Maserati Kubang stretches Fiat

…Like access to all of Jeep’s off road technology and expertise. It hasn’t taken long for this to bear fruit.

Witness the new Maserati Kubang luxury SUV, the first such vehicle from Maserati and a more practical and affordable alternative to the stylistically challenged Ferrari FF.

Is it an upmarket Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Maser’ engine? Possibly. There’d be some Jeep in there somewhere and the really ironic thing is that the Grand Cherokee started out as a Mercedes-Benz M-Class shared design back when the Germans owned Chrysler Jeep – whacky huh.

Whatever its roots, the Kubang is a piece of work commanding a strong presence on the road thanks to robust styling with links to gorgeous Masers like the GT and Quattroporte.

It will take on the likes of Porsche Cayenne, Benz M-Class, BMW X5 and Audi Q7.

And based on the looks of the Kubang (love that name) it will rattle a few cages especially with a 300kW plus V8 engine up front and an eight speed auto transmission.

Kubang is a five seater crammed with luxury accoutrements and a clever all wheel drive system, carbon ceramic brakes and quality interior inclusions from the Maserati equipment list.

It is a much better looker than the awful and ridiculously expensive Ferrari FF hunchback probably at half the money. KOO ... BANG, there I just had to say it again