Test drive the crossover Maserati Levante

Bulky, wide aft and powerful thighs, the Levante is as convincing as Marlon Brando in The Godfather. The actor and the car play Italians, although their roots are more German-American

"Levante" or "Levantine" is the wind blowing from the east or northeast over the Mediterranean. It usually brings rain and cloudy weather. But for Maserati, it's the wind of change. The Italian brand has been working on its first crossover for 13 years.

It will seem to some that the new Maserati Levante crossover resembles the Infiniti QX70 (formerly FX), but they have in common only the bend of the long hood and the equally expressively curved roof. Even if you peel off numerous tridents from the body, gloss over the air intakes lined up in a line, the refined Italian charm is still recognizable. And which crossover in the class has frameless doors?

Bulky, wide aft and powerful thighs, the Levante is as convincing as Marlon Brando in The Godfather. The actor and the car play Italians, although their roots are more German-American. Brando's ancestor was Brandau, a German immigrant who settled in New York. The Levante engine has a gasoline engine block cast in the USA, and the ZF "automatic" is a licensed American assembly.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class W211 platform first hit the United States, where it formed the basis of the Chrysler 300C sedan. And then, with the purchase of Chrysler, Fiat got it. All new Maserati models were based on it: the flagship Quattroporte, the smaller sedan Ghibli and, finally, the Levante. The Italians have creatively reworked the German heritage, leaving only the electrics untouched: there are new suspensions and their own all-wheel drive system.

Initially, the crossover, bearing the name Kubang, was planned to be built on the basis of the Jeep Grand Cherokee - also with a Mercedes pedigree. So in any case, they chose from the legacy of the failed Daimler-Chrysler alliance. The Italians settled on the most "lightweight" version - the first Maserati crossover should have the best handling in the class, weight distribution is strictly equal between the axles and the lowest possible center of gravity.

The Levante is more than five meters long: it is larger than the BMW X6 and Porsche Cayenne, but shorter than the Audi Q7. Its wheelbase is one of the most impressive in the class - 3004 mm, more only in giants like the Infiniti QX80, elongated Cadillac Escalade and Range Rover. But inside, Maserati does not feel spacious - a low roof, a wide central tunnel, massive seats with thick backs. There is not so much space in the back row, and the trunk volume by the standards of the class is quite average - 580 liters.

The luxury here is cozy, friendly, without deliberate technocracy or retro shining with chrome: leather, leather and leather again. It surrounds with living warmth, in its folds the clock on the front panel, narrow wooden slats, seat belt buckles and a few keys sink. The interior is devoid of negligence, which has always been explained by handwork: the seams are even, the skin practically does not wrinkle, the panels fit smoothly and do not creak. Simple plastic can be found only around the multimedia screen, and the most amazing interior detail - a strip of veneer around the entire perimeter of the steering wheel - try to find the joints on it.

Finding the right knob or key is even more fun. For example, the engine start button is hidden on the left panel, but this can still be explained by the brand's motorsport past. The "emergency" was placed on the central tunnel between the multimedia system control washer and the air suspension level button. The lever for adjusting the pedal assembly can be stumbled upon only by accident - it was hidden under the seat cushion in front. The ergonomics of the Levante intricately combine a single multifunction steering wheel stick - a heritage from the Mercedes platform - with a BMW-style unfixed joystick and Jeep audio buttons on the back of the steering spokes. And all this did not escape the creative approach of the Italians.

On some cars, the gearshift paddles were also placed behind the wheel, large, pleasantly cooling fingers with metal. But because of them, it is equally inconvenient to control the windshield wipers, turn signals and the audio system. Not otherwise, the driver of such a car must have long thin fingers to reach all this. There are also difficulties with gear shifting: try to get into the desired mode of four the first time - there is no separate Parking button, like on Bavarian cars.

Once the Maserati Quattroporte surprised me with the absence of Bluetooth and the translation with errors - the sport mode of the shock absorbers with the loud name Sky Hook was called Sport Suspension. All this is in the past - Levante speaks good Russian, the multimedia system offers various applications and supports Android Auto. Only when connected to a smartphone, the rest of the touch screen functions are not available - not even turn on the steering wheel heating. High-tech options are not Maserati's greatest strength. All-round visibility, adaptive cruise control, lane tracking system are the necessary minimum of a modern car. And nothing more - everything, on the contrary, is as traditional as possible.

