RAY MASSEY: Maserati’s female side

it may have a reputation as a macho-sporty Italian brand, but half of the buyers of Maserati’s stylishly capable and comfortable new Grecale SUV are expected to be women.

Named after a Mediterranean wind, it’s made its way to Britain’s shores and I just drove it here in Maserati’s fifth largest market.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the brand and the Grecale is breaking new ground for it, like the Porsche Macan, Range Rover Velar, Audi Q5 Sportback and BMW X4. It’s impressive, with an impressive view of the road and a smart interior.

Clutter is kept to a minimum with drive, park and reverse controls between two central touchscreens on the dashboard.

At launch there are three trim levels, all mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, but with prominent paddles near the steering wheel for manual override.

The entry-level GT for £61,570 is powered by a 300PS 2-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine that propels it from 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds to a top speed of 240km/h.

The sporty mid-range Modena I mainly drove has the same engine tune, but with upgraded trim and 330PS, 0-60mph in a buoyant 5.3 seconds, priced from £67,180.

I also took a shorter drive in the more powerful, 50kg heavier top-range Trofeo model, priced at £99,700, with eye-catching detailing and a 530PS 3-litre twin-turbo V6 Nettuno petrol engine that propels the Grecale from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds and up to a top speed of 199 mph.

An all-electric Grecale called the Folgore – Italian for lightning – will be launched here within a year of the arrival of a battery-powered GranTurismo Folgore.

Maserati says the 400v 105kWh high-energy battery equivalent to more than 500 horsepower will deliver a range of 500 kilometers and a top speed of more than 200 km/h.

Maserati, which is now part of the giant conglomerate Stellantis, plans to be all-electric by 2030.

So what’s it like to drive?

Whether for business, pleasure, classy school trips and shopping trips, or a leisurely lunch with friends, get ready to see more Maserati Grecale in fashionable places.

My Modena trim was fitted with almost £20,000 worth of ‘extras’.

It’s a highly engaging yet refined drive with real presence on the road, but without the growling exhaust roar associated with the sportiest Maseratis.

There are four main riding mode settings: Comfort for chilling out and strolling through town and country, GT for big touring on long journeys; Sport (my favourite) for more active driving on winding or fast-flowing roads, and off-road if you do a little over grass and gravel, for which the ride height also increases.

It’s a beauty without being too much of a beast.

In contrast, the full-bodied range-topping Trofeo leans more towards the beast. It’s a lot of fun and a noticeable step up in power, but a little over the top for school-based tasks.

Dacia Jogger hybrid impressive

After road testing the 1-litre pure petrol version of the impressively flexible seven-seater Dacia Jogger, this week I had the chance to try the frugal, self-charging hybrid version which accounts for more than a third (35 percent) of sales – and it’s even more impressive, albeit a little more expensive.

Riding on 16-inch wheels and priced from £22,995, the capable TCe 140 self-loader mates a 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors and a six-speed automatic transmission to accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 10.1 seconds.

It comes with a clever patented roof rack system where the bars can be rotated the length of the car to form supporting crossbars.

It’s very affordable; even the top model in Extreme finish with cedar green paint and copper detailing starts from £23,995.

Car row explodes

A long-simmering feud that affected all of Europe finally broke out this week when car bosses met with the Minister of Affairs, Kemi Badenoch.

At stake are millions of jobs in the European car industry (including 800,000 in the UK) and higher car prices.

A post-Brexit deal means that from January 45 per cent of a car’s contents must come from the EU or the UK – otherwise a 10 per cent tax will be levied.

But batteries can make up half the value of a car, and most of them are imported from Asia.

Bosses warn that unless the deadline is pushed back to 2027, it will be uneconomical for them to close cars and factories.

• I’m honored to be shortlisted in six categories of the British motoring journalism ‘Oscars’ organized by Newspress – for news, consumer issues, article writing, technology, EV and editor of the year.