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Written by Stephen Dobie
This, ladies and gents, is the Maserati Levante.We knew a trident-badged SUV was on its way, and here it is at last. It has certainly brought some styling with it.You"ll know your own eyes better than us, but there"s plenty to digest: a bold snarling grille, a sculptured bonnet and those familiar Maserati side vents all lead towards hindquarters which are somewhat reminiscent of the Porsche Cayenne"s.There are unashamed links to Maser"s sports cars up top, then, but what about underneath? Well, we"re being promised "unrivalled handling even on very low-grip surfaces".Given this class is now thronging with absurdly sharp contenders - thanks largely to the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace and Range Rover Sport - that"s a strong claim. If true, this will be quite some thing.All versions will get air suspension, all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox, while there"ll be a choice of petrol and diesel engines. No firm stats yet, but expect these to be based on the turbocharged units you find in the Ghibli and Quattroporte, meaning a bunch of V6s offering up to 410bhp and a range-topping V8 with north of 500bhp.A plug-in hybrid version likely lies on the horizon, to help the Levante keep pace with its many posh SUV rivals.It shouldn"t be long before you see one for real, either: following its Geneva motor show reveal, deliveries start in the spring.Simple question, really: like it?
Date written: 19 Feb 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 2232
This, ladies and gents, is the Maserati Levante.We knew a trident-badged SUV was on its way, and here it is at last. It has certainly brought some styling with it.You"ll know your own eyes better than us, but there"s plenty to digest: a bold snarling grille, a sculptured bonnet and those familiar Maserati side vents all lead towards hindquarters which are somewhat reminiscent of the Porsche Cayenne"s.There are unashamed links to Maser"s sports cars up top, then, but what about underneath? Well, we"re being promised "unrivalled handling even on very low-grip surfaces".Given this class is now thronging with absurdly sharp contenders - thanks largely to the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace and Range Rover Sport - that"s a strong claim. If true, this will be quite some thing.All versions will get air suspension, all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox, while there"ll be a choice of petrol and diesel engines. No firm stats yet, but expect these to be based on the turbocharged units you find in the Ghibli and Quattroporte, meaning a bunch of V6s offering up to 410bhp and a range-topping V8 with north of 500bhp.A plug-in hybrid version likely lies on the horizon, to help the Levante keep pace with its many posh SUV rivals.It shouldn"t be long before you see one for real, either: following its Geneva motor show reveal, deliveries start in the spring.Simple question, really: like it?
Date written: 19 Feb 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 2232
