Maserati Levante joins the high-rolling SUV club

The world’s appetite for SUVs knows no bounds! At least auto manufacturers seem to feel that way as yet another carmaker adds an SUV to its ranks for the first time.

The Maserati Levante has been revealed in photos ahead of the Geneva Motor Show. It’s a smart looking SUV with distinctive Maserati styling features like the trio of air vents along the quarter panels and the Maserati Ghibli-inspired front grille.

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Flared wheel arches and quad exhaust tips bring in the performance aesthetic synonymous with the Maserati brand. Beneath standard SUV proportions is a muscular looking vehicle.

Specific details about the Levante’s engine and drivetrain are under wraps for now, all we have officially been told is there will be a choice between petrol and diesel, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox will be standard. All-wheel drive and adaptive suspension will also be featured in every Levante.

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Levante will likely receive its engines from the current Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte models, which includes a 202kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 and a 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 available in two trim levels – 243kW/500Nm and 301kW/550Nm.

A performance variant of the Maserati Levante is possible if the choice is made to offer it with Maserati’s 390kW/650Nm 3.8-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 engine. We will have to wait at least until the Geneva Motor Show to find out for sure.

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Levante goes up against a growing list of high-end SUVs including the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Autobiography, Mercedes-AMG GLS63 and recently released Bentley Bentayga.

Production of European market Levantes is scheduled to start before the middle of this year. Models for the rest of the world will roll out of the Maserati factory by the end of 2016.