Following the successful partnership born with the Maserati MC20 Super Sports Car, the two purveyors of luxury Italian design and performance combine once again, this time to produce the Maserati Grecale. Steeped in tradition, Italian craftmanship, and a shared focus on innovation, Maserati and Sonus Faber are a natural match to produce the best in-vehicle listening experience available on the market. 

Maserati is renowned for its iconic engine sound; however, the true voice of the Grecale lies within, expressed through the immersive Sonus Faber sound system. The Italian ‘artisan of sound’ produces high-end, handcrafted home audio systems in their factory in Vicenza, Italy, constructing their speakers as if they are musical instruments. The company is known for their use of the highest quality materials such as wood, silk and paper to produce a natural sound. Their top range model, the Aida, exemplifies all that is Sonus Faber. Coming in at €55,000 per speaker, the pinnacle of their catalogue embodies Italian elegance and features the most advanced electroacoustic elements. The recent release of the wireless Omnia speaker further displays Sonus Faber’s ability to innovate in audio and their propensity for design, winning two prestigious Reddot awards. 

The challenge facing Sonus Faber engineers was to translate their signature natural sound to the cabin of an SUV. This was undertaken through extensive experimentation and acute attention to detail while remaining true to the company’s values. Proudly designed and engineered in Italy, the positioning of each of the tweeters, midrange drivers, woofers and subwoofer was repeatedly tested and adjusted to ensure the best possible listening experience for both the driver and passengers. The system was then carefully hand-tuned by the company’s expert sound engineers, producing a smooth frequency response and detailed sound stage, enabled by independently driven speakers. The result of this intricate craft is an audio system that is aligned with the brands notorious high-performance standards, excelling even at the highest volumes. Impressively, the Grecale SUV is best in class for cabin space. Sonus Faber has managed to utilise this space to turn it into a moving concert hall, providing an immersive natural sound experience never seen before in a vehicle 

Two luxury audio system options were developed for the Maserati Grecale – premium, which comes as standard, and high premium for a surcharge of €2,500. The premium option offers 860 watts of power through 14 speakers, while the high premium option boasts 1285 watts of power, utilising 21 speakers. In addition to the increased number of speakers, the high premium option is equipped with 3D surround and a separate subwoofer. The Sonus Faber audio system is controlled through a 12.3” display in the centre console of the Grecale’s interior. The integrated Sonus Faber application makes it simple to play music from a connected device while offering a host of settings to customise the listening experience. The luxury textures of the Grecale interior are complimented by the aluminium speaker grilles, carefully positioned throughout the cabin. Designed in Italy and inspired by Sonus Faber’s iconic string grilles, the aluminium surfaces are carved with diagonal stripes and subtly branded by the Italian speaker maker. 

The Grecale remains true to Maserati’s heritage of Italian automotive design and performance. The iconic trident, grill and elegant silhouette give the SUV a sporty, yet understated appearance. The Grecale Modena offers 330 HP and can reach a max speed of 240km/h. For those seeking the full Maserati performance experience, the Grecale Trofeo offers 530 HP and can achieve a max speed of 285km/h. The SUV can reach 100km/h in an impressive 3.8 seconds. For the maximum performance experience, select Corsa mode with launch control and feel the car take off. The power can be clearly heard from the sound of the V6 engine that powers the Trofeo. Although the SUV is not Maserati’s traditional sports car shape, the car handles excellently, ensuring an enjoyable and comfortable ride suitable for both everyday use and everyday listening. 

Written by PATRICK BOYLE