Maserati have released details of their first ever SUV, the Levante, and it’s coming to India.
The Levante – named after a Mediterranean wind that can go from calm to gale force in a split second – is the Trident’s first SUV, let alone luxury SUV. It will join the Ghibli, Quattroporte, GranTurismo and GranCabrio in the range as the fifth model.
At five metres long and running a three-metre wheelbase, the Levante will deliver the luxury expected of Maserati, while also bringing in added capability, with standard Q4 all-wheel-drive and air suspension. The Levante also offers a ground clearance of 207 mm and that can be further raised, by 40 mm in off-road mode, to 247 mm. The Levante will offer different trim levels for those who are more outdoors-inclined as well as those seeking a thoroughbred stylish luxury SUV. Standard wheels are 18″ with all-season 255/60 rubber. Sport trim models will get 20″ wheels, with optional 21″ wheels. The S models get 19″ wheels wrapped in 295/45 rubber as standard. SkyHook adaptive suspension is also on offer.
The interior will offer top-notch leather upholstery and connectivity to make modern buyers take a nice long look. The large touch-screen interface, and rotary media controller will all contribute towards this aspect. Even being five meters long, this will be a five-seater model.
There will be three 3.0-litre turbo-V6 engines on offer: two petrols and one diesel. The diesel, by VM Motori, is the same 3.0-litre seen in the Ghibli and Quattroporte with 275 PS and 600 Nm. The petrols, though, are tuned-up versions of the V6 in the Quattroporte, with the standard model getting 350 PS and 500 Nm, with the Levante S getting 430 PS and up to 580 Nm. All models use a ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic transmission. The transfer case sends 100% of the power to the rear axle, but can send up to 50% to the front, when required, in as little as 150 milliseconds.
In case you’re wondering, there’s no word on a V8 for now but we hope to see a GTS model soon. It will fight some established biggies such as the Porsche Cayenne, Volvo XC90, Audi Q7, Mercedes GLE-Class, BMW X5 and even the upcoming Lamborghini Urus.
No word on price as yet, but expect the range to begin at about Rs 1.25 crore when it arrives in India following its global rollout.
Story: Jim Gorde
