HVAC and other core vehicle functions. Together, these three works amazingly when it comes to controlling the car. The two central screens are quick to respond to input, and the gauge cluster is solid with a different look enough to keep you interested, of course, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard. Buyers are also going to love the steering wheel wrapped in leather and a real metal paddle fixed behind it. Like the wonderful 21-speaker Sonus Faber audio system (14-speaker system is standard), they are a real highlight of the interior.
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Since this is supposed to be a practical car or something, I think it's important to mention that there's enough space in the second row of seats for a couple of passengers, and I can fit behind my driving position at 6 feet 1 fairly easily, but the sloping roofline is a bit of a helmet. This means that a bit of the red room has been sacrificed to the gods. The trunk space is also 20 cubic feet with a tap behind the second row, and not all that huge. In any case, the Grecale Trofeo is not a cheap car, no matter how you slice it. Prices start at destination $19,495, including destination — a whopping 3 premium on top of Grecale Modena $33,000. At least, many come with standard rights out of the box. Inside, it has leather upholstery, 14-way power front seats, three-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, 14-speaker Sonus Faber audio system and a slew of other features.
Outside, buyers are treated to 21 inch wheels, lots of carbon fiber bits, black trim, power liftgate, air suspension, LED lights all and red brake calipers. So, yes, the price is steep, but there is a lot to have had. Of course, there are still options you can add, like the lovely Blue 2,730 Blue Modena Paint, the $1,610 21-inch forged staggered wheel wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza tires, and the Tech $2,270 technical assistance package. Adding all these things raised the tested price of my car to $126,105. There may be good value, but some cars in this class are going to drive as well, and you really just need a Maserati bag on the grill.
There are places that are far better worth the money than New Jersey, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming the most densely populated state in the country. People live there because they like it, although I'm sure Maserati hope the number of sales of the Grekale was a little more New Jersey and a little less Wyoming, just as they buy the Grekale because they like them. Baby step. The Grecale Trofeo is not a bad car and is not due to the expanse of imagination. Yeah, it was bad during the historic snowstorm, but it's more because of the tires and the condition than anything else. Its real problem is that it's great only in a vacuum.
If it had no competitors, it would really be a car worth considering and later fawn. Unfortunately, the Compact Hot Boy Crossover is all the rage right now, and they're all doing the same thing as Grecale — and they're doing it better I admit. Grecale Trofeo is probably the best looking of them all and has a certain talent that competitors don't have, but it's a good idea. I know Maserati (and the whole Stellantis) is now trying to turn things around, but its main competition is giving us a "soprano" and "there's a hint of greatness out there." They are just covered with a thick layer of poor-quality and dangerous options.
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