Maserati Levante 2017 review

Tim Robson is road and track testing the new Maserati Levante SUV, evaluating its performance, fuel consumption and verdict at its launch in Australia north of Sydney.

It's been a long time, but Italian luxury car manufacturer Maserati has finally released its first-ever high-slung station wagon, the Levante SUV.

The phenomenon of premium SUVs is nothing new; after all, Range Rover pioneered the genre in the 1970s. However, it's a bit stranger when it comes to a self-proclaimed sports and touring car supplier, as Porsche found out when it launched the company's lifesaving Cayenne in the early 2000s.

And Maserati could have been next to Porsche by debuting the Kubang concept back in 2003 and developing it again in 2011. Instead, the company tore up plans from 2011 to build its premium SUV based on the Jeep platform and started over. .

Price and features

The Levante starts at an interesting $139,900 before travel expenses. It's not the cheapest Maser on offer - that honor goes to the $138,990 diesel Ghibli base model - but it's definitely positioned as the entry point to a brand whose most expensive car is nearly $346,000.

It is offered in three grades; the base Levante, Sport, and Luxury, with the latter pair priced at $159,000.

Only one transmission is offered, consisting of a 3.0kW, 6Nm 202-litre V600 turbodiesel engine mated to an all-wheel drive system and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The list of options is as long as both of your hands.

Standard equipment includes leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, an 8.4-inch multimedia screen with satellite navigation and eight speakers, radar cruise control, hill descent control, dual-zone climate control, automatic wipers and headlights, keyless entry and tailgate with electric drive.

Sport adds a unique grille as well as front and rear skid plates, body-color rear spoiler, steel door sills, 12-way power sport seats, power steering wheel, color-painted lower body, 21-inch wheels rims, red slips. brake calipers, shift paddles, steel pedals and a Harman Kardon audio system.

At the same time, Luxury has a chrome front grille, steel door and trunk sill panels, premium leather trim, body-color lower panels, 20-inch wheels, a Harman Kardon stereo system, wood trim, 12-way power seats and panoramic sunroof. .

And the list of options is as long as both of your hands.

Design

The Levante is based on the Ghibli four-door sedan, and from some angles the connection between the two is obvious.

The Levante has a high-waisted cab silhouette as well as large wheel arches surrounded by faux off-road plastic trim. The signature fender vents are still present and correct, along with a prominent vertical slat grille.

Inside, the Levante tries to revive the spirit of classic Maserati luxury.

The rear end, however, is less distinguishable despite the rather distinctive LED taillights and quad tailpipes. At some angles, the three-quarter rear view can feel a little too full, thanks in part to the overly swollen wheel arches.

The Levante can be fitted with 19-, 20-, or 21-inch rims, which also make a big difference in the look of the car, especially when combined with the car's ability to raise and lower with airbag suspension.

Inside, the Levante tries to capture the spirit of classic Maserati luxury, with leather stripes, conservative seats and lots of black on black with satin silver trim.

practicality

While it's fair to expect something like Maerati's Quattroporte to be limited when it comes to practicality, one can reasonably expect an SUV of the same brand to not suffer the same fate.

The Levante is over five meters long and almost two meters wide, but its interior space seems clearly smaller than the sum of those numbers. The front seats sit slightly inside the doors, while the rear ones seem closed thanks to the car's high waistline and small greenhouse.

The high center console gives the impression of a low-slung Levante, but the steep front end makes looking ahead when parking a bit of a lottery. The seats themselves are comfortable enough for long trips, but lack lateral support.

The rear seats are barely wide enough for tall passengers, and a full-length sunroof steals valuable headroom. The doorways are also quite small for such a large car.

As a member of the Fiat Chrysler empire, Maserati has made a foray into aftermarket parts from the company's other brands to not only cut development time, but also keep costs - and the final price - at a reasonable level.

So the 8.4-inch multimedia touchscreen is familiar to anyone who has driven a Jeep or Chrysler, and some switchgear is also derived from Jeep.

As a cruiser, the Levante is a great company.

