THE PROS & CONS
- Like it: Gorgeous, inside and out, yet eminently practical. And surprisingly capable on- and off-road, considering this is Maserati’s first kick at this particular can.
- Leave it: In the very high price echelons in this class.
PARMA, ITALY-Purists (who, me?) might decry the proliferation of SUVs in the luxury market.
Porsches which weigh 6,000 pounds? Dr. Porsche would turn in his grave if he knew what to turn it in for …
But with SUVs now comprising half of the luxury segment, and with that proportion growing rapidly, I guess you can’t blame them.
I mean, when Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini have announced SUVs …
Maserati made a feint in this direction back in 2003 with the Kubang concept vehicle at Detroit.
A second Kubang concept (Frankfurt 2011) was closer to the new production model, although at that time, it was to be based on the then-recently-announced Jeep Grand Cherokee.
IMAGE: By David Villarreal Fernández – Flickr
So, here is the real thing, the 2017 Maserati Levante. Yes, the Kubang name has bit the big one. Probably just as well.
The base Levante starts at $88,900, the S model at $98,600.
Instead of inheriting its corporate-cousin Grand Cherokee’s architecture, Levante is largely based on Maserati’s Ghibli mid-size sedan, and the engine is built by Ferrari, so its Italian heritage is intact.
It’s a mid-size, five-seat luxury SUV which puts it into one of the toughest dogfights in the industry, with the likes of Audi Q5, BMW X5/X6, Jaguar F-Pace, Lexus RX350, Mercedes-Benz GLE/GLE Coupe, and Porsche Macan and Cayenne.
It is more swoopily styled than most, rather than looking like the box it came in. But it is also rather more practically shaped than BMW X6 or Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe.
Dimensionally, it is a bit larger than most, but interior space is pretty much a wash with the field.
The interior is luscious, losing most of the lower-grade interior bits that tacky up the Ghibli.
That said, the left-side steering column stalk looks to have come straight from the Chrysler 300 parts bin, a leftover from Chrysler’s ‘merger’ with Mercedes-Benz.
It also incorporates the wiper functions, which is just wrong — those should be on a separate stalk on the right side.
Yes, Mercedes, I’m also talking to you.
You may have never driven a Maserati, but you might well recognize the ‘Maserati Touch Screen,’ an 8.4-inch unit in the centre of the dash. Because, if you have driven an upscale Jeep, Chrysler or Fiat recently, it’s essentially the same system.
Not an All Bad thing, because once you get used to its quirks and can customize it to your preferences, it works well, although the slightly cartoonish graphics look a bit out of place compared to the rest of the interior ambience.
High-grade leather upholstery is standard, but you can up this ante a couple of levels with various option packages.
And, of course, there’s the lovely analogue clock smack in the middle of the dash. I wonder how many of the younger buyers Maserati hopes to attract will know how to read it …
Levante is powered by a twin-turbocharged direct injection 3.0-litre V6, in two states of tune (345 and 424 horsepower), mated to the same ZF 8-speed automatic transmission used in some of the competition, notably Jaguar’s F-Pace.
The Jag is built largely from aluminum, so it weighs some 280 kg less than the Maser, despite the Levante’s aluminum hood, doors and tailgate. The Italian stallion compensates by having more horsepower.
The full-time, four-wheel drive has a rear-axle torque bias for sportier handling.
The dual-wishbone front / five-link rear suspension comes with standard air springs, and computer-adjustable ‘Skyhook’ dampers.
Six different ride heights are selectable: ‘normal,’ which is the default setting; two higher settings — plus 25 mm and plus 40 mm — for off-roading; two lower ones — minus 20 mm and minus 35 mm — for better aerodynamics at speed.
The sixth setting, minus 45 mm, clicks in when parked, to ease ingress and egress.
You can also choose from a variety of drive modes — normal, Sport, off-road and ‘I.C.E.’ (Increased Control and Efficiency) for slippery conditions — to adjust engine, transmission and suspension characteristics to suit the situation.
Levante also bucks the trend to electrically assisted steering. The hydraulic gear feels a bit heavy at lower speeds, but provides excellent road feel when on, well, the road.
Luxury sports vehicles which these all purport to be have to sound the part. I drove the Levante more-or-less back-to-back with the supercharged Jaguar F-Pace; both sound absolutely symphonic.
My first few klicks in the Levante included a portion of the ancient Parma-Poggio di Berceto road, scene of a famous hillclimb won in 1923 by Alfieri Maserati, one of the company’s founding brothers.
My initial impression on the twisties? It’s quick. The transmission shifts well, aided if you choose by the more-easily-accessible-than-most steering column shift paddles. The brakes are fantastic, strong pedal, excellent feel.
With its perfect 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution, Levante handles extremely well, masking its avoir du pois nicely.
Back on the Autostrada, the car settles down — literally — into a smooth, quiet cruiser.
An off-road course on a former hunting preserve offered a wide variety of rough roads, steep hill climbs and descents, and a few streams.
You wouldn’t take a vehicle like this out for serious mud-plugging or rock-crawling; suffice it to say that anything you would consider was duck soup for this car.
In sum, Maserati has designed and built an interesting contender in this burgeoning class.
It isn’t the sort of car high-end customers are used to coming to a Maserati store to look at.
But that’s obviously the point.
The company’s task now is to get those customers in the door for that very purpose.
Levante is far more expensive than most of the other contenders in this class.
As the old saying goes, if you have to ask …
Maserati Levante / Levante S:
Body Style: 4 door, 5-seat, mid-size SUV. Full-time four-wheel drive.
Price: base — $88,900 / S — $98,600.
Engine: 3.0 litre, V6, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, direct injection, twin-turbocharged.
Power/torque: horsepower / lb-ft: base — 345 @ 5,750 r.p.m. / 369 @ 1,750 — 5,000 r.p.m.; S — 424 @ 5,750 r.p.m. / 428 @ 1,750 — 5,000 r.p.m.
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
Transport Canada Fuel Consumption City / Highway (L/100 km): N/A
Score: 7.5 / 10
Weblink: LEVANTE RANGE
Competitors: BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Porsche Cayenne.
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Keyword: 2017 Maserati Levante hits a high note