2021 Maserati Levante Review: Trophy
Content
- Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 6/10
- Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
- How practical is the interior space? 8/10
- What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 9/10
- How much fuel does it consume? 6/10
- What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 7/10
- How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 6/10
- What is it like to drive? 8/10
- Verdict
Driving a huge SUV in a straight line on a race track at over 200 km/h sounds like fun, but it actually feels a bit wrong, like taking a baby elephant to a dog show.
These are strange times, of course, and the Maserati Trofeo Levante is a strange enough car - a classy, stylish, expensive family hauler that also has the heart and soul of a racing car.
Indeed, while high-performance SUVs are becoming an increasingly common vehicle, the Levante, which actually fared well as a model prior to this major update, has more performance than most.
That's because it has a big Ferrari V8 driving all four wheels and delivering 433kW and 730Nm of supercar-like power.
It's not what you might call a typical Maserati buyer's car, but then only those who know what the Trofeo badge stands for - screaming madness, basically - will be interested in this end of town. It's no small car, but is it worth the sticker price ($330,000)?
| Maserati Levante 2021: trophy | |
|---|---|
| Safety Rating | - |
| engine's type | 3.8 L turbo |
| fuel type | Premium unleaded gasoline |
| Fuel efficiency | —L / 100km |
| Landing | 5 Places |
| Price from | $282,100 |
Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 6/10
Sorry, but $330,000 for any SUV? Personally, I don't see the value, but personally, as we'll discuss below in the Design section, I don't see the appeal.
It's one of the most expensive SUVs money can buy, well above things like the Range Rover Sport SVR ($239,187) or even the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe ($254,000), although a more expensive Ferrari is certainly on the way. .
It costs a lot, and the way it rides and sounds thanks to the Ferrari engine costs quite a lot of dollars.
It only takes a few times to hear the sound of the engine and feel the surge of torque to understand why someone might fall in love with this car.
In addition, everything you touch in the car, inside and out, evokes undeniably high quality, as well as a huge amount of carbon fiber throughout.
Other features include 21-inch polished wheels, an 8.4-inch touchscreen with navigation and DAB radio, full-matrix LED headlights, and incredible Pieno Fiore genuine leather, “the best the world has ever seen,” according to Maserati.
Lovely, though firm, heated and ventilated front seats, sporty and 12-way adjustable, with Trofeo logos embroidered on the headrests. Alcantara headlining, sports steering wheel with carbon fiber paddle shifters, 14-speaker Harman Kardon Premium stereo system.
Even the rear seats are heated. It seems expensive, and it should be. But still, 330 thousand dollars?
Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
While the other two Trofeo-treated Maserati - the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans - are undeniably beautiful, the Levante isn't quite as handsome.
Admittedly, it looks very good for an SUV, and the Trofeo is touching - that big hood with nostrils, red gills on the sides, carbon fiber, badges - really take his game to the next level.
All in all, the Levante never struck me as handsome enough to be a Maserati.
On the whole, however, the Levante has never struck me as handsome enough to be a Maserati. These guys are really good at styling, as you'd expect from a premium Italian brand, but even they can't make an SUV sexy.
I agree, it looks good from the front, but from the back it looks like they just ran out of ideas.
However, credit must be given to the fact that he feels special inside.
How practical is the interior space? 8/10
If you need to transport five people in a hurry, the Levante is a nice way to do it.
It has plenty of head and shoulder room, the seats, while firm at the front, are nice to the touch and supportive, and the 580-litre trunk features a power tailgate and folding seats.
The trunk is also quite spacious, with a 12-volt outlet and four attachment points. However, you won't find a spare tire there, so serious off-roading is out of the question (although it's probably already been if you look at those expensive wheels).
Head and shoulder room is plentiful and the seats, while firm in the front, feel good and are supportive.
There are huge door pockets on the front with room for bottles and two large cup holders. The trash can on the center console looks nice, it's made entirely of carbon fiber, but it's quite small.
There are also three USB ports, one in the front and two in the back, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 9/10
This will be the last time Maserati gets a real Ferrari engine like this 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, a screaming monster that's good for 433kW and 730Nm.
The future, like everywhere else, will be more electric and less noisy. For now, anyone who can should enjoy this V8 masterpiece that powers all four wheels via the Maserati Q4's on-demand all-wheel drive system via a limited-slip rear differential and uses an eight-speed automatic transmission.
