The Trident reveals the Levante ahead of its global premier at the Geneva Motor Show
[Not a valid template]It’s official. Maserati’s first ever SUV – the Levante – will make its long-awaited debut at the end of this month.
Official images – following sketches that were leaked online in May last year – show a much grungier look to the Levante than previously seen, with more than a little Porsche Cayenne thrown into the bodylines and rear profile, the latter of which also boasts a spoiler and a quad-exhaust setup. At the front, focus is drawn by slim headlights, a fairly whopping Maserati grille, some pretty slick grooves carved into the bonnet, and Maserati’s trademark three vents in the front wings. Official images of the interior have yet to be revealed, though leaked images suggest the traditional leather-fest and an updated infotainment system.
Maserati has previously confirmed that the Levante will use the same twin-turbo V6 found in the Ghibli, while a top-spec V8 will also be available, likely to be borrowed from the Quattroporte. Power and torque figures have yet to be confirmed, though the V6-powered Levante 350 is claimed to hit 0-100kph in 6.3 seconds en-route to 243kph, while the similarly-engined Levante 430 nails 264kph having galloped to 100kph in 5.2 seconds. Both the V6 and V8 are likely to be mated with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. At the base, alongside electric suspension and all-wheel drive setup, apparently lies the substantially revised chassis from a Jeep Cherokee. Prices? Squarely between the Ghibli and the Quattroporte, so expect something around $95,000.
Following its Geneva debut, the new Levante is likely to hit the showrooms in the second half of 2016, and will be gunning for Porsche’s Cayenne, BMW’s X5, Audi’s Q5 and Mercedes’ GLE. Interestingly though, while both Jaguar and Bentley have both emphasised the significance of the new F-PACE and Bentayga respectively, Maserati continues to downplay the claim, referring to the Levante as simply ‘the biggest business opportunity’ as the company looks to increase sales to 70,000 by 2018.
