A colleague of mine thinks the expression "Maserati SUV" is an Oxymoron

I don't blame him. I think of Maserati as being exotic and certainly sporty.

Their tagline is "Luxury, sports and style cast in exclusive cars".

But cars are not enough now. Most luxury brands are building SUVs.

Maserati has just launched their Levante SUV onto the Australia market.

Glen Sealey the chief operating officer for Maserati Australia, New Zealand and South Africa anticipates that 50% of Australian sales will be SUVs which means among other things that 50% of new Maseratis will be diesel powered.

Maserati says the Levante is “The ultimate combination of leading on-road performance and off-road capabilities

Combination is right. At the launch of the Audi SQ7 the other day and they didn't even bother to mention off-road capability whereas Range Rover will regale you with details of their clever technology to handle most things off the beaten track.

The Masterati is somewhere in between.

Originally aired on 11 February 2017. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au