The list of SUVs I’ve driven that ended up putting a silly grin on my face afterwards is a pretty exclusive one. The most recent entry? Maserati’s all new 2017 Levante S, the brand’s first entry into the segment.
Some may ask why the luxury automaker is venturing into crossover territory, and Porsche may be the best answer to that question. Its best selling models are not the 911s and Caymans, but rather the Macans and Cayenne utility vehicles, respectively. And so, Maserati is placing bets on this creation to produce similar results.
Stylistically, the Levante – named after “a warm Mediterranean wind that can change from mild to gale force in an instant” – is really just a bigger, off-road-ier version of the Ghibli executive sedan upon which the small SUV is based. It looks like nothing else in its class with its sliver headlights, big grille anchored by the trident emblem, and a grinning mesh air intake spanning the width of the front bumper.
Each front fender is embellished with a succession of three small silver ducts, and more trident badges are affixed to each of the rear quarter panels. Bright red brake calipers latched onto cross-drilled brake rotors peek out behind big five-spoke wheels. The back end may be the tamest part of the vehicle featuring an understated roof spoiler and quad exhaust pipes.
In contrast to its ready-to-pounce appearance, our tester was sprayed a subdued Grigio Maratea (dark grey) metallic colour. Open the doors, though, and your eyes are treated to a sea of “sumptuous” red leather covering almost all the interior panels and seating surfaces. Anything that isn’t is finished in either black leather, aluminum, or carbon fibre instead.
I’m truly a sucker for noise, and the Levante scratches my itch in all the right places. The engine, a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6, fires up giving only a hint of its true aural potential. Manufactured by Ferrari, the mill produces 430 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque at a low 1,750 rpm.
Running parallel along the eight-speed automatic shifter is a series of buttons: M for manual shifting, I.C.E. (Increased Control and Efficiency), Sport and Off-road, all fairly self-explanatory. Tapping Sport makes throttle response more aggressive, as well as opening up a set of pneumatic exhaust bypass valves that make the vehicle sound like a full-on race car. Every shift results all sorts of pops and burbles coming out of the muffler, which is as addictive as it is gleefully obnoxious.
Not only can the Levante can rocket from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, it can also go where other luxury pseudo-SUVs dare not. I had the chance to enter a small purpose-built off-road course consisting of muddy hills, big divots, small logs, and other fun stuff and the standard intelligent Q4 all-wheel drive made getting through barely a challenge. An air suspension system and set of electronically-controlled shock absorbers, automatically adjusted appropriately while in off-road mode, are both standard.
It may come as a surprise that Maserati is actually owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), and the Levante is assembled at FCA’s Mirafiori factory in Turin, Italy. The standard trim starts at $88,900, and the more powerful S at $98,600.
Highlights (as tested):
MSRP: $110,080
Motor: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Horsepower: 430 @ 5,750 rpm
Torque (lb-ft): 428 @ 1,750 rpm
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic transmission
Layout: Front engine, all-wheel drive
Fuel economy: 14.7 L/100 km mixed city/highway (NRCan)
