- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.0TT, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
321kW, 580Nm
- Fuel
Petrol 10.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2018 Maserati Levante S GranSport new car review
- Sounds tough
- Delivers strong performance
- Active safety additions
- Rear cabin space
- Quality niggles
- Fuel use
Like many brands stretching the boundaries of tradition in hope of expansion, Maserati challenged historical values with its first high-riding SUV. The Levante arrived locally in October 2016 with an unfamiliar silhouette home to a diesel engine shared with Jeep’s Grand Cherokee.
Updated for 2018, the Levante is now available in “S” trim featuring a suite of active safety features as standard, along with a snarling twin-turbocharged petrol engine offering the performance and theatre enthusiasts expect from the iconic Italian brand.
What you get
Positioned $30,000 upstream from the standard diesel model, the Levante S is available in three trims including a regular model priced from $169,990 plus on-road costs, and high-spec GranSport and GranLusso versions which ask customers to pay an extra $10,000.
We tested the Levante S in GranSport form, which brings a strong list of standard features including staggered 21-inch wheels with wider rubber for the back axle, oversized brakes with red calipers, variable-height air suspension, Bi-Xenon headlights and a central touchscreen hooked up to front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a 14-speaker Harmon Kardon stereo.
Safety is covered by blind spot alert, adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning systems, autonomous emergency braking, hill descent control and more now offered as standard.
Luxury touches include a panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate, velour carpets and fine-grain leather upholstery, while optional extras include Zegna silk trim, adaptive headlights, carbon fibre or wood veneers, a Bowers and Wilkins stereo, four-zone climate control and other niceties.
What’s inside
The Levante’s striking long-bonnet exterior style results in an interior with a little less space than you might expect from more than two tonnes of family SUV. Rear room is somewhat tight for tall occupants in the Levante, which offers a decent amount of cargo space – and a nice touch is a button for the powered tailgate conveniently located at hip height so you don’t have to stretch while carrying luggage.
Up front, the Levante’s large steering wheel features enormous metal shift paddles fixed to the steering column and positioned close to the steering wheel. While satisfying to use when pressing on, the paddles can get in the way during everyday traffic. We’d probably prefer to use subtler wheel-mounted paddles, but Maserati chooses to mount infotainment controls on the back of the steering wheel in a similar fashion to FCA family members including Jeep. Examine the cabin closely and you’ll find switchgear shared with more modest members of the Italian-American alliance, though that is by no means a deal-breaker.
The Levante cabin presents well, with rich soft-touch leather, an easily grasped infotainment system and well-judged use of carbon fibre, brightwork and suede-like materials throughout our test example.
There’s plenty of storage, including room for a plus-sized phone to be plugged in and tucked out of sight under the climate control panel. Maserati’s iconic oval-shaped clock is present, along with a couple of squeaks, rattles and poorly-fitted trim elements we’d rather not find in a near-$200,000 car. Ergonomic hiccups include a fiddly automatic transmission selector that makes it easy to grab the wrong gear and oddly stacked circular controls for the stereo and sat nav system which feel inelegant. A final gripe surrounds audible static played through the speakers during phone calls – Maserati’s electronics system isn’t nearly as finessed as what you might find in a Porsche, Audi or Mercedes.
Under the bonnet
Those misgivings fade into insignificance when you push the starter button and fire up the Levante’s Ferrari-built 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, which rouses with a triumphant blare. The surprisingly vocal motor feels appropriate for such an iconic marque, with a rich timbre fitting Maserati’s heritage. The exhaust note is a real selling point for the Levante S, which exists on an auditory plane several levels above its gruff and unremarkable diesel sibling.
The Levante S offers performance to match its sound, sending an impressive 316kW of power and 580Nm to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission delivering crisp gear changes accompanied by a vocal burp from quad exhaust tips.
Maserati claims the Levante S can rip to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds, well less than the 6.9 seconds diesel models require to do the same dash. That puts the Levante on par with similarly potent SUVs such as Porsche’s Macan GTS or the slightly faster Mercedes-AMG GLC 43, machines which bring performance to rival proper performance cars.
Maserati says best-in-class aerodynamics results in a low drag figure and high top speed of 264km/h – a claim we did not attempt to verify on Australian roads.
In any case the Levante feels appropriately quick in the real world – if inappropriately loud with its bi-modal exhaust set in Sports mode – where enthusiastic use of the engine seems fuel use exceed Maserati’s claimed 10.0L/100km fuel use by a considerable margin.
How it drives
Once again, Maserati enthusiasts will forgive the Levante’s shortcomings in sensible areas such as fuel use or running costs and celebrate its driving experience.
The “S” treatment is about more than the engine – it brings bigger brakes, wider tyres, less weight and a sharper focus on driver enjoyment. New electronic power steering works in league with a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system hooked up to a mechanical limited-slip rear differential and brake-based torque-vectoring system to make the Levante feel much more agile than its size suggests.
It’s easy to forget you’re driving an SUV, particularly when suspension is set to a sports mode that lowers its ride height and stiffens its shock absorbers to improve the wagon’s reactions.
Comfortable enough around town, the Levante S responds well when pressing on. Previous experience with this car in Dubai's deep sand dunes on a regional launch suggests it is far more capable off-road than you might expect, even if no Australia owner would dare replicate such feats.
Yes, the steering is a touch too light, the suspension can wallow in comfort mode and there is more road noise than luxury rivals. No, it doesn’t allow you to customise steering, suspension, driveline, exhaust and stability control settings to suit your own requirements.
Verdict
Like most Maseratis, the Levante S is far from perfect.
But it is memorable, offering character, sound and straight-line performance worth spending a premium over its diesel cousin. Faster and sharper than the standard model, the Levante S Gransport delivers an experience worthy of a great brand, and emotional appeal beyond conventional luxury marques.
2018 Maserati Levante S Gransport pricing and specifications:
Price: From $179,990 plus on-road costs
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 twin –turbo petrol
Power: 316kW at 5750rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 5000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, all-wheel-drive
Fuel use: 10.9L/100km
Interested in buying a Levante? Visit our Maserati showroom
Road test rivals:
Porsche Macan GTS
Price: From $113,700 plus on-road costs
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol
Power: 265kW at 6000rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1650-4000rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic, all-wheel-drive
Fuel use: 9.2L/100km
Mercedes-AMG GLC 43
Price: From $101,400 plus on-road costs
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 petrol turbo
Power: 270kW at 5500-6000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 2500-4500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Fuel use: 8.8L/100km
Audi SQ5
Price: From $99,611 plus on-road costs
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo petrol
Power: 260kW at 5400-6400rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1370-4500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Fuel use: 8.7L/100km
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