At one time, the company tried to experiment with adaptive seats that would adjust the profile to fit the rider. But she did not achieve much success. Driving Levante is simple, of the additional amenities here only lumbar support adjustment, and surprisingly comfortable. Landing is high not only in fact, but also in status. I will not be surprised at all if the guard, instead of taking the receipt, falls to my hand. The driver of the black "five", chatting on the phone and cutting off Levante, will catch up with me shouting: "Signor, excuse me. An unfortunate mistake has occurred. "

In fact, I've watched Italian films, and the people around me react calmly. Long-legged blondes are an exception. One, fluttering out of the bookstore, froze, having lost the multi-colored diaries. A couple of times in a traffic jam, I noticed how people took out their smartphones and started looking for what kind of car was driving next to them. Drivers prefer not to mess with Levante - it looks too impressive. And he is unlikely to give a chance to rest against his stern and blink distant ones.

Maserati and diesel are still strangely combined. The three-liter V6 from WM Motori - also in the Jeep Grand Cherokee - first appeared on the Ghibli sedan, followed by the Quattroporte. For the Levante, it should be more natural, but you expect special characteristics from a special car, but here they are quite common: 275 hp. and 600 newton meters. The powerful pickup is not surprising, and 6,9 seconds to "hundreds" is faster than a Porsche Cayenne Diesel and Range Rover Sport with a three-liter V6, but slower than any diesel BMW X5. More can be removed from a modern diesel engine, especially if you have to accelerate a two-ton car with the legendary trident on the nose.

“Nothing personal, just business,” Levante hisses in Vito Corleone's voice. The business is quite profitable: the consumption of the on-board computer does not exceed 11 liters per 100 kilometers. This offer, which cannot be refused in Europe, is enough to put a refueling nozzle on the fuel tank. Yes, and in Russia, Maserati has prospects on diesel fuel, in any case, dieselization in the segment of premium crossovers and SUVs is quite high.

A three-liter gasoline engine is no longer a business, but a vendetta. Even in the simplest version, it develops 350 hp. and 500 Nm of torque. And then there is the Levante S with the same engine, boosted to 430 hp, and in the future, a version with a V8 engine may appear.

The simplest petrol Levante is less than a second faster than diesel, but how it sounds in sport mode! Rough, loud, passionate. This is, of course, not an opera at La Scala, but still impressive. A ticket to such a concert is expensive - the consumption of this car does not drop below 20 liters, and the inclusion of the economical / snow mode ICE does not give a big discount. Is the overpayment worth it? On the one hand, in the eternal Moscow traffic jams and at the sight of cameras, he does not show character, but on the other hand, the gasoline engine best suits this very character. In addition, the eight-speed "automatic" with it works smoother than with a diesel engine.

Maserati claims to have created a crossover with the best handling in its class. Of course, Italians love to brag, and competitors hardly pay such attention to driving nuances. But the fact is clear: behind the wheel of the Levante, you understand why the Italian company still exists and what it does best. The responses to the old-fashioned power steering are instant and the feedback is finely tuned. The lightweight all-wheel drive system will instantly transfer traction to the front wheels, but still allows the rear axle to slide recklessly.

The Levante rides smoothly and with minimal roll, even on 20-inch wheels, making it the most comfortable Maserati in existence. Sport mode for shock absorbers is needed here only for additional thrills. Adjustable air struts allow it to perform equally well as a sports car and an SUV. At high speeds, it can squat by 25-35 mm, and off-road clearance can be increased by 40 mm from the normal 207 mm. The all-wheel drive transmission even has an off-road mode, but it is unlikely that the button will be used often.

Levante is located in the model range of the brand between Ghibli and Quattroporte - it is larger and more expensive than most of its classmates. For diesel and gasoline cars, they ask for $ 72-$ 935. The price tag for the version with the S prefix is ​​more serious and exceeds $ 74. On the one hand, it is exotic, but on the other, paradoxical as it may sound, the Levante crossover makes the Maserati brand less exotic.

In the history of Maserati, different things happened: an unnatural marriage with Citroen, and bankruptcy together with the De Tomaso empire, and attempts to produce Ferrari for every day. But it looks like the course has been charted right now - the Levante wind is inflating the sails of the company. And if it rains, then money.

	Maserati Levante Diesel		Maserati Levante
A type	Crossover	Crossover
Dimensions: length / width / height, mm	5003 / 2158 / 1679	5003 / 2158 / 1679
Wheelbase, mm	3004	3004
Ground clearance, mm	207-247	207-247
Cargo space, l	580	508
Curb weight, kg	2205	2109
Gross vehicle weight, kg	No data	No data
engine's type	Diesel turbocharged	Turbocharged petrol
Working volume, cubic meters cm.	2987	2979
Max. power, h.p. (at rpm)	275 / 4000	350 / 5750
Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm)	600 / 2000-2600	500 / 4500-5000
Drive type, transmission	Full, AKP8	Full, AKP8
Max. speed km / h	230	251
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s	6,9	6
Fuel consumption, l / 100 km	7,2	10,7
Price from, $.	71 880	74 254

The editors express their gratitude to the Villagio Estate company and the Greenfield cottage village administration for their help in organizing the shooting, as well as to the Avilon company for the car provided.