Maserati's sub-Quattroporte sedan spotted testing

 

     


    


      




The spy photogs at CarPix have caught the upcoming small sedan from Maserati to slot under theQuattroporte, rumored to be dubbed Levante, out testing. The spy shots frankly don't tell us much more than that, since the mule is wrapped in an ill-fitting Quattroporte body giving away little more than a shorter wheelbase and smaller brakes.

The Levante, if that's what it's called, will be Maserati's entry into the luxury full-sized sedan segment to compete with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. Said to arrive late next year, it will have its luxury ducks in a row, supposedly offering a twin-turbo V6, a V8 and a 300-horsepower diesel with 500 pound-feet of torque.

Questions about engines and their provenance remain; the next Quattroporte is getting a Ferrari-sourcedsupercharged V6 and turbocharged V8, but it is wondered if the Levante's V6 might come from the other side of the Fiat stable, namely Chrysler. No matter where the motors come from, though, they'll be run through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.