The luxury mid-size SUV market is where the Porsche Macan, Range Rover Velar and Mercedes GLC are king. Now a reborn Maserati wants a slice of this profitable market, and the new Grecale is the result.

Outside, Maserati were keen to tell us all about how the Grecale's styling was a mixture of new and old styling cues. From the front you can't miss the grille and iconic Maserati Trident badge, which with the long wings and high-set headlights give the new SUV an attractive face. Although, in our opinion, the darkened version of the grille fitted to the mid-range Modena and range-topping Trofeo is far more attractive than the GT's chrome one. At the side, this Maserati has a sporty, coupe-like trapezoidal appearance. As you'd expect there are links to models of the past with the detailing on the front wings and boomerang-style rear lights influenced by the 3200GT. 

Inside is where the Grecale feels most special. In a time when manufacturers, it seems, are moving away from details such as high-quality leathers and metal trims, this Maserati goes against the grain, even in entry-level GT form, as our test car had lovely, soft-textured red leather trim. The glossy weave of the optional carbon fibre trim in the mid-range Modena is worthy of mention, too. 

The Grecale feels impressively spacious, as it's built on a stretched version of Alfa Romeo's Giorgio platform, which also underpins the Stelvio and Giulia - but feels bigger, especially in the back. Elsewhere the driving position is good, there are an impressively large set of fixed metal gearshift paddles, that make a satisfying click when you select a gear. This makes up for the lack of central gearshift - instead you must make use of the Fiat 500e-like buttons on the centre console to get gears. Still, this does free up stowage space in the centre console. There's also a practical 535-litre boot. 

Infotainment is split over two screens. The larger 12.3in screen controls ,amongst other things, the infotainment, with the lower 8.1in screen for the air-con, heated seats, and the volume controls. In general, they both work well, but the slider for the volume control should work better and be lit in our opinion.   

Another big surprise about the Grecale, is under the bonnet. Where previously you might have expected a large V8, you've now got a four-cylinder, mild-hybrid, 2.0-litre petrol in two different states of tune, and a more Maserati-like 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, with 521hp for the range-topping Trofeo, that, sadly, we didn't get to drive. Still, 2.0-litre or not, the GT still produces 300hp, and had 450Nm of torque. Go for the mid-range Modena and power increases to 330hp, with the same torque figure. 

On the move, this four-cylinder sounds very normal at idle, but both deliver the performance goods at speed - although the Modena's enhanced soundtrack is better on your ears. 

All this focus on performance means that no Grecale is going to deliver amazing efficiency, with both achieving the same 37% BIK tax band and less than 30mpg if you use the performance. Still, if you can forget about the emissions, all the Grecales we tried drive well. We liked the GT's ride on optional 20in wheels without air suspension and adaptive damping best. While the handling is balanced and the steering responsive. 

Overall, it's an impressive debut for the Grecale, but for fleet buyers the best it would seem is yet to come, with the all-electric Folgore due later this year, that boasts the same keen drive at 2% BIK. We can't wait to get a go.