Photo: Guido ten Brink / SB-Medien
They called it a Ghibli on stilts when the Levante made its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. However, the first SUV in Maserati's history is sure to be a popular thing.
I was a huge Debbie Downer about Maserati's supposed revival so far and had a "I told you so" moment when they had to slow production of the Ghibli and Quattroporte. But even I know that the Levante is a good thing. You see, the SUV market has plenty of other hot, powerful and very expensive models. But all of them are about the same, so there's a huge pent-up demand for a non-German model.
It doesn't get any more non-German than the Levante, which will arrive in New York next week to make its North American debut. At the same time, the Italians have slapped a 2017 model year on it and will begin selling a few in April.
The base sticker will be $72,000 before destination. That part hasn't been cleared out yet, but we could see somewhere around $1,300 on top of whatever premium the dealership forces you to pay. What are you getting? A 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine tuned by Ferrari that makes 345 horsepower, as well as standard all-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
If you want more power, which you probably do, there's also a 424 hp version of the same V6 engine on the Levante S. For now, that's about it, as Maserati won't bring any diesels over the pond and development of the V8 model hasn't even been approved yet.
If we look at the Porsche Cayenne range, we see that the Maserati might have a few problems. A Cayenne S with a 420 hp twin-turbo V6 is just $74,800. It's a little old, but it's also got a solid reputation having been around for over a decade.
All Levante models sold in the States will come with air suspension and Maserati's new Skyhook adaptive damper system. In total, there are four selectable drive modes available: Normal, I.C.E., sport, and off-road. Among the most interesting features, we'd mention the HomeLink garage door opener and, of course, the red leather seats.
It doesn't get any more non-German than the Levante, which will arrive in New York next week to make its North American debut. At the same time, the Italians have slapped a 2017 model year on it and will begin selling a few in April.
The base sticker will be $72,000 before destination. That part hasn't been cleared out yet, but we could see somewhere around $1,300 on top of whatever premium the dealership forces you to pay. What are you getting? A 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine tuned by Ferrari that makes 345 horsepower, as well as standard all-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
If you want more power, which you probably do, there's also a 424 hp version of the same V6 engine on the Levante S. For now, that's about it, as Maserati won't bring any diesels over the pond and development of the V8 model hasn't even been approved yet.
If we look at the Porsche Cayenne range, we see that the Maserati might have a few problems. A Cayenne S with a 420 hp twin-turbo V6 is just $74,800. It's a little old, but it's also got a solid reputation having been around for over a decade.
All Levante models sold in the States will come with air suspension and Maserati's new Skyhook adaptive damper system. In total, there are four selectable drive modes available: Normal, I.C.E., sport, and off-road. Among the most interesting features, we'd mention the HomeLink garage door opener and, of course, the red leather seats.
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