What We Like
Luxurious and well-appointed interior
Extremely comfortable and refined driving manners
Energetic powerplant
Spacious and practical
What We Dislike
Fuel economy is poor for a diesel
Iffy infotainment system
Not as sporty to drive as its rivals
Every carmaker worth its salt has to have a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in its lineup these days in order to stay relevant. Even those who are not known for their prowess in producing high-riding off-road vehicles have taken the plunge, such is the boom in demand for SUVs in today's market.
A couple of decades ago, it would be extremely hard to imagine a high-end luxury carmaker coming up with an SUV product. But we have seen the emergence of the likes of the Porsche Cayenne, the Jaguar F-PACE and the Bentley Bentayga, to name a few, so having an SUV is no longer a taboo, but a de rigueur for brands nowadays.
The latest to join the fray is the Maserati Levante, which comes from a carmaker more well-known for its sleek sports cars like the GranTurismo, and high-performance luxury sedans like the Quattroporte and the Ghibli. How does the first-ever SUV from this Italian brand stack up then?
Shark-nosed aggression
The Levante is distinctive looking. Its sharp looks, with its aggressive-looking nose, almost mimicking that of a shark, makes it a real head-turner. Its sleek, curvy body does well to hide the bulk of the car, and it's hard to tell that the Levante is actually quite sizeable.
The measuring tape reveals that it is longer and wider than one of its key rivals, the Porsche Cayenne, and the Levante boasts of a wheelbase that is over three metres long. It also sits lower to the ground, giving it an almost sports car-like stance that only serves to enhance its aggressiveness.
All of these combine to give the Levante a look that is less utilitarian SUV and more sharply-suited luxury car that just so happens to fall into an SUV-like shape. Certainly, the Levante would be the premium SUV of choice for those who place a high value on style.
Lap of luxury
One expects nothing less than top-notch luxury in the interior of every Maserati, and the Levante delivers in that aspect superbly. The fit and finish of the cabin materials are of high quality, and everything feels premium and nice to the touch. You just can't help but feel special whenever you step inside the Levante.
A couple of decades ago, it would be extremely hard to imagine a high-end luxury carmaker coming up with an SUV product. But we have seen the emergence of the likes of the Porsche Cayenne, the Jaguar F-PACE and the Bentley Bentayga, to name a few, so having an SUV is no longer a taboo, but a de rigueur for brands nowadays.
The latest to join the fray is the Maserati Levante, which comes from a carmaker more well-known for its sleek sports cars like the GranTurismo, and high-performance luxury sedans like the Quattroporte and the Ghibli. How does the first-ever SUV from this Italian brand stack up then?
Shark-nosed aggression
The Levante is distinctive looking. Its sharp looks, with its aggressive-looking nose, almost mimicking that of a shark, makes it a real head-turner. Its sleek, curvy body does well to hide the bulk of the car, and it's hard to tell that the Levante is actually quite sizeable.
The measuring tape reveals that it is longer and wider than one of its key rivals, the Porsche Cayenne, and the Levante boasts of a wheelbase that is over three metres long. It also sits lower to the ground, giving it an almost sports car-like stance that only serves to enhance its aggressiveness.
All of these combine to give the Levante a look that is less utilitarian SUV and more sharply-suited luxury car that just so happens to fall into an SUV-like shape. Certainly, the Levante would be the premium SUV of choice for those who place a high value on style.
Lap of luxury
One expects nothing less than top-notch luxury in the interior of every Maserati, and the Levante delivers in that aspect superbly. The fit and finish of the cabin materials are of high quality, and everything feels premium and nice to the touch. You just can't help but feel special whenever you step inside the Levante.
The infotainment system however, dubbed Maserati Touch Control Plus, does feel a bit iffy to operate. While the 8.4-inch touchscreen display is clear and responsive, there seems to be too many functions incorporated within. Operating a simple function like changing radio stations requires a bit of time as you navigate through the numerous icons on the menu page that all look rather similar to one another.
Only the air con and ventilation controls have their own set of button controls located right under the display.
At the back, the Levante's extra long wheelbase means that rear passengers too can indulge in the lap of luxury, with plenty of legroom for occupants to stretch out and relax. And the boot space is equally impressive, with a large 580-litre cargo capacity that can accommodate a full weekend's worth of travel luggage for five.
Maserati has done well to equip the Levante with plenty of premium features, with a long list of standard equipment including adjustable air suspension with variable ride height, intelligent all-wheel-drive and automatic hill descent.
Our test car here comes with the optional $40,000 Sports Pack, which throws in extras such as the adaptive cruise control, surround-view parking cameras, brushed stainless steel pedals, paddle shifters, 20-inch wheels and coloured brake calipers.
Only the air con and ventilation controls have their own set of button controls located right under the display.
At the back, the Levante's extra long wheelbase means that rear passengers too can indulge in the lap of luxury, with plenty of legroom for occupants to stretch out and relax. And the boot space is equally impressive, with a large 580-litre cargo capacity that can accommodate a full weekend's worth of travel luggage for five.
Maserati has done well to equip the Levante with plenty of premium features, with a long list of standard equipment including adjustable air suspension with variable ride height, intelligent all-wheel-drive and automatic hill descent.
Our test car here comes with the optional $40,000 Sports Pack, which throws in extras such as the adaptive cruise control, surround-view parking cameras, brushed stainless steel pedals, paddle shifters, 20-inch wheels and coloured brake calipers.
