Maserati Levante
Luxury SUV updated with Ferrari V6 engine
MASERATI launched its first ever SUV last year, with the type of splendour normally reserved for a new Pope. Since then it has shifted 25,000 Levantes around the world – making it the best-selling Maserati for some time. But its appeal was always hamstrung by its confusing trim packages, so-so handling, limited safety equipment and single engine option.
However, for 2018, the Italians have given their SUV a fine going over, and the results should make the upmarket offroader a little more tempting to buyers.
You’ll struggle to tell the revised car apart from its predecessor because Maserati hasn’t carried out any styling tweaks. The only real clue is a small chrome badge on the lower half of the front wing: it reads either ‘Granlusso’ or ‘Gransport’ depending on trim, and here we’re testing the new petrol-powered Levante S in Granlusso guise. Gransport, as the name suggests, is the more sporting of the two, and can be recognised by gloss black trim, 20-inch wheels and red brake calipers. On the inside there’s lashings of carbon fibre and a sports steering wheel with shift paddles.
Granlusso is the more luxurious version, with body-coloured trim, 19-inch alloy wheels, wood trinkets and the choice of either full leather or partErmenegildo Zegna silk upholstery.
Maserati has added a wealth of extra safety kit, too. There’s now adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go, forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, blindspot alert, highway assist and traffic sign recognition bundled in as well. It’s a package that costs £1,500 – or £2,525 with an around-view camera thrown in, too.
Elsewhere, Maserati has ditched the Levante’s hydraulic steering for an electric set-up, which apparently makes it more comfortable to drive around town without ruining the model’s sporting characteristics.
Yet the hydraulic set-up was one of the old Levante’s treats and delivered pleasing feel and consistent weighting. Now, though, the steering feels rubbery in the car’s Normal mode, while in Sport it’s heavier but disappointingly numb.
The electric set-up makes the Maserati feel remote – preventing you from carving through tight, twisting corners with confidence like you can in the outgoing Porsche Cayenne. The result is a car that
“The steering feels rubbery in the car’s Normal mode, while in Sport it’s heavier but disappointingly numb”
fails to bely its size, always feeling large and a little bit cumbersome. We also drove the car on Dubai desert dunes, where it performed well thanks to the Q4 all-wheeldrive system offering plenty of traction. The Levante would be outclassed by a Range Rover Sport on the toughest off-road terrain, but even though it’s a road-biased SUV, it showed plenty of strength on soft ground.
To add some appeal, Maserati now offers the car with a petrol engine. Up to now, the sole choice has been an off-the-shelf 3.0litre V6 diesel bought in from VM Motori, but the petrol is more of a family affair. Badged ‘S’ it’s a 424bhp 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 built by Ferrari and promises a tuneful note to match the Italian SUV’S suave character.
On paper then, the new Levante has all the ingredients to be a step up from the previous model; in reality it’s a mixed bag. The power delivery is good, with the engine’s brawn arriving at 5,000rpm. It picks up speed quickly and covers 0-62mph in just 5.2 seconds. That’s as fast as the soon-to-be-replaced Cayenne GTS, meaning the Levante is no slouch.
The engine is also well matched to the ubiquitous eight-speed ZF gearbox, and shifts cleanly up and down when left in auto mode. Manual changes are just as sharp, only slightly marred by a stubborn gearlever and springy-feeling shift paddles.
But, surprisingly, it’s the sound that disappoints most. When revved out to the red line it’s clear Ferrari has had a hand in its development, but at idle the engine note ranges from booming to a coarse growl. Flicking to Sport mode only amplifies this.
Elsewhere, it’s the same as the outgoing car, so the cabin looks good and the quality of leather is excellent. Yet switchgear shared with cheaper Fiat models frustrates, as do the haphazard infotainment menus.