We all know that BMW's famous X5 is facing more contest than ever before, as new competitors seem to pop up over night and are from brands that have tremendous desirability. The well-nigh recent loftier-end luxury make to develop an SUV to take on the Germans is Maserati. The all-new Maserati Levante is the Italian firm's first attempt and a family unit hauler and it's more impressive than we thought it would be. So should the BMW X5 be worried?

Peradventure. The new Levante is a dangerous competitor and could be something that steals sales away from the BMW X5 xDrive50i. While the Maserati Levante is priced a bit college than the xDrive50i, people ownership in that price range tin afford a bit actress to have something a bit more sectional. And for a customer that has no strong ties to any make and is shopping in that segment, the power to go a Maserati, a brand that's e'er held tremendous prestige, over a BMW could certainly exist a big describe. If I were a customer in that segment, even with my strong beloved for BMW, the idea of buying a Maserati would admittedly be tempting. Simply bated from brand prestige, is the Levante actually any practiced? Auto Express has gone and plant out.

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In terms of looks, the Levante is sort of an caused taste. While information technology hasn't exactly smitten the likes of u.s.a. just all the same, it's a handsome plenty SUV and does have some very bonny bits. For instance, the swollen rear wheel arches just beneath the D-colonnade look really adept and requite it a sense of power. The front end finish, in isolation, as well looks very good. The whole thing doesn't actually piece of work as a cohesive package to these eyes, but it's fine looking. The BMW X5, to usa at least, is the ameliorate looking SUV, merely it is quite mutual and so many customers may have the Levante instead, so as to stand out amidst the sea of German metallic.

On the within, information technology's typical Maserati. The cabin is gorgeous and filled with lovely leather and materials. Yet, there are some cost cutting bits as, if you await closely, you can see some switchgear pulled from RAM trucks, being that Maserati is now owned bit Fiat/Chrysler. But inexpensive Chrysler parts aside, the cabin quite bonny and, about importantly, very different from the typical BMW X5 or Audi Q7.

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Unfortunately, this video only features the three.0 liter twin-turbo V6 diesel engine, as that'due south the but engine to be offered in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. However, other markets, including the North America market, will exist getting a choice of two 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 gasoline engines that are built past Ferrari, one with 345 hp and the other with 424. Both of those engines sound fantastic and are incredibly powerful. So the excitement factor, in a marketplace with the gas engines, will be a bit higher than the BMW X5'due south. The gearbox is the familiar ZF-sourced eight-speed unit and works brilliantly, equally usual, and has massive paddle shifters to keep the big Maserati engaging.

In terms of treatment and dynamics, the Levante offers quite an heady drive for an SUV. According to this video, the Levante has excellent dynamics and a suspension that's both planted and communicative while also being supple and comfortable. Sort of reminds us of what people would say most the first-gen X5. But the Levante'due south main party fob for the segment is its employ of hydraulic steering. In this mean solar day and age of electric power steering, hearing the words "hydraulic" and "steering" together, for us gearheads, is like a hipster hearing the words "vinyl" and "Starbucks". It gets us all featherbrained. And plainly, the steering is excellent.

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So the new Maserati Levante offers an exciting SUV bundle, with interesting looks, a bang-up cabin, incredible engines built by Ferrari, fantastic dynamics and almost unbeatable brand prestige. The fact that the Levante doesn't toll much more than the X5 xDrive50i means that many customers who don't have potent brand ties could certainly be pulled towards it. Tell a customer they can either purchase an X5, like all of their neighbors, or a Maserati and which practise you think they're going to choose? And so is the the Maserati Levante a dangerous BMW X5 competitor? I think so.