The newest luxury SUV crossover lands at stateside dealerships this September, if you are ready to hear some stallions roar, the 2017 Maserati Levante might be your ride. Yes, the potent 3.0 liter V6 Twin-Turbo gasoline engine is built by Ferrari, offering either 345 hp (Levante) or 424 hp (Levante S) which sounds every bit Italian (a hybrid is coming too). We took an exhaustive test drive through the hills and winding streets of Carmel, California – not a bad place to put a car through its paces.
Visually, the unmistakable enormous iconic inward curving grille punctuated by the Maserati trident sets this apart from every other soccer mom’s SUV on the road. The muscular build and crisp folds in the hood give the Levante a rather menacing stature.
The sedan-like interior is everything you’d expect from the iconic Italian carmaker, sumptuous and sleek with lots of leather. This seat shown is with the optional Zenga silk inserts. Front and passenger seats have six and four way adjustability, electric in the front, manual in the rear. Technology is intuitive and easy to navigate, smart, not gadgety or cluttered. Controls are at hand and within easy reach. The seats are comfortable for driver and passengers.
The actual drive was very sports car like, nimble, responsive and peppy. Handling was superb. Smooth is the best descriptor of the eight-speed automatic ZF gearbox, go for fast blips with the paddle shifters or purely mindless in fully automatic mode. Choose between four drive modes which typify a distinct car character, “normal”, “I.C.E.,” “sport” and “off-road”. The engine, transmission, suspension and electronics features are intelligently adjusted for each, kinda cool.
What Maserati calls Active Sound Exhaust, can almost blow your eardrums. I enjoy audible feedback while driving, and the fiery Levante engine snarls and growls just like a supercar. That said, my husband who was testing the ride from the rear seat, called it “obnoxious and irritating.” Fortunately you can turn this off. Basically there is stealth mode and visceral.
Did I like it? Yes. Would I drive it? Yes.
Starting at $72,000 for Levante and $83,000 for Levante S, this is more than just a looker. Options can put you upwards of $100,000 but this just might take a bite out of the Porsche SUV market.
