2001 Maserati 3200 Reviews

The House of the Trident is grabbing its golden opportunity with both hands – and its timing is impeccable.In the very month production of the petrol Macan ends, Maserati is launching its facelifted three-year-old Grecale, the mid-to-large SUV that it hopes will soak up sales from those in the market for a fast, classy Porsche substitute.In the flesh, the updates are largely a success, with the replacement lower front apron and fresh 19- and 20-inch rims all adding extra visual drama that was previously missing from the current model, drawing inspiration from no less than the firm's wild track-only MCXtrema.The new aero tweaks are also said to both cut drag and improve cooling, while a new pair of air curtains and further revisions beneath the skin boost efficiency.Under the bonnet, engineers have tweaked the powertrain offering to match the former Macan.The former entry 221kW mild-hybrid 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder that powered the base GT has been axed and replaced by a 243kW high-output version of the same engine that once powered the Modena.Peak torque remains identical at 450Nm, but it means the most affordable Maserati now accelerates from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds.The middle-rung Modena, meanwhile, gets a special detuned version of the flagship Grecale Trofeo – the same high-tech twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 'Nettuno' engine that was first rolled out in the sublime MC20 supercar.Producing 287kW and 500Nm of torque, engineers claim the more affordable V6 will seduce you with its soundtrack while sprinting from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds.At the top of the Grecale tree remains the 390kW/620Nm Trofeo that takes just 3.8 seconds to launch from rest to the 100km/h benchmark.All come with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, plus an electronically controlled rear differential.There's also the option of a battery-powered 410kW Grecale Folgore, but despite having a range increased to a decent 580km due to aerodynamic revisions, fresh low-rolling-resistance tyres and a front-axle disconnect, it remains an also-ran due to its outdated 400-volt electrics.In comparison, the Macan EV is quicker to charge while offering higher levels of performance.Since first being introduced in Australia in 2023, according to engineers, the Grecale has been subject to continuous improvements, with one claiming both quality and reliability have been improved significantly.Upgrades as part of the facelift include new metal gear selectors that provide haptic feedback and a fresh steering wheel that now has flat upper and lower sections.The Grecale's trademark centrepiece carriage clock has been overhauled and is now octagonal in shape and can display everything from the time, driving mode and even g-forces.One last addition is a driver attention monitor that was needed to pass inbound Euro safety regulations that can struggle to detect eyes when a driver is wearing sunnies.Inside, the Grecale feels better built than those early launch cars we drove, while the build was nearly flawless and some of the high-grade materials employed are impressive, even at its elevated price.While some might lament the familiar Android Automotive-based UConnect infotainment system, which is common to other more affordable Stellantis products, the Maserati's system – which blends a lower 'comfort' touchscreen for the climate functions – is all intuitive, responsive to touch and makes the Maserati easy to live with, even if it doesn't wow with its size or resolution.We're sure many families will also appreciate the larger dimensions of the 4.9-metre-long Grecale that provides rear-seat passengers with more than ample leg- and headroom, plus a large 570-litre boot, although the entry mild-hybrid sacrifices 35 litres of that luggage capacity to house its battery.Climb behind the wheel of the Modena V6 and it's remarkable how different it initially feels compared to the more urgent Trofeo.Engineers have worked hard on cultivating a worthy soundtrack for the lower-powered V6, with a deep growl low down in the rev range that, occasionally, thrums a little like a turbo-diesel. Pick up the pace and the twin-turbo sounds far more appealing and enthralling.In its default GT mode, the detuned Modena feels a little too lazy and lacklustre, with a dull throttle response blunting it, which doesn't quite compute with the Maserati badge, but switch to Sport and the supercar-like scalpel responses return, as well as strong acceleration that lives up to the badge and price.Ride comfort is decent in GT mode with our car's adaptive air springs, although sometimes you'll find yourself shifting the adaptive dampers to a firmer setting for a bit more body control, undoing some of the plush ride.If you've stepped out of a Macan, you might also miss that car's more direct and precise steering and greater sense of agility, but the faster Trofeo adds some of that back with its more reactive rear e-diff.For those not in the mood, the Grecale is a quiet and comfortable place and provides a high driving position that we think many owners will appreciate.In European markets like Italy or Germany, pricing for the 2027 Grecale has carried over largely unchanged.In Australia, that means the entry grade - now simply called Grecale - with the 2.0-litre turbo is likely to still cost around $122,500 (plus on-roads), the new Modena V6 from $148,000 and the Trofeo a punchy $188,500.That means the Maserati will continue to sit at $24,600-$46,800 higher than the outgoing Macan – which could prove a hurdle, not least when you consider the high cost of options.Previously, the base Grecale came with 19-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch Android Automotive-powered infotainment, with a head-up display and a powerful 21-speaker 1285-watt Sonus Faber sound system.Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were available, while adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and rear cross-traffic alert were all standard.The Modena added active dampers and larger 20-inch alloy wheels, while the flagship Trofeo came with 21-inch rims, performance brakes, adaptive air suspension and an additional Corsa driving mode.The updated configurator now suggests the head-up display, premium sound system plus the 12-way or 14-way electrically adjustable premium leather seats will all be costly options.Then there are the glorious ways you can personalise and make your Grecale a true one-of-one bespoke build, which will prove irresistible to many.Since Maserati is a low-volume carmaker, the Italian firm hasn't volunteered its mid-size SUV for either Euro NCAP or ANCAP evaluation, but the Alfa Romeo Stelvio that shares the same platform was awarded the full five stars for protection back in 2017, suggesting that with its more modern driver-assist tech the newer, updated Grecale has the potential to deliver an impressive result.Perhaps predictably, running costs will be high, as the Maserati only averages 10.6L/100km on the combined WLTP test cycle.The Maserati Grecale comes with a short three-year unlimited-kilometre warranty that can be extended twice, but there are some eligibility requirements. The limited extended warranty also only offers protection for the engine and transmission.There's also the firm's Extra10 warranty program, which covers powertrain components up to the 10th year for unlimited kilometres, but only if they've been covered by all previous extended warranties.Other rivals, still available at a lower price point, include the more mainstream BMW X3 M50 xDrive ($126,900 plus on-roads) and the Mercedes-AMG GLC53 ($140,600) or the impossibly powerful 500kW GLC 63 S E-Performance ($194,000).

