Name: Fortune Took Jaguar and Maserati’s Crossovers for a Test Spin
Uploaded: 2016-12-22
Duration: 4 min 31 s
Description: Here’s how they match up.

Luxury car makers building upscale SUVs is hardly a new trend. But now boutiques makes, like Jaguar and Maserati, are watching the competition double sales with crossovers, and they're jumping into the segment hoping to do the same. The two vehicles share many admirable traits, particularly handsome styling. Strong V6 engines, sophisticated all wheel drive systems, even panoramic sun roofs. But these are two very different animals so let's find out what sets them apart from the competition and each other. [ MUSIC ] So the F- Pace starts at a surprisingly low base of $ 55, 000. There are higher end variance. We are in one today. The F Pace R Sport. And this one, as tested, is about $ 73, 000. The F Pace R Sport has a 340 horsepower supercharged V6 engine. Goes 0 to 60 in about 5. 4 seconds which is quite quick for a big SUV and actually is capable of getting about 20 miles per gallon combined which is quite efficient. You might think that the F pace is based on a Land Rover platform since Jaguar and LAnd Rover are all one company now, but, in fact, Jaguar had the luxury of, instead, using the platform that The XF and the XC sedans are based on. So what that really allowed the company to do is take a large vehicle and make it really drive like a refined sedan and they have been succesful. Part of the smoothness is the 8 speed transmission which they had made it to paddle shifters, so. You can certainly throw this around and have fun with it, put it in sport mode and make it really aggressive. And it handles that very well. [ MUSIC ] The Maserati Levante carries a pretty hefty price premium over the Jag F- PACE. Base price $ 72, 000, and for the S line that I'm driving pricing begins at $ 83, 000 and this on, as tested, comes to a whopping $ 99, 000. Before you criticize it for being too expensive, just take in what you get for your money. The Lavante has 424 horsepower and it comes out of a Twin Turbo V6 that is built by Ferrari. The Lavante S goes 0 to 60 in 5 seconds. [ MUSIC ]. Seconds, and actually claims the lowest center fo gravity for its class of SUV's. In fact the Lavonte has air suspension and there's five different height settings you can choose depending on the conditions. So if your going off roading, obviously you lift it all the way up. If you go into sport mode, it literally hunkers down. Like the Jaguar F- PACE, the Levante is not based on an SUV platform. But instead, rides on the same platform that the Ghibli and Quattroporte do. So, again, striving for a more refined, dynamic driving experience. It's a thrill to drive. You can push it hard. There's very little body roll, pretty immediate on the power. I'm impressed by all of it. There a couple things I don't like however. And because it's so spectacular I think that's fair. Number one, when you turn it on a very annoying Accept button pops up on the center screen which by the way does come from Chrysler and it's noticeable. And that I think is one Maserati should fix. Number two, the gear shift, not entirely intuitive or precise. The best thing to do is to put it in manual mode and activate the eight speed automatic transmission with the paddle shift. It's fun to paddle shift the Jaguar but I have to give that nod to the Maserati. The Levante is a very Sporty drive when you start playing around with the paddle shifters, especially. And of the two, handsome as the Jag is, the Levante's the one that's been getting all the attention, especially from men. The Maserati is a visceral, hormonal performer. A proud Italian right down to its Ferrari heart. The Jaguar is well engineered, elegant and surprisingly affordable. Buttoned up British with several road flare. Both have successfully entered the SUV fray with their brand DNA intact. If you're looking for something novel, you can't go wrong with either. [ BLANK_AUDIO ]