The Maserati Levante, the luxury SUV which made its world premiere at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, is now available for sale in Jordan.

The Levante name was inspired by a warm, Mediterranean wind that can change from mild to gale force in an instant, mirroring the character of the first Maserati SUV, the company said.

“This is the first ever SUV by Maserati, so it is a complete game-changer, particularly in this region. Maserati is renowned for exotic sports cars, so our mission was not just to build an SUV, but to build a Maserati. Exciting times are ahead and we are glad to be able to offer Maserati aficionados a completely new experience,” said Raja Gargour, chairman of Gargour Automotive Trading.

The Levante is based on the evolution of the sedan platform, designed exclusively by Maserati. The car chassis has been specifically developed to offer unique on-road drivability and competitive off-road capability, with day-to-day comfort and practicality.

The thoroughbred on-road handling typical of all Maserati cars and solid off-road capabilities, as demanded in the SUV segment, describe the car’s overall dynamic. The Levante makes extensive use of lightweight materials, has ideal 50-50 per cent weight distribution and has the lowest in class centre of gravity, said Maserati.

The Levante was designed to deliver best in class comfort on rough terrains and handling on snow and ice. The aluminium ‘double wishbone - five link’ suspension layout comprises standard air springs and electronically controlled Skyhook shock absorbers combined with the intelligent Q4 all-wheel-drive system and the newly introduced Torque Vectoring system.

The Levante is equipped with the latest evolution of the Maserati 3-litre V6 engines. The petrol Maserati V6 engine with latest GDI and twin turbo is available in two versions: the top of the range 430 hp and the exciting 350 hp. The most powerful Levante makes it to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds and has a top speed of 264 km/h, while the figures for the 350 hp version are 6.0 seconds and 251 km/h respectively.

Both petrol versions of the Maserati Levante adopt the eight-speed automatic ZF gearbox that provides seamless comfort and fast gear shifting, depending on the selected drive mode: ‘Normal’, I.C.E., ‘Sport’ or ‘Off-road’.

Maserati added that the Levante has entered the SUV segment with a marked advantage in terms of new options and content, including: adaptive cruise control with stop and go function, forward collision warning and brake assist system, lane departure warning, surround view camera, the capacitive 8.4" touch screen display with brand new rotary control and a high level of customisation. –TradeArabia News Service