The SUV will ship soon with a 3.0-liter V6 in two tunes. But since the vehicle’s built on the same platform as the Quattroporte, couldn’t it also fit that car’s 528 horsepower V8? Survey says “yes!”

When asked if the 3.8 V8 would eventually make its way into the SUV, Maserati executive Davide Danesin apparently told : “Yes, it fits, and we have a prototype already.”

So the configuration is being tested ergo considered for sale, but not locked in to be released on the consumer market. One can assume they’d clearly have the Porsche Cayenne in their sights with a V8, though.

The likelihood of V8-version production is going to be based on how popular the Levante is at all, and how many people buy the faster Levante S over the base, as Dave Gluckman .

Right now it’s about a $34,000 bump to get the V8 over the V6 in a Quattroporte sedan, pushing the higher-end models toward $150,000.

Pricing has not been confirmed on the Levante yet, but Maserati will surely lean a little more toward a (relatively) “mass market” budget with their SUV. I’d expect the V6 to start a little over the Ghibli at $70,000-something.

I’m guessing the Ghibli is what a lot of customers will end up driving off with when the Levante ends up being somewhat desirable and lease rates on the little sedan are forced down even harder. Did you know you can pick one of those things up for less than $600-per-month? That’s like a subprime payment on an old G35!