Up and at 'em
At the moment, the Levante only comes with one engine option for Singapore, which is a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel that produces 271bhp and 600Nm of torque. Having a diesel powerplant in a luxury car like this might sound unpalatable to some, but to its credit, once you've experienced driving the Levante, you'll actually be hard-pressed to notice that it's even a diesel.
There is barely any noise or clatter emanating from the engine, whether on the inside or outside - such is the level of refinement that Maserati has achieved with this car. Instead, you get a nice, subtle burble from the exhaust that hints as to the Levante's performance potential. It's not quite the same as the iconic roar of the V8s that power the likes of the Quattroporte or GranTurismo, but it's still exciting nonetheless.
The engine offers plenty of pull, and gets up to speed fairly effortlessly, with 0-100km/h coming up in just 6.9 seconds. That said, there's the sense that the car is lacking just a little bit of something when you're driving around in the default drive mode, and it doesn't feel quite as brisk as the numbers suggest.
In Sports mode however, the Levante starts to behave like the performance car that you'd expect it to be. The throttle is now more responsive, and the car hunkers down on its adaptive suspension to its firmest setting.
But that's really as far as it goes. Disappointingly, for a car with sporting pretensions, the Levante feels somewhat underwhelming when you put it to the test. The car weighs in at a hefty 2.2 tonnes, and the extra bulk is noticeable when you're put it through the corners.
While it mostly handles well, it does feel a tad cumbersome and clumsy when you're really pushing it, with a tendency to understeer despite having the advantage of all-wheel-drive. The steering too is rather laidback in its response, and the general impression is that the Levante is set up more for comfort than performance.
At the moment, the Levante only comes with one engine option for Singapore, which is a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel that produces 271bhp and 600Nm of torque. Having a diesel powerplant in a luxury car like this might sound unpalatable to some, but to its credit, once you've experienced driving the Levante, you'll actually be hard-pressed to notice that it's even a diesel.
There is barely any noise or clatter emanating from the engine, whether on the inside or outside - such is the level of refinement that Maserati has achieved with this car. Instead, you get a nice, subtle burble from the exhaust that hints as to the Levante's performance potential. It's not quite the same as the iconic roar of the V8s that power the likes of the Quattroporte or GranTurismo, but it's still exciting nonetheless.
The engine offers plenty of pull, and gets up to speed fairly effortlessly, with 0-100km/h coming up in just 6.9 seconds. That said, there's the sense that the car is lacking just a little bit of something when you're driving around in the default drive mode, and it doesn't feel quite as brisk as the numbers suggest.
In Sports mode however, the Levante starts to behave like the performance car that you'd expect it to be. The throttle is now more responsive, and the car hunkers down on its adaptive suspension to its firmest setting.
But that's really as far as it goes. Disappointingly, for a car with sporting pretensions, the Levante feels somewhat underwhelming when you put it to the test. The car weighs in at a hefty 2.2 tonnes, and the extra bulk is noticeable when you're put it through the corners.
While it mostly handles well, it does feel a tad cumbersome and clumsy when you're really pushing it, with a tendency to understeer despite having the advantage of all-wheel-drive. The steering too is rather laidback in its response, and the general impression is that the Levante is set up more for comfort than performance.
It is a shame, though, because the rest of the setup seems so promising. It does hit all the right notes as a large luxury cruiser, with its well-damped ride in Normal mode, and the excellent insulation all round. The Levante would make for a perfect long distance cross-country machine, eating up highways all day long, if only it wasn't so thirsty. We clocked up an average of 8km/L during our day-long test drive, quite a fair way off from the official figures of 13.8km/L.
A decent start
For a debut effort, the Maserati Levante does impress in certain notable areas. It scores very highly with its luxurious and well-appointed interior, decent practicality, excellent all-round comfort and refinement, and energetic powerplant. But it falls just short of the mark as a performance SUV, with its less than engaging drive, while its fuel economy figures for a diesel is rather disappointing.
That said, those are just minor bugbears, which we reckon can be easily rectified, maybe with a bit of engineering tweaks for the facelift perhaps. As a comfortable and plush luxury SUV, the Levante is hard to beat, but it does come at a bit of a premium over its noted rivals like the Cayenne.
The Levante retails for $359,800 (as of 8th September 2017) without COE ($399,800 if you go for the Sports Pack). Whether you think that's a fair trade off really depends on how much you prize luxurious comfort over outright driving pleasure.
A decent start
For a debut effort, the Maserati Levante does impress in certain notable areas. It scores very highly with its luxurious and well-appointed interior, decent practicality, excellent all-round comfort and refinement, and energetic powerplant. But it falls just short of the mark as a performance SUV, with its less than engaging drive, while its fuel economy figures for a diesel is rather disappointing.
That said, those are just minor bugbears, which we reckon can be easily rectified, maybe with a bit of engineering tweaks for the facelift perhaps. As a comfortable and plush luxury SUV, the Levante is hard to beat, but it does come at a bit of a premium over its noted rivals like the Cayenne.
The Levante retails for $359,800 (as of 8th September 2017) without COE ($399,800 if you go for the Sports Pack). Whether you think that's a fair trade off really depends on how much you prize luxurious comfort over outright driving pleasure.
