Did Maserati Drop the Ball with Their First SUV?

Following in the footsteps of Bentley, the Italian Supercar company, Maserati will be unveiling its very first Sports Utility Vehicle, the Maserati Levante, at Geneva Motor Show this coming spring. It is rumored the new SUV can reach top speeds of 164 MPH and will come with a price tag of $80,000 - $150,000 (hell of a range, we know). While it certainly isn’t coming cheap, some automobile critics and internet common folk are coming out of the wood work to say that the brand new edition to the Maserati family seemed to take a cutback in the innovation department.

(The Maserati Levante is the car above, with the Acura MDX 2016 in the picture below)

Being a luxury car line, it’s not only an expectation, but almost a rule, that the first brand new model in that line needs to bring something to the table never seen before. The top speed of 164 MPH the Levante is undermined by Porsche’s SUV model, the Ceyenne’s top speed of 174 MPH and we highly doubt the bells and whistles is going to match up against Bentley’s Bentayga. When it comes to design, many on the web and us here at Royal Blue alike, think the Levante looks eerily similar to the to the $43,00 Acura MDX from the side. So is Maserati’s new family vehicle going to bring  the heat when it comes to toys on the inside? That’s something we’ll have to wait until Geneva to know for sure. Check out a quick rundown of the car’s Levante’s design below.