Maserati Grecale vs Porsche Cayenne

What's the difference?

In its surprisingly crowded premium performance SUV segment, the Maserati Grecale Trofeo offers something different. Next to the X4s, GLCs and Macans of this world, it's quietly confident and charismatic with the performance, practicality and value to back up its distinctive good looks. Despite some gripes around warranty, fuel consumption and ride compliance, it's a compelling alternative to those more predictable choices.

Of all the super SUVs I've piloted, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is the best all-rounder in terms of performance, comfort, cabin technology and style.

As a family car it's roomy, practical and easy to use and drive daily.

As a performance car the Turbo GT is stupidly quick, with the agility of a sports car. Sure, a 911 would leave it behind on a twisty race track, but this SUV is close to having that sportscar experience and keeping your family, as well.

At close to 4.9m long, a fraction under 2.0m wide and less than 1.7m tall, the Grecale is a 'large' medium SUV with a robust, thick-set look and a low-key design approach relative to its often more overtly muscular competitors.

Signature Maserati elements include a trio of porthole vents in the front fenders, the broad vertically-slatted grille with trident emblem sitting proudly in the centre, and a smaller version of Neptune's weapon of choice adorning the broad C-pillar.

There's also more than a touch of MC20 around the raked headlights (including the DRL signature), a pronounced splitter-style nose piece and broad intakes on either side.

Staggered 21-inch rims fill the arches perfectly, while pronounced side skirts and a gently sloping turret also dial up the sporty look.

The rear is sleek, but again relatively low-key, the major clues to the car's performance potential being the quad exhaust outlets and the carbon nose panel, side skirts and diffuser.

The interior feels sleek and VIP special thanks mainly to the multi-tier dash design, quality of the materials used and multiple screens.

A central 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen sits above an 8.8-inch 'comfort' screen devoted mostly to heating, ventilation and vehicle settings.

They're tied together in a single, angled panel that looks like an oversized foldable smartphone. Very cool.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is configurable through multiple custom set-ups and this time around the distinctive dashtop clock is in fact a small screen switchable through classic and contemporary faces.

It can also emit a response signal when it receives a voice command or morph into a G-meter.

From there, the double saddle stitched perforated leather trim, exposed carbon-fibre elements and brushed metal finishes complete a highly polished cabin environment.

This might be a personal thing but to me nearly all Porsches look better from the back than the front.

It's the wide stance and powerful haunches, the hunkered down suction-capped-to-the-road look that does it for me and the Cayenne Turbo GT, despite being an SUV, passes this important Porsche checklist item.

The GT aero kit only serves to make this SUV look more of a beast, and the gold-bronze looking satin Neodyne wheels are a Porsche theme that I've not always been a fan of, but I get the historic connection.

If only the Turbo GT could look a little less like other Cayennes from the front. This is the king of the SUV range and despite the apron and bumper already being exclusive to this model, there should be more.

Vents in the wheel arches, carbon bonnet with nostrils GT3-style perhaps? Or is that going too far? If you do want something more lairy then there's always the Urus.

The Cayenne Turbo GT's cabin is stunning in its plushness and modern surprises such as the passenger display, the hoodless instrument digital cluster, the lashings of Race-Tex upholstery everywhere. It's perfectly Porsche. High-performance meets high-end.

It's also highly practical. Let's talk about that.

At close to 4.9m long and nearly 2.0m wide, the Grecale is a big medium five-seater and with a 2.9m wheelbase to play with, interior space and practicality are more than respectable.

There's plenty of space up front and in terms of practicality, decent door bins, two cupholders in the centre console, a lidded oddments tray in front of them (housing USB-C and USB-A sockets), a large lidded box between the seats (which doubles as a centre armrest) with a 12-volt outlet lurking inside as well as a generous glove box.

Sitting behind the driver's seat set for my 183cm position, there's plenty of head, leg and foot room, not to mention a surprising amount of breathing space in general.

Enough width for three adults on short journeys and up to teenage kids will be fine. When it comes to baby capsules or child seats, you'll be good with two but three is a bridge too far.

