Italian all-terrainer
Maserati joins South Africa’s prestige SUV league with its luxurious Levante
MASERATI has done what Porsche did in 2003, Jaguar and Bentley did last year, and what Rolls-Royce and Alfa Romeo will do soon - cross over into SUV territory.
SUVs are where the money’s at right now, and whether it’s a microhatch donning plastic fender flares and taller springs, or a luxury carmaker delving deep into a segment once owned by Range Rover, the fact is it has to be done. The market is hungry for ride height, and if brands like Maserati, famous for fast coupés, convertibles and sedans, don’t make the move they’ll be missing out on a sizeable chunk of lucrative market share. It’s the future.
With that, here’s the new Levante. Launched in South Africa this week, this is Maserati’s take on the sporty side of the Sport Utility Vehicle segment where rivals such as Jaguar’s F-Pace and Porsche’s Macan play. Yes, those two vehicles are cheaper than the Maserati, but they’re spot on in terms of size, performance and appeal. If we take cost into account it’s difficult to find a direct Levante competitor, but we’ll get to money in a minute.
Overseas the Levante comes in three forms - two turbopetrol V6s and one turbodiesel. In South Africa we get the diesel only but that could change in the future when Maserati starts production of the petrols in right-hand drive. Our model, known simply as the Levante Diesel, gets a 3-litre single turbo V6 with 202kW and 570Nm (600 on overboost) paired with an 8-speed auto gearbox. Performance is claimed at 6.9 seconds for 0-100km/h and a top speed of 230km/h, and for those Reva speedboat or race horse owners, max towing capacity is rated at 2700kg.
Though Maserati has gone to great lengths to claim this engine as its own, we know it’s in fact closely related to that in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. No problem really. It’s wonderfully torquey thing, and its gruff exhaust note suits this type of high-performance highrider nicely.
And while we’re on the Jeep note I must add that the Levante does NOT ride on the same platform as the Grand Cherokee. When Maserati first revealed the Kubang concept for this vehicle in 2011 it was said that Chrysler would supply the Levante’s chassis, but the decision was changed later on. Underpinning the Levante is a derivation of the Ghibli/Quattroporte sedan chassis, with SUV-appropriate suspension adjustments.
There are, however, some strong ties to the Chrysler mothership inside. Interior materials come from a mixed basket, and while much of it comprises seriously high quality materials (there’s a R68 275 option for Zegna upholstery with mulberry silk and premium leather) stitched together in typically beautiful Italian fashion, it’s also easy to spot some Chryslersourced components, including the 21.3cm colour touchscreen.
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