Maserati’s Levante is the first SUV built by the Italian company better known for past motor racing glories and current charismatic Gran Turismo cars. Yet from the get-go in 2016 when the Levante made its debut, it has been very well received, not least in South Africa, where sales remain strong by exotica standards.
More recently, Maserati has been enjoying a good couple of months sales-wise, and the Levante continues to be a mainstay model here in South Africa.
Diesel only on launch
On its debut the Levante was launched here with a 3,0-litre diesel, with no petrol option. This was quite a risk, as Maserati has always been noted for its high-revving petrol-fueled V6s and V8s in its slinky GT road cars, and in the four-door known as the Quattroporte. Yet Maserati salesmen were convinced that the diesel would win many friends. To this day they reckon that there is no better-sounding diesel on the market!
The performance from the diesel was good. The 0-100 km/h time is listed at 6,9 seconds, with a top speed of 230 km/h, and even though fuel bills were hardly likely to be a huge concern if you could afford a car costing R1,75-million (at today’s prices), no-one was complaining that the sweet-sounding oil-burner returned consumption figures in the region of 9,7 litres/100 km.
Related: Video! Maserati Levante diesel review
Petrol V6 Levante S launches in 2018
Then in mid-2018, the petrol-fueled Lavante S made its debut. It’s twin-turbocharged V6 also displaced 3,0 litres, but word was out that it was designed very much in concert with its nearby neighbours in Modena, Ferrari! Once again, Maserati enthusiasts were saying that this was the best-sounding engine in its league, and the outputs figures weren’t too shabby either: power was pegged at 316 kW and 560 Nm of torque, good enough for a 0-100 km/h time of 5,2 seconds and top speed of 264!
Fuel consumption? Well, the official rating is 13,5 litres/100 km, but if you drive it the way it was meant to be driven, you’d be looking at an average of around 16-18 litres/100 km. Current price for the Levante S is R2 050 000.
Related: Exclusive Launch - Maserati Levante
The lesser-powered petrol-engined Levante launched in 2019
To peg the gap for those who wanted a petrol-fueled Levante without a desperate need for speed, Maserati then launched a lower-powered petrol V6, which today is known simply as the Levante (the diesel version is now appropriately named the Levante Diesel). This entry-level petrol version, running a de-tuned version of the sonorous V6, produces 257 kW and 500 Nm of torque and has a 01-00 km/h time of 6,0 seconds and a top speed of 251 km/h. Fuel consumption is officially rated at 13,6 litres/100 km (slightly higher than the S) , but in the real world would probably be less than the S version, due to lower power outputs. The least-expensive Levante model is priced at R1 650 000.
Related: Shop new and used Maserati Levante cars for sale here
And a stonking V8 petrol version is coming!
For those who like their Italian thoroughbreds as hairy as possible, Maserati will shortly be launching the Levante Trofeo. This employs a 433 kW twin-turbo V8, with a sub-4-second 0-100 km/h time. It will also boast a 17-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system rated at 1 280 Watts!
So which is best: petrol or diesel?
It’s a tough call, because for many SUV fans, a diesel option is still highly sought-after. It has not hurt Maserati Levante sales at all that Porsche no longer offers a diesel version of its Cayenne. But in Europe, the move is away from diesel and more towards petrol-electric hybrids, and that is undoubtedly the way Maserati will be going too, in the space of a few years.
Practicalities aside, right now we would go for the 316 kW V6 petrol version, as snugged beneath the bonnet of the Maserati Levante S. It is well-priced in this rarefied league of SUV at R2 050 000, and it offers performance (and an engine sound) that you can seriously brag about around the braai grid.
Recommended next:
The Maserati Levante is finally ready... meet the Maserati of SUVs
5 Maserati GranTurismo accessories you didn’t know you needed.