Maserati to Build Crossover SUV cum Sport Wagon

What to do? Fiat chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who previously ran Ferrari, summed it up in one

According to Fiat chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, "Maserati and Alfa Romeo will share platforms, and sales networks." (Photo: Alfa Romeo)

sentence: "Maserati and Alfa Romeo will share platforms, and sales networks."

First off, let's start with the car. Aside from it being a crossover station wagon, and that the technology used in the platform and suspensions will be shared with Alfa Romeo, Fiat has been tight lipped about the details. Insiders, have a bit more to say, mind you, and from what has been gathered the car will be based on the Alfa Romeo's Premium Platform, which is said to underpin the upcoming 5-Series sized 169, a stretched spin-off of the newly introduced 3-Series-sized 159 and beautiful Brera coupe. The platform of which the forthcoming Maserati wagon will ride on features double wishbones up front and a complex multi-link layout in rear, but will be tuned to reflect Maserati's fluid yet sporting ride characteristics.

One major plus to working with Alfa's Premium Platform, as opposed to working with a chassis architecture derived from a Ferrari product, or creating a platform from scratch is its flexibility. While the sport wagon won't be capable of accepting a rear wheel drive layout, or a rear-mounted transmission like the rest of Maserati's current lineup, the final product will still impress. Expect to see the entry-level

The new Maserati is expected to be built on Alfa Romeo's Premium Platform. (Photo: Alfa Romeo)

Maserati crossover equipped with a 250-horsepower 3.2-litre V6, sourced from the Fiat-GM relationship - at least in Europe. A twin-turbocharged variant, such as the engine used in the new Saab 9-3 Aero, would also be an easy fit. Tuned for a unique engine sound and power delivery characteristics, such an engine would mark the return of the Maserati "Biturbo" - sans the atrocious reliability problems of the early 1984 Alessandro de Tomaso developed coupes. Higher up in the range, there's a very real possibility that this Maserati will be fitted with an all-new V8. The forthcoming engine is expected to feature a displacement of around 5.0-litres and produce in excess of 420-horsepower.