Just earlier this week we were describing the
Maserati Levante
in our spy shots as a necessary evil. Well, now that 'evil' has an official face and ahead of a Geneva debut Maserati has confirmed a) the Levante exists and b) what it looks like. And of c) what it's powered by and how fast it'll go? Nothing on that yet beyond confirmation all versions will have multi-level air-sprung suspension with 'controlled damping', the Fiat group's Q4 branded four-wheel drive system and the predicted eight-speed automatic gearbox. Petrol and diesel versions have been confirmed, the only information about them being that they're all Euro6 compliant. Try and keep a lid on your excitement.
Pretty much as expected, all told
As is to be expected of pre-motor show puff the bulk of the press release is instead devoted to portentous descriptions of the car's appearance which, it says here, "features clear associations with the Maserati brand and its distinctive Italian character". In real terms that means a big chrome grille with a prominent trident logo and a smattering of Maserati design ticks to mark it out from all the other luxury sporting SUVs it'll compete with. Hence the trio of chrome-ringed vents on the wings, 'trapezoidal' C-pillars and a sloping back to make it look like the sporting saloon its ride height very much demonstrates that it isn't. It is, in short, exactly what you'd probably come up with too given a sketch book and request to draw an image of what a Maserati 4x4 might look like.
We shouldn't be too harsh on Maserati though; it is after all simply following the money and the apparently insatiable desires of the market, the only surprise being how long it's taken the Italians to offer a credible alternative to the Cayenne et al. According to the release the first cars have already left the Miafiori plant's production line in Turin ahead of the pending European launch before going global by the end of the year. More information on engines, performance and pricing when we get it.