Last November Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that a Maserati SUV was in the works that would be produced at Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant in Detroit. Now Top Gear has received more info on Maserati’s first SUV.
According to one of Top Gear’s sources the Maserati SUV is going to be based on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, but its styling will be so different that you won’t be able to make the connection. It will Maserati’s trademark front end with a “wavy waistline.”
The big news is what will power the Maserati SUV. It’s not getting a Ferrari engine, instead it will be Chrysler’s HEMI V8. Kinda makes sense, since the SUV is based on a Chrysler platform. The HEMI engine already fits the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform and a Ferrari engine isn’t necessarily cheap to buy.
The Maserati SUV will not be quite as off-road focused as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The suspension will be a sophisticated independent system with adaptive damping front and rear. There won’t be any air springs.
The Maserati SUV is expected to arrive in late 2013 as a 2014 model.
