Maserati Levante, the first SUV from the trident brand

Maserati has long hinted at and studied its entry into the luxury SUV segment, given how popular it has become.

It seems the arrival of the Bentley Bentayga has hastened the launch of the Levante, Maserati’s first SUV in its entire history.

The trident brand has chained together several years of steady growth, but for Maserati that is not enough, despite now having a relatively broad and complete range. The economic viability of a large company is sometimes at odds with its principles and foundations, and the Levante is a perfect example of this.

Why do we say this? Because the Levante is anything but a “conventional” Maserati. It is neither a sports car, nor lightweight, nor does it come with large petrol engines. The Levante is a different concept, a proposal that follows the line of Porsche with its Cayenne and of Bentley with its Bentayga.

Times change, and the Italian firm has to overcome some “moral” barriers, such as the use of diesel engines, something it has been doing for some years in the Ghibli and Quattroporte models, and now the production of an SUV with which to meet the demands of more adventurous users.

Although its presentation was planned for the Geneva Motor Show, as tends to happen on the internet, things get ahead of themselves when you least expect it, so the brand has decided to release four photographs showing the exterior design of the new Levante.

The design of the Levante is reminiscent of a raised and enlarged Quattroporte

The car’s lines show a clear Italian identity. Basically it is a raised and enlarged Ghibli/Quattroporte. This is not a negative feature, since we are starting from two of the most beautiful saloons on the current market. Moreover, to be honest, Bentley has done something similar with its Bentayga.
It is a design that will certainly appeal, thanks to its elegant lines. It is not an extremely eye-catching vehicle.

No interior details are known yet, but a very refined cabin with seating for four passengers is expected. Furthermore, mechanically it will share engines with the Quattroporte, so performance is assured thanks to supercharged V6 engines in both diesel and petrol versions, with outputs of 350 and 430 CV for the petrol versions and 275 CV for the diesel. Its official presentation is in 15 days, in Geneva.

Source | Maserati