2005 Maserati Kubang review

Maserati Kubang review:

“I decided that there was still something that could be done with the SUV concept. To me, they tend to look more like off-roaders that have gradually been “civilized” rather than real automobiles. They’ve got a lot going for them, but for some reason they never seem to offer the kind of sublime driving pleasure and all-round, all-weather condition safety that are two givens of other modern cars.
When Montezemolo talked to me about creating a whole new, ultra-versatile Maserati, I decided we should do something that really pushed the envelope. We’d do a whole new take on the genuine Maserati GT that would make it perfect for sporty and dynamic demanding drivers, and what we came up with was the GT Wagon concept.

So that’s how Kubang came to be. It all happened very fast. We didn’t have to research or review our ideas and concepts. There were no set parameters we had to keep in mind either. With the Kubang, we stretched the concept of the automobile as far as our imaginations would let us, without losing anything that would be expected from a thoroughbred GT.

I’m very happy with this design. As a constructor, Maserati has always had its finger on the pulse of what drivers right across the board want and that has often seen it marry seemingly diverse features in a single car: just think of the way it combined the elegance and sophistication of the Mistral and the 3500GT with obviously racing-inspired performance. And so I was thrilled that Maserati gave me the brief to open a whole new chapter in a cutting edge segment that has completely changed the face of our roads in the last few years.”

A thoroughbred GT and an authentic WAGON rolled into one: that’s the GT WAGON.

The GT Wagon concept involved designing a high performance car with torque control on all its four driving wheels, optimal weight distribution (48/52% front and rear respectively) and a center of gravity 100 mm lower than in the average SUV. It also had to be able to meet the demands of all kinds of sports and leisure-oriented activities.

Named after a Javan wind, as is traditional for Maseratis, the Maserati Kubang concept car is the result of the combination of a 390bhp Maserati eight-cylinder “V” engine and a versatile body that promises the same standard of safety and efficiency as a thoroughbred sports car.
Even the lower, sporty driving position stands out in the SUV category as it offers the driver a truly exceptional front view of the road.

The Kubang principle of combining fun behind the wheel, performance and maximum versatility even extend to the trunk.
The rear door hinges high up on the roof to make loading up the trunk comfortable even when from above. But that’s not all:
its bottom section also flips down separately to make loading from a lower position easy.

Maserati wanted the Kubang to be a versatile all-rounder and so we gave it 4WD, but we stopped short of making it a true off-roader, as that would have gone completely against the whole GT philosophy. The six-speed plus reverse transmission comes with a mechanical electro-hydraulic control, developed especially with fully automatic use in mind.