One of the biggest car makers in the world has reportedly forked out billions in warranty claims over the past year. Stellantis, parent company of brands like Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot and Jeep has paid out the equivalent of more than $10 billion in global warranty expenses for the 2025/26 financial year. This tough reliability run has seen Stellantis begin a complete reset of its processes to get on track. The big news out of this reset is that the brand will launch its first model riding on its new STLA One platform next year. The brand said the platform will underpin up to 30 new vehicles in the small and mid-size SUV categories. This will equate to more than two million sales annually by the time 2035 comes around. Stellantis also said it is targeting improvements to quality even before this new platform gets underway. “If we do the right things earlier in the program, that means that when we get closer to launch we’ll have fewer problems,” Stellantis propulsion systems testing and analysis lead Mark Christie told Auto News.  “The product life target for powertrain components is 10 years and 150,000 miles (about 240,00km).”The brand is plotting the launch of 23 new and updated models in the next four years across its portfolio. It has been a turbulent time for Stellantis in recent years with the departure of Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares and subsequent appointment of Antonio Filosa.The brand reported a $37 billion net loss earlier this year.Reports indicate focus will shift to Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot and Ram, but other brands in the group will benefit from the technology acquired.Peugeot recently unveiled its all-new E-208 GTI fully-electric hot hatch in what will be an early test for Stellantis' change of direction.  

