Can you fit in with the SUV crowd, and still stand out from the pack? The Maserati Levante thinks so. James embraces the Italian SUV and explores the practical side of being special.
- Still a beautiful looking car, particularly from the front
- Generous standard equipment in this trim
- Plenty of punch from that twin-turbo V6, with impressive economny to boot!
- Grand at touring but not perfectly poised under pressure
- Technology implementation not up to where you would expect for this price point
- Gear shifts could be sharper to further stir the senses
Introduction
Italy. Renowned home of the Rennaissance. Birthplace of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelangelo, and a country where they are celebrated, equally on the Fontana delle Tartarughe in Rome.
It is a nation known for its love of beauty and style, of passion and prestige… but perhaps not always for class-leading dynamics and technological integration.
This is the domain of Maserati, a brand for whom the past 107 years have been awash with countless stories of powerful race cars and beautiful grand tourers. Neptune’s Trident signifying a car with grace and performance above all else.
Something, that may not necessarily be perfect, but is always and undeniably special.
The 2021 Maserati Levante S GranSport is a modern take on Maserati’s time-honoured grand-touring formula. Comfortable, fast and special, the SUV makes Maserati a considered daily answer to the questions that life will ask.
With a range that now starts at an entirely reasonable $127,000 (Levante 350), and climbs to a robustly excessive $336,990 (Levante Trofeo) both before on road costs, the Levante offers a choice to suit a variety of tastes and budgets, with options and personalisation decisions available across the board to further test the limits of both.
Our car sits mid-range, in the GranSport S. It shares pricing with an alternatively configured GranLusso S, but steps things up on ‘non-S’ models by offering some extra equipment plus a healthy bonus of 59kW (316kW to 257kW) and 80Nm (580Nm to 500Nm) from the twin-turbo V6, for an extra $35,500.
Given Italy is home to some famous mathematicians, we’ll round this one up to say it’s a rough 24 per cent increase to get a near 23 per cent increase. Maths and art – never wrong.
| Key details | 2021 Maserati Levante S GranSport |
| Price (MSRP) | $182,490 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Blu Nobile |
| Options | Mica paint – $2745 21″ Helios Wheels – $3077 Yellow brake callipers – $668 Ermenegildo Zegna Pelletessuta Interior Upholstery – $16,782 |
| Price as tested | $205,762 plus on road costs |
| Rivals | Porsche Cayenne Coupe | Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe | Range Rover Sport |
Style and design
I imagine there is a checklist on a blackboard, somewhere deep inside a studio devoted to Italian style, or more correctly stile, that simply says ‘a Maserati must be beautiful’. As that is the only proper way to describe the Levante.
Perhaps not the most beautiful, sure. but it is certainly striking, particularly in the wagonised company it tends to keep.
The slender, yet aggressive headlamps which flank the trident grille, paired with the sloping roofline and flared rear arches convey a clear message of class, which is very much accentuated by our car’s deep Blu Nobile paint ($2745 option). The optional 21-inch Helios wheels ($3077) don’t hurt either.
To be fair, smaller wheels would (and do) look undersized.
You can opt for the typical black-pack or choose from ten other colours (for 11 in total), but we like the stately nature of the blue with chrome trim elements and subtle Trident badging on the rear pillar.
That Maserati has persisted with the ‘speed holes’ behind the front wheels is yet another hat-tip to the brand’s racing history, although here they are less for exhaust or heat extraction than they are a conversation piece. The same can be said for the frameless windows, something that is cool in a coupe and almost more cool here.
After all, isn’t that what a Maserati is all about?
Inside
Who would have thought a rattan-like texture over a purplish-brown leather would work so well?
Welcome to the $16,782 Ermenegildo Zegna Pelletessuta Interior Upholstery option, in a very classy shade of marrone. Sure, it costs more than a Kia Picanto, but as far as up-spec interiors go, this is pretty nice. It works exceptionally well with the blue exterior and is just lovely to touch.
Remember, a Maserati is about being special. These seats are that.
Expensive fabrics aside, they offer good support upfront and there is decent room in the back. Not that you’d really want anyone in there, lest they mess up your fancy seats.
There’s a 580-litre boot, which has the automatic close button on the inside rear panel. This makes it easy for anyone to close, which is a solid consideration for many buyers.
Ergonomics are good, there’s a huge amount of storage in the centre console and vision is fine, despite the thick D-pillar and steep rake of the rear window. Plus, do you really need five buttons to control the sunroof? No.
However, the door bins aren’t all that useful and seem to offer an infinite hole that begs to lose things in, despite not being able to fit much of anything in there anyway.
| 2021 Maserati Levante S GranSport | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 580L seats up |
| Length | 5005mm |
| Width | 1981mm |
| Height | 1696mm |
| Wheelbase | 3004mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Italian artists and designers? Check. Mathematicians, yep we covered that. Actors, dancers, singers, drivers and athletes? You know it.
But ask people to name an Italian technology entrepreneur or start-up captain and you may run quickly out of names. I’m not for a second suggesting there aren’t any, it is just that compared to the country’s other exports, there aren’t many. And this is where we find the Trident something of a fish out of water.
First thing’s first, all the technology is here. Satellite navigation, DAB digital radio, surround-view camera; and it is all represented on a crisp 8.4-inch touch screen.
It just feels a little ordinary, and while many Maserati buyers may not recognise it from similar systems across Chrysler and Jeep cousins, we know, and you can really tell.