A claimed 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds puts it in the territory of what used to be considered a supercar, and it's still very fast, with a top speed of an unimaginable 304 km/h.
How much fuel does it consume? 6/10
Officially claimed fuel economy for the Maserati Levante Trofeo is 13.5 liters per 100 km, but that was lucky.
A more realistic value would probably be somewhere above 17 liters per 100 km, and we would easily exceed 20 liters, driving it like crazy around the track.
But you just paid $330 for an SUV, what do you care about fuel economy?
What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 7/10
Maserati's safety offering for the Levante includes six airbags, a rearview camera and a 360-degree overhead camera, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection, Forward Collision Warning Plus, Pedestrian Detection, Lane Keeping Assist traffic, Active Driver Assistance and Traffic Sign Recognition.
The Levante does not have an ANCAP rating as it has not been crash tested here.
Warranty and safety rating
Basic Warranty
3 years / unlimited mileage
guarantee
How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 6/10
Maserati offers a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, but you can buy a 12-month or two-year warranty extension, and even a sixth or seventh year powertrain warranty extension.
When much, much cheaper Japanese and Korean cars offer seven or even 10 year warranties, that's so far off the pace that such a fast car should be embarrassing. And if you're buying something Italian, a better and longer warranty seems like a must. I would negotiate with the sale to have them add an offer for a longer warranty.
If you need to transport five people in a hurry, the Levante is a nice way to do it.
Maserati says the Ghibli service has an "approximate cost of $2700.00 for the first three years of ownership" with a service schedule every 20,000 km or 12 months (whichever comes first).
In addition, "Please note that the above is indicative only for the manufacturer's main scheduled maintenance schedule and does not include any consumable items such as tires, brakes, etc. or dealer surcharges such as environmental fees. etc.".
What is it like to drive? 8/10
We've driven all three Trofeo Maserati's at the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit, and before that at a circuit where the Levante has always seemed very nice and pleasantly expensive.
As you'd expect, the 433kW car is hard to rate on the public road, although there have been interesting changes from time to time that give it quick and loud shifting.
It only takes hearing that engine sound a few times and feeling the surge in torque to understand why anyone would fall in love with this car, or at least this engine.
On the track, the rear-drive Ghibli and Quattroporte, which use the same engine as the Levante, were certainly more fun and crazy to drive, but there were those who chose the Levante as the best of the three, even for circuit rides.
I don't know why anyone would want an SUV that's good on the track, but if that's what you want, I can definitely recommend the Levante.
There is no doubt that its on-demand all-wheel drive system, which is biased towards the rear but asks the front wheels for help when needed, made it feel planted and safest in fast and slow corners.
However, there's a certain feeling that its engine is being asked to work the hardest to push all that mass through the air (although its brakes never seemed to go away, which is impressive when an SUV weighs over two tons).
While the big, stunning V8 wants and wants to rev to 7000 rpm (where it thumps on the redline, waiting for you to upshift if you're in manual mode - I love that), it started to suck hard. sounds at the top of every transmission, as if he's desperately trying to get more oxygen.
It did sound different than the other two Trofeo cars, which is weird, but maybe they just weren't at their best. That mass also slowed it down a bit in terms of straight-line top speed, but it still topped 220kph with ease.
This extremely pleasant engine is just too much fun, though in a sedan like the Ghibli it's even better...
I have to say that I was genuinely shocked at how good the Levante Trofeo was on the track. So much so that I asked again, just to make sure I wasn't going crazy.
Of course, this doesn't make sense to me personally, and I don't know why anyone would want an SUV that's good on the track, but if that's what you're looking for, then I can definitely recommend the Levante.
This extremely pleasant engine is just too much fun, though in a sedan like the Ghibli it's even better...
Verdict
Maserati are built for buyers in a rather specific niche; someone with a lot of money, someone a little older and of course someone who loves the finer things in life and appreciates Italian style, quality and heritage.
As a rule, they are not the kind of buyers who want to run around the racetracks like demons in big, flashy SUVs. But there seems to be a niche among Maserati fans and they are willing to invest big money in cars with the Trofeo badge, like this Levante.
It might seem like a bit of an odd creation, a racing SUV with a squealing Ferrari engine, but surprisingly, it actually works.
