I hate to break it to you, but the pictures you see here are not of an upcoming Maserati Ghibli rally car. You’re looking at a test version of the company’s future Levante SUV undergoing cold-weather testing in the frigid temperatures of northern Sweden.
Of course, this development mule is wearing a Ghibli shell – with a taller roof and a higher ride height in an attempt to get close to the Levante’s eventual dimensions and weight dynamics.
An earlier report stated the production model of the Levante is supposed to come out in 2015. Given that Maserati is still using a mockup, I’m going to assume the Italian ute will roll out near or at the end of this year. Whenever it does happen to hit dealerships, it will be packing V6 power. One engine will produce 350 horsepower; the other will generate 425. Both will be hooked up to all-wheel drive.
What do you all think? In this age of Range Rover Sports, Porsche Cayennes, and BMW X6 Ms, is a Maserati SUV still sacrilegious?
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