For storage, there are door bins with room for large bottles, hard-shell maps pockets on the front seatbacks, adjustable ventilation as part of the three-zone climate control system, a fold-down centre armrest including two cupholders and a slot for a phone in between as well as another pair of USB (A and C) sockets.

Boot volume is a healthy 570 litres with all seats up, which is 35L more than the lower GT and Modena grades because rather than a space saver spare, the Trofeo cops a repair/inflator kit. Boo...

It's enough room to fit our three-piece luggage set or the CarsGuide pram with ease, and the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat liberates even more space.

There are seat release handles in the cargo area as well as multiple tie-down anchor points, a 12V outlet, bag hooks and a two-piece load cover set-up to deter prying eyes.

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT only makes one compromise on practicality and that's the removal of the middle seat in the back, which, with just two kids isn't used all the time but on average we might need it once a week for school mates and cousins.

Instead of a middle seat there is a shallow tray, which will fit a phone or in our case leaves and rocks found at the park.

So, yes, the Turbo GT is a four-seater only, but this is a spacious, large SUV with good head and legroom, wide-opening doors for easy entry and exit, and air suspension which can raise and lower the height for easy access.

Storage is excellent with enormous door pockets in the front and back and there are four cupholders.

There's a wireless phone charger in the front and two USB-C ports as well, plus two USB-C sockets in the back.

Four-zone climate control means the kids in the back can set their own temperatures. They also have heated seats.

I was disappointed to see there aren't sunshades for the rear windows - pretty vital in Australia where it feels like we're only about 50 metres away from the sun.

The Turbo GT's 576-litre boot just managed to fit our pram and a week's shopping, which is our minimum standard for living. Any more space is a bonus.

The Turbo GT is the king of Cayennes, so it shouldn't surprise anybody that it's also the most expensive with its list price of $364,700.

Lamborghini's Urus lists for $409,744  and is the Cayenne Turbo GT's not-so-subtle Italian cousin, sharing the same platform and engine.

Both are in my mind the best performance SUVs on the planet. It just depends how conspicuous you want to be.

Then there's Bentley's V8 Bentayga which isn't blessed with the Porsche's good looks but would still be all over the Cayenne if the two happened to meet at a race track.

So, why is the GT Turbo the king of the Cayennes? What makes it better? For all the reasons you'd think - it's the fastest, most powerful, most luxurious and most equipped Cayenne in the range.

We'll get into mind-bending engine and performance specs soon, but first let me take you through the standard features on a car that's anything but standard.

Coming standard and exclusively to the Turbo GT are 22-inch 'GT Design' wheels in satin 'Neodyne' with full-colour Porsche centre caps, an active rear spoiler, Turbo GT front apron, dual titanium exhaust, rear apron with diffuser, 'SportDesign' side skirts, wheel arch extensions, a lightweight carbon roof and tinted LED HD-matrix headlights.

Inside, and also exclusive to this grade, is the 'GT Interior Package' with 'Race-Tex' upholstery throughout with 'Deep Sea Blue' stitching on the front seats and centre console and the armrests and dashboard.

There's also the 'Carbon Interior Package' which includes dashboard and door trim elements.

Race-Tex trim is applied to the 'GT Sports' steering wheel, roof lining and gearshift, too.

The adaptive active air suspension, which can lower the car by 15mm, is standard and only available on the Turbo GT, too.

The soft-close doors are standard (a cost option on lower grades), as are the stainless steel pedal covers.

The rest of the features are also found on lower grades and include the 12.65-inch digital instrument cluster, head-up display, proximity unlocking, 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen with sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, a 10-speaker Bose sound system, heated front seats, rear privacy glass and an auto tailgate.

Four-zone climate control is standard on the GT Turbo, too, and so are heated rear seats.

Our car had several options fitted such as the front passenger display ($2860) and the Deep Sea Blue Accent Package.

The passenger display is a crowd pleaser, but as a family car my kids felt like they were missing screens in the back seats, too. Well, in my day...

