Poll/questions - Levante design/appeal

Pictures of the new Levante are out (Maserati's official website). Many of us were looking forward to seeing the real look of the Levante.

What do you think? Several questions/poll:

1) Overall appeal? (from A to D)
2) Favorite part of the design?
3) What's the most gorgeous SUV now?

My Answers:

1) B-
I am somehow disappointed by the side (Infiniti) and the rear (Cayenne), I expected a sexier vehicle.

2) The front is great, very unique, very Maserati (I give it an A)

3) Well, the big Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport are still in a class of their own, the most gorgeous/classy SUVs on the road. After the RR may come the Levante and others.

.

 

I believe I will be seeing it in person at the Geneva Auto Show in March.
I will take a few photos and post them and some comments.

 

It's awful, looks like a Kia etc.

 

1) B: it's a nice car and fits with the current models.
2) A: I like basically the proportions, interior, front an rear are beautiful to look at.
3) Range Rover Sport (standing in my garage )

 

It is an SUV and therefore is excluded from ever being described as beautiful. Packaging and drivetrain in all these vehicles dictates their shape.
It only exists because the Cayenne generated such revenue for Porsche by expanding the brand into untapped 'non-sporting' customers.
I do not wish to own one thanks, but then neither do I aspire to a Range Rover sport.

If I am not the target market however, I Hope that there are plenty of others who are...

 

Sorry , I suppose my answers should have been

1 d
2 none
3 mutually exclusive, see previous

M

 

....thinking "an ass for every seat" and other similar riffs....

In my own opinion this....thing....is so incredibly awful looking I can't begin to think it could possibly wear a Maserati badge. It is as bad as every other low to mid-line Asian or American cross-over (by no means is this an SUV; it is a cross-over).

As I stated in another thread, this makes a Cayenne look absolutely sexy!

I have been trying to maintain my respect for Maserati (GranSport/Quattroporte) but SM is pandering to the lowest levels looking for volume, to make up for lack of design quality.

If you put up a poll, please make "Abomination" as a check-box!
/rant

 

Thank you Red, you said it all for me. I wish the best for Maserati's future, but I don't feel an SUV is how to strengthen the brand. Media reports say sales are down 30% year on for the QP and Ghibli, and global trends are not boding well. Says Maserati production lines are being furloughed several weeks in March/April due to low demand.
- Art

 

sadly......................I have to agree
it's come to this..

 

At this point, the aging Maserati design language of the QP and Ghibli has been so thoroughly ripped off by Infiniti and others that I'm disappointed to see it applied to the Levant.

 

1. C. Levante...... oops....

2. Nose, but that's distinguishing this car from all the rest.

3. My favorite SUV is a Range Rover Evoque, which is essentially a terrain sports car. Drove one in the French Alsace region some years ago (route des cretes) and loved it. But I do not need it since I live in Holland, which is flat.

Maybe the Levante will sell in large enough quantities to make it a succes, but I doubt that. A terrain car should be a terrain car, like the land Rover Defender or the original Toyota Land Cruiser. All other stuff is for poseurs and/or shopping malls. Sorry Maserati... Hope you can change my opinion with a test drive...

 

These Maseratis, Quattroporte, Ghibli and Levante, are no more than top-end FIATs under another name.

Apart from being built at Modena, what's Maserati about the GranTurismo and GranCabrio ?

Your thoughts please. Have I got it all wrong ?

 

Well the other choice is to build nothing ...
They aren't aren't going to make cars like Ferrari's.
They are building much, much better biturbos now - literally!

I'm not a fan of the Alfa 4C from a styling standpoint but a car like that with the Maserati name on it might have made Maserati fans much happier. They went with Alfa and I've seen exactly one on the road in the NYC metro area. I see many more new Lamborghinis, Maseratis and Ferraris. I saw an Aventador just today on the way back from Home Depot.

Someone mentioned the old design language of the Ghibli and QP? Really ... those are pretty new but they already looked a lot like other cars when they came out. Not so with the QPV and Gran Tourismo.

But they do need to get the new versions of those going and the Alfieri out so that the more unique looking Maseratis are once again in the marketplace.

 

A local automotive writer here in North Vancouver. B.C. renamed it the 'quattroportly'.

 

The last good looking Maserati 4 door car: Maserati Quattroporte V8 Evoluzione gallery: photo #05

Pete

 

1) F? or Z?, 0/20 , 7 on a 1 to 6 graduation.
2) the similarity with the mazda CX5 , it makes me laugh, Good point.
3) gorgeous? SUV?
An SUV is a useless badly conceived car, the basis can be a good car, but with bigger tyres, much more weight, more fuel consumption and less elegance it transforms it into something wrong.
Sport Utility Vehicle
Sport? lol
Utility? which one? for offroad? they don'to go offroad. To have more space? no more than a station wagon. I will never get this fashion, I just don't understand fashion actually.

 

In one word: Blah...
Looks like Maserati is becoming to Fiat what Infinity is to Nissan...

 

A). Over all appeal for me is 0 as it is with any SUV, but if I had to have one, gun to my head, yes it would be the Mas.

B).Interior and Grill

C). No such thing as a gorgeous SUV to me, they are all Elephants

That being said, it seems like the SUV has become the new Gran Turismo in this day and age. Able to travel in comfort and luxury rapidly across continents in all weather. However they offer very little "sport" very little "utility" and ...well they are a "vehicle.

 

First off the Kubang is more of an SUV, than a Crossover, and this Levant is more of a Crossover than an SUV..
I will reserve my judgement until I see one in the flesh, but seeing the photos tells me it's not looking good, or shall we say it could have been much more dramatic.
Remember the Kubang is 8 or 9 years old.
The Range Rover seems to be the SUV of choice for this crowd including me with our Range Rover HSE with the BMW drive train.
Bought it new and now has over 145,000 miles.
Great car, no issues except it eats radiators (3 of them) and rotors.
Ciao,
FGM
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1) D+ It looks like a Buick or Infiniti FX35, and I've been a picklefork owner and fan to the stars

2) The front grill, and that's about it

3) I like the F Pace, and really where Jag was, and where they are headed...

 

Well it's all subjective but that's not one I'd have picked. I think the QPV is more handsome.

 

This is NOT a Maserati.

 

Too ordinary ...
Pete

 

I guess I don't need to inquire about the current QP ...

 

That's it! The real pictures of the Levante are now here, taken from Geneva.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/auto-shows/geneva-motor-show-maserati-levante-suv-article-1.2548571

I have to say that it looks better than the pictures seen these past weeks. The front is magnificent. The profile is interesting with the way they designed the rear window.

I am more impressed now. Looking forward to seeing it in the flesh.

What do you think?