Jeep and Peugeot parent company Stellantis has announced a plan to launch 110 new or refreshed vehicles by 2030, including 60 brand new models, as part of sweeping changes to the business, which include an optimised manufacturing footprint and tweaks to the company’s partnerships and platform strategy.This wide-reaching set of changes is part of a grander plan Stellantis dubs FaSTLAne 2030 in order to “maximise capital efficiency, avoid duplicate spending, and support profitability”.Stellantis will optimise its global factories, accelerate research and development to reduce model cycles to 24 months rather than the current 40 months, and sharpen its pencil on cost competitiveness and quality.In terms of where its portfolio of 14 brands will sit in this plan, the company said it will focus on four global brands: Jeep, Ram, Peugeot and Fiat.It said Chrysler, Dodge, Citroen, Opel and Alfa Romeo are “regional brands”, while its luxury European arms, DS and Lancia, will be managed by Citroen and Fiat respectively and “developed as specialty brands”.Maserati will be “strengthened” with a plan including two new large vehicles to be announced at a later date.The realignment will also see Stellantis’ platform strategy sharpened, with the group planning 50 per cent of its global volume to be on just three platforms as it continues to consolidate its global portfolio, which was previously split between the US market and Europe where the company is strongest.It specifically earmarked its STLA One platform as being the primary growth driver. This new modular platform is expected to underpin a huge percentage of the company’s global model footprint in much the same way as Volkswagen Group’s MQB and MEB platforms currently do, and will seemingly replace the current CMP and EMP2 (aka STLA Small and Medium) platforms it inherited from PSA. It will be the first platform to roll in all of the brand’s latest tech, like the STLA Brain computing system, STLA SmartCockpit UI system and new steer-by-wire technology.The company says the STLA One platform will launch in 2027, has the ability to cover small to upper-mid-sized vehicles, and will allow the brand to reduce complexity across much of its line-up.It is capable of supporting multiple levels of electrification from hybrid to full EV, and will have an 800-volt electrical architecture.By 2035, STLA One will underpin 30 new models and is expected to account for two million sales.It will also come with a realignment of its manufacturing presence. Stellantis will reduce its capacity in Europe by 800,000 units, re-purposing factories, while increasing production in the US, the Middle East, and Africa, with a goal of at least 80 per cent utilisation.Meanwhile, it will lean on its partnership with Leapmotor for more expansion in the Asia Pacific region, which it described as an “asset-light” region.Partnerships of previously unprecedented scale will help Stellantis toward its goal, with existing deals opening doors for Leapmotor and Dongfeng to manufacture cars in Stellantis facilities in Europe.The partnership with Dongfeng, which also works with Nissan, will form the basis for two new Peugeot and two new Jeep models.Meanwhile, the recently-inked memorandum of understanding with both Indian giant Tata and its Jaguar Land Rover unit will open more doors for Stellantis in India, and JLR in the US where it hopes to side-step tariff requirements.Locally, Stellantis’ historic brands and even its new Leapmotor portfolio are struggling to make an impact on Australia’s more-competitive-than-ever new car landscape.Jeep, once the crown jewel of the group’s offering Down Under, has taken a battering year-to-date, down 65 per cent to just a handful of sales (249 units) made up predominantly of its signature Wrangler off-roader.It is a similar case for Peugeot, which is down 32.3 per cent so far this year, moving 320 units, nearly half for its Partner van (142 units).The best performing brand under the Stellantis umbrella has, unsurprisingly, emerged as Leapmotor, which has had reasonable success in 2026 off the back of its competitively-priced B10 small SUV. Leapmotor has moved 420 units this year, up 116.5 per cent.

Diesel isn't dead after all: Why the owner of Peugeot and Jeep is making up for lackluster EV sales with diesels.

