Maserati Grecale
We landed in Geneva to a sky the colour of polished steel and followed the signs down to Sixt. Paperwork, keys, and there it was: a Maserati Grecale waiting in quiet confidence - sleek, elegant, the kind of SUV that looks at home outside a members’ club or halfway up a mountain pass.
Geneva’s ring road was clear, the lake to our left like glass, and the Grecale settled into its stride almost immediately. Cabin tech is seamless with a clear digital cluster, intuitive twin screens, wireless CarPlay locking in without drama. It feels sophisticated in the way you hope a modern Maserati would: soft-close manners when you’re gliding through town and that sporty exhaust note that hums in the background until you ask for more.
The motorway gave way to Swiss A-roads, and the scenery lifted with the gradient - vineyards, steeples, and then the first snow-capped ridgelines beyond. We stopped off at Gstaad for lunch. The cars at Gstaad were a treat to the eyes, and the Grecale fit in well. It’s understated next to the noise, but the trident on the grille does its quiet work.
After lunch we pointed the nose toward Verbier and the road began to knot itself into tight, climbing switchbacks. This is where the Grecale proves its brief. I flicked into Sport, pulled the paddle shifters back to manual, and the car sharpened around me. The steering picked up weight, throttle got more responsive, gear changes cleaned up to a neat snap. You lean on the front end, feel the chassis take a set, and it simply goes - confident, planted, unflustered by frost shadows in the late afternoon light. It’s an SUV that thinks like a driver’s car.
We stopped on the ascent because the light on the Alps looked pristine and it would’ve been rude not to take pictures. Up top, W Verbier appeared in that theatrical way good ski towns do: warm windows, crisp air, and the quietness around. Valet took the keys, and the Grecale sat by the entrance like it belonged there.
The drive back to Geneva was less poetic - heavy traffic, brake lights for kilometres, the clock suddenly less friendly than the views. The Grecale’s calmer settings did their job: light steering, supple damping, and a level of noise isolation that kept conversation unraised. We slipped into the airport car park with minutes to spare, return to Sixt as fuss-free as the pickup. Overall was a brilliant weekend in Switzerland.
