Maserati Levante
Italian sensuality meets old world charms
From preparing winning racecars 100 years back, to building exotic sportscars with Ferrari powertrains to… a diesel powered SUV? Maserati sure has come a long way. But it’s a good thing that even a cursory glance at the Levante is enough to stir up strong emotions.
The Levante can, and will, stop you right in your tracks. From the low set headlights to the bodacious fenders, the Levante is more grand tourer-sportscar than high-riding SUV. As it should be, it’s based on the four-door sedan Ghibli platform. The Levante started life as the Kubang concept, which was even more closely related stylistically to its sedan forebearers. Rare in the automotive world, the production model looks even better than that overly-curvaceous concept. We’ve stared at it for hours, and happily admit, it’s even classically pretty. The tapering glasshouse, tiny rear-quarter windows, and classic Maserati saetta trident and iconic triple air vents set this SUV apart. Seated in the well-bolstered driver’s seat, the feeling that time has stood still continues. Ahead of you is a thick, meaty steering wheel with the most minimal set of controls we’ve seen on a luxury car in a long time. Poking through the aperture are twin-pods with the most high-definition dials ever – because they’re good ol’ analogue dials that sweep around the harder you press your foot down. What a breath of fresh air in a world of TFT screens replicating rev counters! Don’t worry though, the the 8.4-inch central infotainment screen is suitably informative, though, once again, the interface and colours feel very old-school. Despite some controls feeling less premium than they ought to be, the overall effect is of plushness. It is a spacious cabin, with enough knee room in the rear (manually) reclinable seats to be able to comfortably cross my legs, which is quickly becoming my test for how executive a rear seat feels.
Maserati haven’t just built the Levante for the back-seat
driver. Far from it, the diesel V6 under the hood sounds deep and bassy, like its packing some leftover Ferrari genes, even though it’s built by VM Motori and not in Maranello. With a modest horsepower figure, the 600Nm of torque and rear-biased all-wheel drive system help the 2.2 tonne Levante breach the 100kmph mark in 6.9 seconds. The Q4 AWD system can send up to 50 per cent torque to the front and it’s quite entertaining to watch the front-rear split in real time on the driver’s display. Actual power delivery is less entertaining though it certainly is adequate for most situations. The 8-speed ZF torque converter transmission offers smooth shifts, and is surprisingly quick when you ask for a downshift via the paddleshifters.
Even the steering feels reassuringly weighted, as if it were a hydraulic system. Though, toggling through the drive modes makes you realise it most definitely isn’t. On offer are Normal, ICE (Increased Comfort and Efficiency), Off-road and Sport/Sport+. We found Sport to offer the best weight and response for highway speeds, with Normal feeling just floaty enough to warrant slowing down. The Levante also comes with Maserati’s Skyhook adaptive air-suspension, which draws a remarkably fine line between plush and absorptive on city roads and highways, and tied down and sporty when the ‘mood’ takes over. Granted, even in the Sport+ mode which firms things up, body roll and lean will force you to tailor corner entry speeds. Further proving the Levante’s dedication to old-world charm, it’s the first luxury SUV to come with a mechanical limited slip differential on the rear axle. So, squeezing on the throttle when the front pushes wide restores an almost rear-wheel drive behaviour, with the SUV then balancing on the throttle. The Levante is said to have the lowest centre of gravity in its class, and for an SUV does have a fine sense of balance when shown a set of corners.
REAR-BIASED ALLWHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM HELP THE 2.2 TONNE LEVANTE BREACH THE 100KMPH MARK IN 6.9 SECONDS
VERDICT
The Levante sure does give a sense of simpler times, with classic Maserati design cues setting the tone for what essentially is a ground-up new car. It even drives in an assuredly direct fashion while still providing great ride quality. The only con is its starting price tag of Rs 1.45 crore. At that price, rivals do more and do it better. But none offer the charm and characterful experience of the Levante.