2017 Maserati Levante Review

Overview:

Italians prefer acceleration and speed. There are a number of Italian cars available that boost a wild thrust of massive acceleration. These cars can easily go to flying speed. And it is even evident that maximum speed of most of the Italian cars is electronically limited. Otherwise, you just need to add a pair of wings to the car. And there she goes flying in the sky. Europeans are the masters of the automobile production. Germans and Italians share a vast history of producing a range of cars and other automobiles. In the present day, both of these nations are notable for producing luxury and performance cars.

From the notch of the present year, we have got the Levante from an Italian automaker, Maserati. The company calls Levante as the Maserati of all SUVs.

In 2011, Maserati introduced Kubang Concept Car at Frankfurt Auto Show. Kubang didn’t get to the phase of production. But Maserati designed Levante on the concepts of Kubang, with almost the same shape and mechanism.

Levante was introduced in Geneva Auto Show in 2016 for the first time. Later, it was displayed at the New York Auto Show. In the following year, the car went on sale in Europe and North America for the model year 2017.

The model line consists of only three models, namely, Levante, Levante S and Levante Diesel. The company has planned to provide an additional engine in the lineup by next year. Presently Levante is only featuring a V6 engine. By 2018 it will hold a V8 engine as well.

The base price of Maserati Levante is $72,600.

Specifications:

Engine	Transmission	HP	Torque
3.0 L	8 speed automatic	247 – 424 hp	369 – 440 lb – ft
0 – 62 MPH	Top Speed	Body Style	MPG
5.0s	164 mph	SUV	13 city/ 17 highway

Performance:

This Italian candidate is certainly decent and elegant in terms of performance. Two powertrains are available for Levante. One is conventional, powered by gasoline, while the other is the diesel powered engine.

3.0 L V6 is the standard power configuration. But all that differs is the maker and the tuning of the engine. The gasoline engine is provided by Ferrari. It is the Ferrari F160, having two tuning formats. The base version has 345 horses galloping at 369 lb – ft of torque. While the other is the 424 hp @ 428 lb – ft of torque. The base performance is available for the Maserati Levante. While the higher performance is available in Maserati Levante S. Well this was all about the North American market.

Now let’s visit the European market. Here we meet the 3.0 L V6 diesel engine from VM Motori of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The diesel engine has 247 steads that are able to run at 440 lb – ft of torque. Commonly, most of the automobile companies of the world offer diesel engines in Europe. Similarly, the diesel candidate of Levante is available in Europe with the title Maserati Levante Diesel.

According to Maserati, Levante S can reach the 0 – 62 mph mark within 5 seconds. But as per our test, Levante S’ best acceleration record is 5.2 seconds. The standard Levante took 5.5 seconds. While the diesel Levante took 6 seconds to reach the 62 mph mark. The standard configuration available for Levante is the all – wheels – drive.

Fuel mileage for Lavente is certainly below par. As compared to the rest of the available SUVs by other companies, Levante is almost 5 – 7 mpg short than those. It gives a combined EPA of 15 mpg. The diesel can go around 17 mpg.

Exterior:

We don’t usually come across such designing of SUVs. Levante hosts a good degree of aerodynamics. Conventionally, SUVs have an opaque shape. But Levante is much like a 4 – door hatchback SUV. From the front, it seems like a smiling whale, bulging through the air friction. The slit opened front grille works as a coolant for the V6 machine sitting on the hood of the Levante. The bonnet styling is much to depreciate the air above the car. This gives a down thrust for a quicker performance. The round shaped roof and the tiny spoiler at the back helps in deviating the wind upward for a continuous down force. Theoretically, it’s the buoyant force applied inverted.

At the rear of the car, the elbow marks work as the air diversionary. They divert the air away from the car. This allows a smooth drag efficiency. The smoked grill alloy wheels are yet a beauty mark of Levante.

Interior:

Some SUVs are pretty luxurious and comfortable from inside. Levante is even quite comfortable and luxurious. It has the space for 5 passengers including a driver. Besides, it offers a nominal space at the back for the cargo. Leather, wood and carbon fiber trims have been utilized in the interior of the car. Optional Zegna Package Silk interior and Sports interior are also available for Levante. The car is sounded with the Bowers and Wilkins Premium Sound system.

The bucket driver and front row passenger seats are comfortable. Especially the driver’s seat makes the driving pretty easy.

Features:

Levante features the Maserati Touch Control 8.4 inch infotainment system with the central control knob. Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto are available for the infotainment touchscreen system of Levante. Climate Control and Navigation are available in Maserati Levante.

Safety:

No word of worry has been heard about the safety of Maserati Levante. Until now everything is going well in terms of road safety of this car. Besides the standard safety features, Levante even features Advance Driver Assistance System (ADAS). Wrell, it also offer Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Detection and some other features. Forward collision warning, Rear cross path detection, and Lane departure are also available for Levante.

Competitors:

For this Italian candidate, we find the competition from the Germany. The Mercedes Benz GLE Class competes the Maserati Levante. Mercedes is certainly much refined and comfortable as compared to Levante. This makes it rank higher than this car.

Ultimately, it remains the choice of the buyer that what he wants. Was he style or class? Levante is a stylish SUV with decent performance, but with some weaker mileage.