Maserati hits the right note
A twin-turbo petrol V6 brings the Levante back to classic Maserati character, writes David Linklater.
It’s well-known that diesel engines are totally unsuitable for Maseratis. Even big SUV ones. The Italian maker has brought some music back to its Levante in the S model, which is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine. That’s petrol. Petrol we say.
How much music are we talking about?
A lot. The new V6 might be directinjection/stop-start/euro 6-clean, but it’s also incredibly sonorous if you’re in the mood.
It’s not a rumble, more a classically trained super-gurgle that erupts through an exhaust bypass when you hit Sport mode. It sounds pretty special. It’s also really quite loud.
Maserati really likes to talk about the fact that this engine is built by Ferrari in Maranello (just like Maserati’s V8s). And why not? It’s a good boast and the V6 has the soundtrack to back it up.
Feel free to shout ‘‘Ferrari!’’ as you nail the throttle.
It’s not actually a Ferrari engine mind, as it’s built for Maserati by Ferrari. Semantics. So anyway.
SUV or not, the Levante S has a staggeringly good chassis. All versions of the Levante are fitted with the same eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, Q4 intelligent all-wheel-drive and standard mechanical limited-slip differential (LSD).
The Q4 system is rear-drive in normal conditions and stays that way even on low-traction surfaces until absolutely necessary. Then, it can transfer up to 50 per cent of torque to the front in just
150 milliseconds.
When things aren’t quite so desperate there’s a torque vectoring
Sounds a bit over the top. Is it?
Theoretically no, because Maserati Vital statistics:
has also launched a V8 version of the Levante in Europe called the GTS, so it obviously feels a lot more power and aggression is entirely appropriate.
In fact, you can calm the S quite effectively by just driving it in normal mode. It’s aurally restrained, the adaptive suspension is comfortable and you can simply cruise.
The suspension system also gives the driver a fair few options on how and where to drive, with six different height levels. The driver can alter