When Iron Man meets Poseidon Audi Q8 &；; maserati levante

Imagine if Iron Man's car is no longer an Audi full of technology, but a Maserati with the Poseidon Trident logo. What kind of painting style will it be? Audi Q8 and Maserati Levante are such a pair of players with different styles in the million-class SUV. ? Maybe many people will wonder why Audi Q8 and Maserati Levante are put together. In fact, among the many choices of millions of SUVs, if the price range is added with the qualification of "frameless door", then the only choice is indeed the two models in front of us-the flagship model Q8 of Audi SUV family from Germany and the Italian style Maserati Levante. ?

Frameless doors, which should have belonged to sports cars and coupes, have been adopted by more SUV models with the increasing popularity of cross-border. As far as the domestic market is concerned, in addition to millions of Audi Q8 and Maserati Levante, there are also Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX. These SUV models with frameless doors are very individual. ?

Speaking back to Q8 and Levante, in terms of design, both Q8 and Levante have nothing to do with traditional SUV models, especially from the side, they both have slender engine compartments and low and smooth roof lines, which makes them more like four-door GT models with raised chassis. However, similar contours do not mean the same personality. After all, Ingolstadt and Modena have completely different perceptions of rational and perceptual choices. ?

Straight lines can be seen everywhere on Q8. From the characteristic design such as air intake grille and waistline to the outline and internal details of front and rear light groups, German designers will never let go of any place where straightedge is used to show rigor. However, all kinds of Italians are not interested in this, because it is difficult to find a standard straight line on levante. The full and round muscle sense is in sharp contrast with the sense of strength outlined by Q8 through the ridge line, which is also the most obvious difference between Poseidon and Iron Man. ?

Different design concepts are actually the continuation of their own family design languages. As the latest flagship SUV model of Audi, Q8 represents the development direction of Audi family design. The lines of the engine compartment cover continue into the octagonal integrated air intake grille, forming a prominent vertical line, and the vertical line in the grille echoes the lines of the lamp group with the same vertical design, showing a strong visual effect. The powerful C-pillar is easily reminiscent of the classic Ur-quattro model in Audi's history, and the 22-inch oversized wheel hub also confirms its connection with the four-door GT model from some angles. In response to the headlights, the taillights are also designed with vertical lines, and the integrated through taillights with dynamic lighting effects meet the consistent high standards of "Lamp Factory". There is also a motion diffuser in the lower part of the rear of the car, which can enhance the sports atmosphere and optimize the aerodynamic characteristics of the whole car. ?

Let's take a look at levante. As a tradition of Maserati, it has been named after the world-famous wind since 1963. From the legendary model Mistral to Ghibli, Bora, Khamsin, and then to Levante, a seemingly warm Mediterranean monsoon can instantly turn into a storm, indicating the essence of brands and models. There is a very striking trident logo in the middle of the air intake grille, and the concave three-dimensional grille shape is also in line with Maserati's family-style design, and with the slender lamp group shape, it forms an aggressive front face. There is a three-hole "shark gill" design on the fender, which is a classic element of Maserati, and the 2 1 inch wheel hub also has a sense of design. At the rear, the bilateral exhaust system and taillights derived from the design style of GranTurismo once again highlight Levante's sports genes. ?

Opening Levante's car door, in addition to the borderless design, the combination of high-quality leather and Dzheniya silk fabric shows the Italian passion for texture. The smoothness of leather and silk full of fabric details have formed a strong visual and tactile impact, which has been applied to every corner of interior design, such as the large V-shaped wavy silk lattice embedded in the central area of the seat, and then to the roof lining, ceiling lamp base, sun visor and so on. And only one is printed on the sun visor. Dzheniya's fabric label also shows the Italian attitude of low-key luxury. Italians who pay attention to texture will certainly not forget to transplant Levante with metal shift paddles. When their fingers crossed the leather and silk fabrics and touched the cold metal, the warm Mediterranean monsoon seemed ready to show its wild side at any time. ?

Compared with Italians who care more about texture, rational Germans are better at showing luxury with a sense of technology. Press the start key, b &；; O The acoustic prism tweeter unit in the advanced sound system will slowly rise from the two corners under the front windshield. This kind of ceremonial welcome can well satisfy people's yearning for technology and luxury. 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit+10. 1 inch central control screen with the latest MMI operating system +8.6-inch multimedia interactive system with touch screen feedback function +HUD head-up display, which pushed the sense of science and technology in the car to a climax. It seems that only Audi can deserve the status of Iron Man in the car world. ?

On the surface, both Q8 and Levante chose a 3.0-liter V6 turbocharged engine as the power source. Q8 has a maximum output power of 340 HP and a peak torque of 500 Nm, while Levante adopts double turbocharging, with a higher maximum power of 350 HP and a peak torque of 500 Nm. Both engines are matched with 8-speed automatic manual transmission, but the power transmission seems to be similar. ?

Maserati brand has always had a very good sports gene, and Levante has also continued this well, especially in terms of dynamic performance. Even in normal mode, every change of the accelerator pedal will have a significant impact on the speed, and the brake pedal is also very sensitive. If you enter the sports mode, the seemingly warm Mediterranean monsoon will change and become violent. With the opening of the exhaust bypass valve, the dynamic response of the engine is more acute, the shifting speed of the gearbox becomes more crisp, and the low roar is very Maserati. Moreover, Levante's sports mode has a second stage, in which the height of the car body will be reduced by 20 mm, and the shock absorption and damping will be increased, so that the vehicle has better sports performance. ?

Although Q8 has a dynamic shape, it can't be regarded as Levante. This is not to say that Q8 is not athletic enough, on the contrary, it will be stronger in some aspects. With the help of 48V light mixing system, it can provide 60 Nm extra power at full acceleration, and it also has good handling performance when the suspension height is minimized and the hardness becomes the strongest. However, what makes Q8 more attractive is actually the comfort comparable to A8L luxury car. Q8 in comfort mode can bring a quiet and luxurious feeling to drivers and passengers like A8L. With the help of the 48V light mixing system, the engine can be shut down in the sliding state, reducing fuel consumption and improving comfort. When the air is suspended in the softest state, unnecessary vibration can be filtered out. As for dynamic performance, should it be given to a stronger RS? Q8 Go and show it. ?

Both Q8 and Levante retain the proper attributes of SUV models. The driving mode has the option of "off-road mode", and the air suspension also has five-speed height adjustment. However, Levante adopts a timely four-wheel drive system based on rear drive, and pays more attention to road control, while Q8 adopts the quattro full-time four-wheel drive system that Audi is proud of, which actually has good off-road ability. ?

As the only option of a million-class "frameless door" SUV, Audi and Maserati handed over two completely different answers, one is good at using technology to set off luxury, and the other is full of passion and amorous feelings. Put together, of course, it is not really necessary to compare who wins and who loses. After all, Q8 and Levante have completely different positioning, and each has its own strengths. However, it is interesting to see that the German-made and Italian-designed ideas are completely different through these two cars.

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.