Carspotting - Maserati Folgore in Norway..

Art .... the Maserati stalker

 

They could possibly have been on their way back to Italy from Arjeplog in Lappland, northern Sweden, which has been a testing ground for many manufacturers for half a century.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/why-automakers-flock-small-swedish-town-every-winter-180977148/

 

The suv looks like any other suv. I hope Maserati goes bankrupt. Plastic fantastic cars!

 

The SUV is what permits Maserati to develop cars like the MC20.

Ivan

 

They also look like Mazda, Infinity, YOU NAME IT! Sorry guys. These are made just like other cars, has big a plastic trident in the plastic chromed grill and has ZERO attraction from my side. I don't want to ruin other people's dreams so I should ideally shut the f*ck up, but this is my opinion. Maserati when I was a kid was very unique and those cars still are. But these new ones....

 

A little harsh perhaps. Have you watched this review of the Levante Trofeo by a guy who knows his cars?
He's not alone.

 

I'll wait for Corbaccio to describe what's different about the Maserati Grecali vs the Stelvio. I believe it's actually bigger but still to small for me. It's also more luxurious.

 

That carbon trim is real vinyl tape. Nothing like real carbon. The switches are from a Chrysler or Jeep. In a perfect world you have a GranSport (or MC12) and a G500. Not AMG. Just a dark blue metallic G500 V8. A car must be genuine with its roots. These Maserstis are not genuine. And not a real SUV. I would take a Surburban or Yukon XL (true to its American concept) any day over these new Maserstis.

 

Gosh Erik, talk about missing the point. OK I guess you'll you'll never like a "SUV" from Maserati. Look, I own a humongous 7.4l liter Suburban real dirt crawling SUV ... my tow vehicle but the Maserati Levante was never meant to be the same thing. I thought you might pick up on the enthusiasm they had in that review. It was quite palpable. It was for a driver's car. That surprised me. It's not something I can justify buying ... but I'd like one.

 

Are you saying you are comparing a Surburban 7,4 (which went out of peoduction in mid 90ies, 30 years old) with. Levante?? I take it for granted that we compare cars of the same year. I have had several GM trucks and I must say I am very impressed by the new US trucks. In my world, a SUV should be a big car. A small SUV make little sense to me. But personal taste is subjective. So your and my personal opinion does not neccesary have to be right or wrong.

 

Personally I feel that he is making it sound like this because this is in line with Maserst's marketing philosophy and Maserati's "edge". I am sure this car drives well. But family cars with programmed pops and bangs in the exhaust and a plastic trident is just not my cup of tea.

 

This is how a real Maserati looks like!
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A little more about what a 99 Suburban K2500 is like. It doesn't drive like a sports car but it is a much better vehicle in so many ways than any Maserati if utility, reliability, comfort and toughness count.
That's why I've kept since 2004. I bought it shortly after I began taking my Ghibli Open Cup to the tracks in the NE of America. Other than my 84 Biturbo it has the best and most comfortable seats of any car I've driven. It'll haul 4x8 sheets of anything in the back and it will tow 10,000 lbs. I got it with 80K miles and it has a raised suspension so snow travel and off road are snap.

When I got it, it had a head gasket leak that was pushing exhaust gas into the coolant but I didn't know that till years later. That caused the radiator to develop a split leak near the top but it didn't affect the performance so I left it alone until it was time rebuild the AC system which I did myself for about $800 bucks in parts. That included every AC component in the engine compartment and a new radiator as well. When I took it out the first thing it did was puke the coolant because that head gasket leak was too much for the pressure cap. So I've been running with a non pressurized cooling system ever since.
To me it's not worth pulling the heads off when it works just fine. That was 40K miles ago.

Another reason I don't do that is because I had another unfortunate injury to the engine when the pressure sender for the oil gauge which is on the top of the engine right off the main oil galley disintegrated. I lost oil pressure got towed into my service garage and there was a slight rod knock when cold. But the oil pressure was way too low as well, presumably because the bearing clearances were no longer perfect. I switched to a mixture of 5W-30 (the stock oil) and two quarts of 20w-50 and it worked great. It's been like this for another 40K miles. It still pull like a locomotive.

This is one tough vehicle with full leather, front rear twin system AC and pretty decent stereo system. To me this is the very definition of an American SUV emphasis on the UV. Parts are plentiful and cheap. It's a keeper.

A Maserati Levante Trofeo is a completely different animal much like the top Porsche SUV or the Urus but not as nice inside but far, far less money. Three years ago I drove a Levante S and I thought it very, agile and it absorbed the lousey NJ roads quite admirably. The V6 makes great sounds. I think they're up to 440 HP now.

Even Ferrari is making a sort of SUV now. That thing is amazing but it's also $400K!

Everyone is making SUVs because their customers are demanding them and that's what pays the rent now. They never made any money on the Bora or Khamsin perhaps a little on the Merak. I don't think they're ever going to be making light weight and lower priced cars ever again, that's the Alfa's function. The MC20 probably won't make them much money either but I'd guess that it's engine will replace the Ferrari V8 across the line soon. So that should help.

 

It is good to have different cars, because then you get reminded what is special with them when you change from one to another. My daily is a 2002 Jaguar XK8 Convertible. I really like that car. Quiet, very smooth and practical. My 550 on the other had has manual trabsmission, is harder and faster. I love that too. So big contrast. The Avalanche is soft and robust and can tow many things. Also 4x4. And American. Totally different from the Biturbos hehe.

 

When ypu want to buy the most expencive and fastest....
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That's a long range photographic view. If you've watched any higher end, more knowledgeable reviews of the Pursesong the differences become quite dramatic.

But you are correct, if you want a certain size and function the overall shape is dictated to becomed quite similar.

But ... I'd bet that Mazda actually spent far more than Ferrari did on the development budget of their model because it has to be manufactured at about 15% of the Ferrari, in high volume and cannot have any of the more typical exotic car quirks.

For me @ $400K + it's an absurd indulgence but I'm not a mega billionaire or even a medium millionaire.

 

I actually like the Purosangue, even if I am not a big fan of all high end sports car brands have to make a SUV.