This is the flagship SUV from little Italy, the Maserati Levante. And whil;e Maserati may not be as Italian as it once was, there’s still a lot to get excited about behind the wheel – let me show you what I mean.
Driving Impressions
We’ll start where every car review starts and that’s with the engine
No, we don’t have the big Trofeo V8 here in this Modena trim, but yanno what…go on the Maserati website and play the V8 and this V6 next to each other and tell me which one you like better
And that’s coming from ME!
This 3.0 TTV6 is good for an output of 424 hp and 428 lbft of torque. These are not small numbers from a TTV6. All that power goes through a ZF 8 Speed transmission to all 4 wheels and that means 0-60 is done in this Levante in just 5 seconds
0-60, the hallmark metric of any sports car, but this is a midsize SUV, and it doesn’t even have the V8
Which may sound like downsides, but even still this thing is dishing out serious pace
But it’s not the straight line speed or emotional exhaust sound that has me captivated with this thing
It’s the dynamics and handling. Remember how I said this was a midsize SUV? Well you couldn’t tell from behind the wheel. There’s a sharpness you get in the driver seat that’s typically reserved for sport sedans
And that didn’t happen by acccident. Maserati now falls under the Stellantis umbrella, but all those years under Ferrari certainly left them with something
Things like dual wishbone front suspension
Self-leveling air springs
And a true mechanical LSD out back
I mean these are things you don’t even get in a modern Supra…but you get them here
And all those things make this Levante handle way better than it should
And importantly, handle well enough to make me forget there’s no V8 grumbling at me. There’s also a benefit of not having a V8 and that’s i nthe weight – this tips the scales at a leaner 5000 lbs versus a heavier and more cumbersome V8
From the driver’s seat there’s nothing to not like
The power is great
The sound is emotional
The gearbox is snappy and dramatic
The chassis and suspension work together seamlessly
And the brakes are strong and confident
And if for whatever reason you want to settle down and drive like a more civilized adult, all you have to do is turn it into comfort mode and the steering will lighten off, the suspension will soften back, the transmission smoothes out, and you’re left wafting down the road in luxury…but let’s step outside because we need to address this paint color
Exterior Design
Honestly the best thing about this Levante is the experience behind the wheel, but then you step outside and you’re met with one of the wildest, more Italian car colors imaginable
The color is called Fuoriserie Urban Green
And think of Fuoriserie as Maserati custom of Porsche PTS or BMW individual
Ultimately, i think the Levante is one of the best looking SUVs on sale today
It looks fast it looks sharp, and it has for years
It’s like the SUV version of Maerati’s own Gran Turismo
Up front you have the awesome classic maserati grille that’s spokes are concave
And then in the center you have a massive trident and on just above for good measure
On either side are simple bar running lights that almost seem tied together by the chrome bar that runs the width of the grille
It’s a very aggressive front end to be sure
Around the side you’re sitting on probably the best speccd 21 inch black wheels to complement this paint
You’ve of course got body colored wheel arches despite some offroad allusions on the interior
An then on your front fender you have the prototypical maserati trim badge and triple gill
It reminds me of what we’re used to seeing on AMG models
And then zooming out from profile you can really see how long the hood is
And how aggressively raked and sloped the rear is once you get past the seats
It’s not to the point of a coupe-body style but it’s a nice elegant taper
And then just below you have some of the widest rear hips of any SUV out there
And of course your D pillar gets a Trident
It wouldnt be a maserati without a trident here
And then as we make our way around back you have simple taillights
That are again connected by a bar of chrome
And then a black diffuser and quad tips which sound incredible
Oh, and 6000 lbs towing which is is shockingly good
So it goes beautifully and it looks pretty good as well, now let’s step inside
Interior & Features
This is the part of the video where the big BUT comes in right? Well yes and no, on one hand, it’s not quite as modern or updated as some rivals, but it’s till got a great sense of style and luxury and it’s not like you’re missing much of anything, and if you’re really concerned the new generation will follow suit in what we’ve seen from the little sister grecale so be sure to check that out
The design here is still what I would consider modern and competitive
The style is clean and elegant looking
The leatherwork is fantastic
There’s tridents embroidered into the headrests front and rear
The stitching is really nice
And everything is wrapped in leather
And then you get a very Porsche-Chrono style clock donning your dash
But it’s not all flash, you get nice features and luxuries too
Heated and cooled seats up front
Heated seats in the rear
Heated steering wheel
Soft close doors
You’ve got a big pano roof bringing in light
AND YOU HAVE A FRIDGE!
And then there’s the technology suite
You’ve got a fairly competitive driver assist suite with all the autopilot stuff
You’ve got a nic sized head unit though the graphics are showing their age a bit
In things like the 360 cameras and some icons
But you do get apple car play and android auto
And you’ve got an upgraded 900 watt harmon kardon sound system
And then you’ve got really crazy stuff that you interact with all the time like the shift paddles that are a mile long
Your drive modes are funny
offroad
Ice
Sport
And then traction and damper stiffness controls underneath that
You’ve got Air ride so you can adjust the height manually or let the car figure it out based on your drive mode
And then as we talk about the rear
The seats are nice and spacious and you get
Climate vents and dual USB AND a 12V in rear
And then rounding out the cabin you have a great sized trunk
And the power close button on the side like it should be
So while it may not be as flashy as an iDrive 8 or Mercedes Hyperscreen, you;re not really missing out on much and to be honest I’d put up with a lot worse to get the driving experience this thing brings…so with that let’s do final thoughts
Conclusion
The Maserati Levante Modena…at 112k as tested it’s a lot of money, but you get an experience here that you’re not going to get anywhere else. The Maserati experience is so much more unique and special than the Audi or BMW or Mercedes. You see those drive down the street every 10 seconds, but when you tell your friends you’ve got a Maserati…that means something totally different. So thanks to our friends at Maserati of Milwaukee for letting us have a go.