The interface is just a little hard to navigate. The menus are just a little clumsy. The overall representation is not something either stylish or special, and it is generally a long way from fitting in with a car that leaves the showroom with a six-figure invoice that starts with a two…
Perhaps the grinding point here is that the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia, also part of the same Stellantis parent company, score a newer and convincingly nicer media system. One would expect the flagship to warrant something a bit snazzier, especially when brands like Mercedes-Benz keep pushing the game further and further ahead.
Good stereo though (14-speaker Harman Kardon), although a 17-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system is just $2693 more. Go on, do it.
Safety & Technology
For the 2021 model year, the Levante ads a full suite of driver assistance and safety technology, which includes autonomous emergency braking both front and rear, plus forward pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with traffic assist, active lane-keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, 360-degree cameras, and rear cross traffic alert.
The car hasn’t been crash-tested in Australia, nor Europe, so unfortunately there is no ANCAP or Euro NCAP rating to offer.
| 2021 Maserati Levante S GranSport | |
| ANCAP rating | Not tested |
Value for Money
I feel value is very much a subjective thing when a Maserati is on your shopping list.
As an adviser, I’d argue the Levante offers more for less, and that you’re better to shave that 23 per cent power bump in return for a 24 per cent discount and choose a ‘non-S’ GranSport, that will give you a car, with plenty of power plus some tasteful options, well under the $200,000 barrier.
Although, if you’re reading this and already have a second tab open to learn more about $17,000 Zenga upholstery upgrades, then I feel whatever I say is largely irrelevant.
For context, we’re somewhere between Porsche Cayenne S and GTS territory, and smack-dab in the Range Rover Sport HSE region, before you start ticking boxes, which makes the Maserati feel very much in line with buyer expectation.
| At a glance | 2021 Maserati Levante S GranSport |
| Warranty | Three years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 24 months / 20,000km |
| Servicing costs | $2750 (3 years) |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 12.0L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.2L/100km |
| Fuel type | 98 octane petrol |
| Fuel tank size | 80L |
Driving
Simply put, the twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 in the Levante is a cracker!
It’s not explosively quick, the peak torque band between 2250 and 4750rpm gives the car time enough to get up a head of steam before piling on the pace, and with peak power all the way around at 5750rpm, the wailing-six really just wants you to keep squeezing the throttle on.
The exhaust provides a suitably entertaining soundtrack, with tonal crescendo through the rev range, supplemented by pops and crackles on shift changes.
It’s a pity then, the gearbox isn’t as sharp as the engine almost urges it to be, changing smoothly and accurately albeit without any rapid pace or theatrical thump that one might like. It is a regular eight-speed automatic though, not a multi-clutch fastbox, again reminding the driver that it is here to do the job of a rhythmic jogger rather than a thrashing sprinter.
Come to terms with that, find some wide-open B-roads and the Levante is a gem.
It carries speed impressively well and builds speed much faster than you think. Further, it was very economical for a twin-turbo six, returning under 10L/100km on a combined urban and touring loop, which is below the claim of 12.0L/100km on a combined cycle. Sure, it loped along in cruise control on the freeway, but a few entertaining sections saw the tachometer regularly spin toward 6000rpm.
That it managed a very conservative thirst was both a surprise and delight.
The Levante rides on air suspension, which affords differing damping settings as well as adjustable ride height.
Running about in Sport tucks the car a few millimetres closer to earth, and the behaviour is resolved and predictable. Slip it back up a notch to the default Comfort setting, however, and larger speed humps and sharp edges will translate a fidgety and almost under-damped nature through the big SUV.
Increasing your pace in this setting only sets to amplify the car’s busy nature, wiggling and wobbling over bumps, never uncomfortably nor without due confidence, but perhaps not with the resolute nature we would really like.
We had the car on some wet roads, with varying levels of grip, and in both Comfort and Sport setting felt the car was happier at a trot not a run, particularly when adhesion altered in mid-corner. Perhaps the regular 20-inch wheels and marginally thicker sidewall would make more sense, despite not looking quite so sharp in the car park.
Dial back to urban speeds and this predominantly washes away, with the car again maintaining composure and comfort.
The Levante is a grand tourer and not a sports machine, but the rev-happy nature of the V6 almost encourages you to explore the car’s capability, even if it gives you the sense that unless the conditions are perfect, it would rather you just take it easy.
| Key details | 2021 Maserati Levante S GranSport |
| Engine | 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol |
| Power | 316kW @ 5750rpm |
| Torque | 580Nm @ 2250-4750rpm |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Eight-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 158.1 kW/t |
| Weight (tare) | 1999kg |
| Tow rating | 2700kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.7m |
Conclusion
As I have hinted at throughout this review, the Maserati Levante is a quintessentially Italian car.
It offers beauty and brawn as you would expect, and tickles with efficiency and quality as a dash of added surprise. But Maserati knows its strengths, and if you’re after the latest technology platform or the most astute dynamic ability, this isn’t the car for you.
That the infotainment system does enough to suffice and that the car is eminently more suited to high speed touring than it is to layered switchbacks speaks more to the Levante’s ability than anything though, as who cares if your sub-sub-sub menus are a bit ordinary when you look and sound like this.
Italy is a Renaissance country, and the 2021 Maserati Levante S GranSport is a Renaissance car.
Beautiful and soulful, it offers something that is both sensible and prestigious, to a buyer who wants something just that little bit different.
Being special has never had anything to do with being perfect, and in many ways that is Maserati’s reason for being. Not the best by any key measure, but more memorable than most – and in today’s market that says enough.
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