Lurking under the Grecale Trofeo's bonnet is a 'wet sump' version of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo 'Nettuno' (Neptune) V6 that also found a home between the axles of the Maserati MC20 supercar.

It produces 390kW, which is well in excess of 500hp, and grinds out enough torque (620Nm) to pull a small cottage off its foundations.

It's brimming with performance and efficiency-focused tech. Everything from twin-spark dual-chamber heads and cylinder deactivation to high-pressure direction-injection and variable valve timing.

Drive goes to all four wheels via a ZF-sourced eight-speed auto transmission and an all-wheel-drive system incorporating an electronic self-locking limited slip diff at the rear.

As a middle-aged parent with two children, a Porsche that I don't have to crawl into and out of like a cubby house is a great thing.

What's even better is that this ‘easy access' Porsche is every bit as brutally powerful and fast as the quintessentially ‘pure' Porsche, the 911. Actually, it's more powerful and faster.

The Turbo GT's twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine makes 485kW and 850Nm with drive going through an eight-speed transmission to all four wheels.

In comparison, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, arguably the most brutal and anti-social 911, has 386kW/485Nm.

I haven't made a mistake. Those are the real numbers. And it's only when you step on the accelerator in the Cayenne Turbo GT, and it feels like somebody's sat down on your chest, that you realise what a big deal this is.

That is such a colossal amount of oomph that this 2.2-tonne family SUV can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds.

The 911 GT3 RS can do it in 3.2 and it has a roll cage and a fixed rear wing the size of a bedroom door.

And yes, we're now coming into a digital age where Teslas and other electric SUVs are quick, too, but can they go around corners like a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT?

Do they have the same rumble and roar as a twin-turbo V8 that's terrifying and enticing at the same time.

The correct answer is, absolutely not.

Maserati's official combined cycle fuel economy number for the Grecale Trofeo is 11.2L/100km, emitting 254g/km of CO2 in the process.

We covered urban, B-road and freeway running, not to mention some enthusiastic driving along the way, and recorded an average of 16.9L/100km. Which is thirsty, but not outrageous relative to the competition.

The fuel tank requires 64 litres of 95 RON premium unleaded to fill it which translates to a theoretical range of around 570km, dropping to just 380km using our real-world number.

Even if you're okay with the Trofeo's hefty consumption rate, regular visits to the fuel pump will be kind of a pain.

Seriously? This is a 2.0-tonne twin-turbo petrol V8 with a 90-litre fuel tank. Even the Porsche specs sheet doesn't understand the question because in the column for fuel efficiency there are three letters - tbc.

My own testing saw me record 22.5 L/100km at the fuel pump, which means I enjoyed driving the car very much.

A little digging around reveals Porsche globally claims the Turbo GT will use 12.6L/100km, over a combination of open and urban roads.

You might not have as much fun as I did but easing back a little might get you closer to the 700km of range this more frugal consumption figure appears to offer.

While efficient it isn't, I'm not going to mark the Turbo GT too much here because compared to its petrol rivals the fuel consumption is what I'd expect from such a high-output heavy SUV.

Engage the standard launch control function, step through the blast-off procedure and Maserati says you'll rocket from 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds, which is supercar fast.

And the way this twin-turbo V6 delivers that kind of performance is impressive; beautifully linear without a hint of lag.

Trundle along at 60km/h, pin the throttle and you'll be in 'lock 'em up and throw away the key' territory in the blink of an eye. This is a full-blown rocket sled.

All 620Nm of peak torque is available from 3000-5500rpm with maximum power (390kW) arriving at 6500rpm. No matter which drive mode you've selected (more on that shortly), thunderous performance is only an extension of your right ankle away.

And the aural accompaniment walks a perfect line between potency and civility, the signature Maserati exhaust growl stepping up a notch in the racier settings but rarely crossing over into bellicose 'boy racer' territory. We have no problem with an occasional pop and bang on the overrun!

At a touch over two tonnes, the Grecale Trofeo is far from a featherweight, but when you're racing up and down the quick-shifting auto transmission's eight ratios, it feels like one.

