Maserati SUV to get 6.4L HEMI V8 from Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

In Nov. 2010, Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that production of the Maserati SUV will take place in 2013 at the Chrysler’s Jefferson North assembly plant in Detroit. At the time, it was reported that the Maserati SUV, which will be built on the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform, will be powered by an engine designed by Ferrari. Well, that is no longer the case.

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According to Top Gear, the Maserati SUV will get a Chrysler HEMI V8 – the 465-hp 6.4L HEMI V8 from the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to be exact. Why drop the Ferrari engine? Reports suggest that Maserati will throw in a PR spin that the HEMI engine has more torque, which is better for SUVs. However, the real deal is that the HEMI already fits the platform and the Ferrari engine won’t come at a cheap price.

Also, the Maserati SUV won’t be an off-roading king like the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Instead the model has a proper sophisticated independent chassis, with adaptive damping front and rear.

You can expect to see the Maserati SUV on the roads in late 2013 as a 2014 model year.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Top Gear