The noble SUV is a big player for manufacturers, therefore it's no surprise Maserati have followed suit with an SUV to contend with the Cayenne, Bentayga and others.

 The Levante has now been officially revealed, after a recent leak, originally the Sport utility vehicle was supposed to debut at the coming Geneva motor show. The Italian manufacturer released official pics after the leak, and a little on the specs - the vehicles chassis is one part the Italian car maker did remark on The Levante's “chassis is designed to combine the outstanding on-road performance typical of every Maserati with unrivalled handling even on very low-grip surfaces and an excellent off-road performance and ride”.

Now Maserati are renown for advanced driving aids and technologies, this in mind every Levante variant will come equipped with spelectronic suspension, controlled dampers and adjustable air springs, The SUV features the ‘Q4’ all-wheel drive system aka the 4x4 and is complimented by an 8 speed automatic tranmission. The car company has confirmed that the Levante will come with a few power train options diesel, petrol who knows maybe an EV or Hybrid - the behemoth has already been spied being tested.   Well that's the official story, now for the leaked Levante specs, now these are more detailed, but are they accurate?

The claims are that the SUV will have some pretty hefty powered models on launch a 350 and a 430 powered by a V6 3.0 litre petrol option already used in the Quattroporte and the Ghibli. The specs are impressive too, the Levante 350 is capable of reaching 151mph top speed and 0-62mph in 6.3sec, however the Levante 430 can hit 0-62mph in 5.2sec and tops out at 164mph. The diesel version also uses a 3.0-litre V6, and can achieve 0-62mph in 6.9sec and a top speed of 143mph. The leak mention a plug in hybrid Levante model, which would make sense with most manufacturers rolling out an EV plug in model.   This SUV is a very Maserati vehicle, meaning it's styling, feel, and power, the model sports the distinctive three air vents on the front wing, stylish grille, sculpted bonnet, racing paddles and infotainment system. It's an interesting time for the launch as the SUV heads straight into battle with the X5 by BMW, the Q7 and Q5 by Audi, the Touareg VW's offering and the Mercedes Benz GLE and possibly the biggest competition the Porsche Cayenne.   The prices are quite reasonable too, between £53,580 and £81,660 as confirmed by Maserati CEO Harald Wester, the Levante is aiming to be the manufacturers main sellier projecting 70,000 units by 2018. It's already started the first have already rolled out of the Turin, Italy of Mirafiori factory.   Well some truth some leaked Lets see what pans out when the Levante debuts at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, till then we expect Maserati will keep teasing us with the more and more information.