Maserati will bring Levante to New York Auto Show

The Levante marks Maserati's fashionably late arrival to the ultra-premium SUV party.

Maserati has joined the ultra-premium SUV world with the Levante here at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. And if future sales of this slinky sport-ute mirror the Italian automaker's packed show-stand, it would seem the Levante is guaranteed success.

It would hardly be the first time that a SUV took a traditional sports car company to a whole different level. Since it arrived more than a decade ago, the Cayenne has been Porsche's best-selling vehicle. Bentley has hinted it expects as much from the totally new Bentayga sport-ute. Aston Martin and Lamborghini will also join the SUV fray within the next few years.

The Levante will compete with the well-established Porsche Cayenne, fellow newcomer Bentley Bentayga and upcoming sport-utes from Aston Martin and Lamborghini.

So what makes the Levante so special?

Well, for starters, it looks like a proper Maserati should - even if it's one that has a degree of off-road credentials (that is, if anyone ever truly takes this truck off-roading).

Tackle the Rubicon Trail in a Maserati? We'd feel less guilty completing the task in a Jeep, thank you very much.

The Levante comes with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 is offered in two states of tune: The base model delivers 350-horsepower, while the range-topping S trim pushes out 430-hp.

Still, there's no denying that performance has been taken care of in the Levante. A twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 is offered in two states of tune: The base model delivers 350-horsepower, while the range-topping S trim pushes out 430-hp. That latter power figure is good enough to haul the Levante from 0 to 60 mph in approximately 5.2 seconds, according to Maserati's stopwatch.

All-wheel-drive and an 8-speed automatic are standard fitment. So too is a posh leather-lined cabin - though our seat-time was limited, due to the crush of cameras and journalists. The materials are high quality, though Volvo still leads the SUV field when it comes to cutting-edge dashboards (as seen in the new XC90).

All-wheel-drive comes standard in the Levante, as does an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Maserati did a fine job transferring the curvaceous lines of Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans onto the larger profile of the Levante. The grille is dominated by the brand's gorgeous trident logo, while strong character lines along the fenders helps to remove some of the visual mass found in many SUVs. In fact, the similarity to the Ghibli should come as no surprise, considering the Levante shares the platform as Maserati's least expensive sedan.

The Levante also arrives not a moment too soon, as Ghibli sales have seriously cooled off after a red-hot start. Set to go on sale in the U.S. later this year, Maserati confirmed that the Swiss sales price would start at roughly $76,000 (at current exchange rates). We pegged the base MSRP at $80,000, so this Euro pricing sounds right on the money - no pun intended.

The Levante will hit the U.S. later this year and should carry a starting price tag in the $80,000 range.

Don't be surprised if one year from now the best-selling vehicle in the Maserati lineup is an SUV. The formula has worked extremely well for Porsche, after all.



Source : nydailynews.com