In the years since the likes of GWM and MG established a beachhead for Chinese automotive brands in the local new car market a slew of others have followed.Economics 101 says increased competition in a mature market will quickly stimulate activity, generating big winners and significant losers.And the reality of 2025’s vehicle registration data, compiled by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI VFacts) and the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC), has graphically validated that economic theory.More than 30 of the 60 passenger car and light commercial brands monitored by VFacts and the EVC went backwards in terms of sales volume in 2025 compared to 2024.But the winners were BIG, the top two improvers experiencing spectacular growth; the overall champ almost sending the needle off the clock.Of course, some were coming off a relatively small sales base, with increasing supply and expanding model line-ups inflating percentage figures. So, for context, we’ll also note outright volume increases and only include brands that recorded full-year sales in 2024.Here are our top five countdowns for biggest new car sales winners and losers in 2025.5) Rolls-Royce: Okay, it’s 13 extra cars for 2025 over 2024, but when each one of them retails for a minimum of $700K that’s some handy incremental profit margin. Obviously, for a select few it’s a case of ‘cost-of-living crisis be damned’, with no less than eight extra Cullinan SUVs and the same number of sedans finding a home last year. 4) Mini: A big year for Mini, including a major JCW-focused refresh across the range as well as a burst of sales for the pure-electric Aceman line-up. There were substantial boosts for the Cabrio (+100 per cent), Cooper (+45.2 per cent) and Countryman (+19 per cent).   3) Polestar: It was a case of swings and roundabouts for the Swedish EV specialist with the Polestar 2 liftback dropping sales while the larger 3 and 4 SUVs expanded total numbers by close to 40 per cent. Stand by for the performance-focused Polestar 5 GT’s impact when it arrives here mid-year.2) BYD: Market appetite for BYD’s products grew in parallel with its model range, the Chinese giant’s Aussie line-up expanding from four to eight models. Newcomers like the Atto 1, Atto 2 and Sealion 7 grew its share of the pie dramatically, but the star of the show was the Shark 6 hybrid ute, racking up more than 18,000 sales for the year.1) Chery: The sharply-priced Tiggo 4 Pro small SUV has proved a smash hit for Chery with sales building steadily over 2025, to the point where it’s nipping at the heels of the category-leading Hyundai Kona and MG ZS. Adding the large Tiggo 9 large SUV also delivered handy incremental sales.5) Suzuki: Despite the addition of the Fronx small hybrid SUV mid-year (which captured a handy 1667 sales) the evergreen Japanese brand went backwards in 2025, with stocks of the discontinued Ignis dwindling, Swift sales decreasing and even the cult-favourite Jimny in decline.   4) Jaguar: Kind of a no-brainer given the brand very publicly pulled the pin on production of everything except the F-Pace SUV for 12 months in preparation for a new, more premium range ramping up through 2026 and 2027. The big surprise is sales of the E-Pace growing four per cent year-on-year despite the manufacturing halt. Must have been a few in stock.  3) Maserati: Sales volume dropping by close to a third is rarely a good thing but with the Maserati Levante SUV falling off the radar there weren’t enough Grecale SUV buyers ready to pick up the slack. The Granturismo and Grancabrio coupe and convertible GTs were also missing in action creating a low ebb for the iconic Italian. 2) Jeep: Speaking of iconic brands, Jeep has been fighting well-publicised head winds in its US home market thanks to a seemingly ill-advised move to a more premium positioning with prices to match. Despite a slight sales uptick for the Grand Cherokee as it leaves the local stage, serious falls for the Wrangler 4WD and Gladiator ute also took the wind out of Jeep’s sales here.1) Lotus: Who would have thought a brand famous for simplifying and adding lightness in producing race-ready sports cars would be punished for heading down the pure-electric path with a heavy SUV (Eletre) and big four-door GT (Emeya). Even the internal-combustion mid-engine Emira (despite a stay of production execution) dropped by more than 50 per cent.   

It’s been 10 months since former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares left the company and now he claims the multinational carmaker giant could face a potential breakup.

It’s EOFY time again!

Australia’s new car market rose very slightly in volume in 2024 compared to 2023 - but it wasn’t good news across the board.

As the automotive industry's peak body warns of challenging times ahead for the new-car market in Australia due to rising costs and high interest rates, there is one corner of the market that is thriving.

Many so-called “all-new” models aren’t all that new. In fact, a sizeable chunk are reskinned versions of what came before, with fresh sheetmetal over the same general hard points.