The elegant alloy, column- (not wheel-) mounted 'manual' shift levers add to the fun and there are five drive modes to play with - 'Comfort', 'GT', 'Sport', 'Corsa' and 'Off-road' - adapting the engine, transmission, steering and suspension.

The track-focused Corsa set-up starts to soften off some of the traction and stability controls, so we didn't go there, but can confirm off-road raises ride height by 30mm (FYI, we didn't head off-road, either).

Suspension is by double wishbones at the front and multi-links at the rear supported by active dampers and air 'springs' all around.

In the softer Comfort setting, ride compliance is on the firm side. Never harsh, but a little more communicative in terms of bumps and thumps than you might expect.

Not for the first time I found the best arrangement was Sport, dialling everything up to racier settings, and the suspension in 'Comfort' which can be achieved with the press of a wheel-mounted button.

The electrically-assisted rack and pinion steering is accurate and quick to respond with excellent road feel thrown in for good measure.

Just beware the flip side of this type of 'quick' steering rack is invariably a large turning circle, and the Grecale Trofeo is no exception.

The staggered 21-inch rims are shod with high-performance Bridgestone Potenza Sport rubber (225/40 fr / 295/35 rr) and the AWD system, complete with rear LSD, help the car feel securely planted and balanced in quick cornering.

Braking is professional grade with big ventilated and cross-drilled rotors front and rear with fixed Brembo calipers at both ends - six piston front and four-piston rear.

Maserati claims the Grecale Trofeo will slow from 100km/h to a standstill in less than 40m, which is not a lot of metres from that speed.

I had one telling 'will I, or won't I?' situation when presented with an amber light and in deciding to give the brakes a workout (there was no one behind me) was rewarded with a secure and insanely rapid stop.

In terms of general observations, the placement of the start button and drive-mode dial on the steering wheel is a nice touch, the front seats are superb in terms of support and comfort, the media interface is quick and easy to use and the only strong hint of Maserati's Stellantis ownership came in the form of familiar 'Jeep-style' audio control rocker switches on the back of the steering wheel.

Never have I met a car this powerful and superbly athletic that is as pleasurable to drive alone on great, fast roads as it is to pilot at 50km/h in the suburbs with a family on board.

It exceeds my understanding of engineering that something this large can move so quickly. That in an instant can turn and tip into a corner with such precision and effortlessness.

Yet it can switch seamlessly and happily to coping with speed bumps and potholes, delivering a ride so comfortable it'll send babies off to sleep. And it did.

The only issue, and this is such a tiny thing, is the dash-mounted gearshift, which means having to reach up and select Drive or Reverse or Park, which, when executing a three-point turn, is necessarily frustrating.

Still, I'm giving the Turbo GT a 10 out of 10 for driving under all conditions, and we didn't even go off-road, which of course you can do, as long as it's not too wild.

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT hasn't been locally crash tested and so doesn't have an ANCAP rating.

That's quite normal for super high-end cars. But, when this third-generation model first arrived in 2017 it was tested by ANCAP's European equivalent, Euro NCAP, and was awarded the maximum five stars.

There's AEB which operates at city, urban and highway speeds, and lane keeping assistance, and lane change assistance which is a form of blind-spot warning, and adaptive cruise control. You can option rear cross-traffic alert, as well.

A space saver spare wheel is under the boot floor.

The Grecale Trofeo is covered by Maserati's three-year/unlimited km warranty, which is off the market pace, with five years/unlimited km the expected norm. Roadside assistance is included for the duration of the warranty.

Maintenance intervals are 12 months/15,000km, and service over the first three years will set you back $4639, or $1546 per workshop visit. Not cheap, but again, not out of line for a performance model in this part of the market.

Maserati also warrants the body for "perforation by rust corrosion" for four years, extendable up to eight if vehicle maintenance, from an authorised dealer, is up to scratch.

The Cayenne Turbo GT is covered by Porsche's three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is lagging behind in terms of duration even compared to other luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, which offers five years.

Servicing is recommended annually or every 15,000km, although there isn't a capped price maintenance plan with final costs determined at the dealer level (in line with variable labour rates by state or territory).