These parts work well and for the most part Levante owners will not notice the use of FCA bits. Not having to reinvent the wheel also helps keep costs down.

The 580-litre boot space is on par with cars like the BMW X6, but well behind the space available in the Cayenne, for example. Despite the high boot floor, there is no spare tire underneath, nor space to save space.

Two cup holders are located on the center console, and there are also two cup holders in the refrigerated center compartment. Small bottle holders can be found in all four doors, as well as two more cup holders for passengers in the rear seats.

There are two ISOFIX child seat mounts on the back, as well as air vents and a 12V socket.

There are some ergonomic annoyances, including the primary wiper and indicator lever that is mounted far inboard for ease of use, while the oddly designed trigger-style shifter is terrible to use, with inconsistent, plasticky operation and shift points that are located too close to each other. and not well defined.

Engine and transmission

VM Motori's 3.0-litre diesel can be found throughout the FCA empire, including under the hood of the Ghibli sedan and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The direct injection unit delivers 202 kW at 4000 rpm and 600 Nm between 2000-2400 rpm. It accelerates to 0 km/h in 100 seconds and reaches a top speed of 6.9 km/h.

It received Maserati treatment via a bespoke exhaust system that has two actuators in the rear mufflers that open in sport mode.

Fuel consumption

Maserati rates the Levante at 7.2 liters per 100 kilometers on the combined cycle and its carbon emissions are 189 grams per kilometer.

After 220km in the Levante Luxury, including a few laps of the track, we saw the 11.2L/100km figure written on the dashboard.

Driving

As a cruiser, the Levante is a great company. The air spring suspension system gives the car a comfortable, well damped ride that is quiet and manageable, even with the larger rim features of the Luxury model.

The diesel engine is understated and refined too, pairing well with the eight-speed automatic transmission.

Small off-road work has demonstrated the ability of the air suspension to rise to an impressive 247mm.

"Proper" hydraulic steering is also a key factor in the Levante's ease of use over long distances.

The short outing also showed a good level of balance, with the 90 percent rear-shift all-wheel drive system shifting the clutch forward—up to 50 percent—instantly as needed, yet retaining a rear-shift feel that can be easily adjusted. with throttle.

Some light off-road work has demonstrated the air suspension's ability to climb up to an impressive 247mm - 40mm higher than stock - along with hill descent control mode. However, the limiting factor for off-road adventures will be the class of tires fitted to the vehicle; Pirellis stock won't take you too far into the bushes.

As for the diesel soundtrack? This is acceptable and even not bad for a diesel. Maserati, however, are famous for some of the best engine reviews in the world, and this, unfortunately, does not ring true.

safety

The Levante comes standard with a range of active and passive safety systems, including lane departure warning, forward collision and blind spot warning, and radar cruise control.

Maserati says the Levante also has sport mode torque vectoring and trailer sway control (it can also tow a 2700kg trailer with brakes).

While Forward Traffic Alert pushes the brake pedal and helps the driver apply maximum braking force, it does not have an automatic emergency braking function.

There are also six airbags. The ANCAP safety rating has not yet been assigned to the vehicle.

Own

Maserati offers a three-year, 100,000 km warranty, extendable to five years at an additional cost.

A prepaid maintenance program that includes consumables such as filters, brake components and wiper blades is offered for other Maserati models, but details for the Levante have yet to be confirmed.

One of the launch guides, who has worked with the Italian brand for almost two decades, casually remarked how unusual it is to see the trident logo on a large SUV - and we agree with him.

It is difficult for a manufacturer of premium sports and touring cars to find the balance to produce a car that does not tarnish that reputation.

Maserati will sell all 400 vehicles destined for Australia thanks to the relatively low starting price and brand strength, and those 400 people will enjoy a beautiful, economical, comfortable SUV that is a pleasure to drive.

Does it evoke emotions and excite the spirit, as befits a good Italian brand? No, not at all. The Levante lacks the flair or theatrics to truly replicate the more traditional Maserati.

Would you prefer Levante Cayenne or SQ7? Tell us what you think in the comments below.