2021 Maserati Levante GranSport on test (2023)

(Video) 2021 Maserati Levante S Gransport: TEST DRIVE+FULL REVIEW

Italy. Renowned home of the Renaissance. Birthplace of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo, and a country that celebrates them equallyturtle fountainin Rom.

It's a nation known for its love of beauty and style, passion and prestige... but perhaps not always for class-leading dynamism and technological integration.

This is the domain of Maserati, a brand for which the past 107 years have been awash with countless stories of powerful racers and beautiful grand tourers. Neptune's trident represents a car with grace and performance above all.

Something that doesn't necessarily have to be perfect, but is always and undeniably special.

The2021 Maserati Levante Gran Sportis a modern take on Maserati's time-honored grand touring formula. Comfortable, fast and special, the SUV makes Maserati a thoughtful daily answer to the questions that life will ask.

With a range now starting at a totally reasonable $127,000 (Levante 350) and rising to a significantly inflated $336,990 (Levante Trofeo), both before street cost, the Levante offers choices for a variety of tastes and budgets, with options and personalization choices widely available to further test the limits of both.

Our car sits in the bottom row with the 350 GranSport. It shares prices with an alternatively configured GranLusso, but improves on the entry-level Levante 350 by offering some subtle design changes and additional equipment (including the sunroof) for $19,990 more on the sticker.

You can go even further and shell out an additional $35,500 for a twin-turbo V6 power upgrade with the “S” increasing power by 59 kW (316 kW to 257 kW) and torque to 80 Nm (580 Nm to 500 Nm) increased.

Since Italy is home to some famous mathematicians, we round that up to say that's an increase of about 24 percent to come up with an increase of almost 23 percent. Math and art - never wrong.

I imagine there's a checklist on a chalkboard somewhere deep in a studio dedicated to Italian style, or more specificallyStyle, which simply says "a Maserati must be beautiful". Because that's the only way to describe the Levant.

Maybe not the prettiest, for sure. but it is certainly conspicuous, especially in the carriage company that is wont to keep it.

The sleek but aggressive headlights flanking the trident grille, along with the sloping roofline and flared rear arches, convey a clear message of class, which is greatly emphasized by our car's deep Blu Nobile paint finish ($2745 option). The optional 21-inch Helios wheels ($3077) don't hurt either.

To be fair, smaller wheels would (and do) look undersized.

You can go for the signature Black pack or choose from ten other colors (for 11 total), but we like the stately nature of the blue with chrome trim and subtle trident badging on the rear pillar.

That Maserati has retained the "speed holes" behind the front wheels is another nod to the brand's racing heritage, though here they're less for exhaust or heat dissipation and more of a conversation piece. Ditto for the frameless windows, something that's cool in a coupe and almost cooler here.

After all, isn't that what a Maserati is all about?

Who knew a rattan like texture would work so well over a purplish brown leather?

Welcome to the $16,782 Ermenegildo Zegna Pelletessuta interior upholstery option in a very classy shademarrone. Sure, it costs more than a Kia Picanto, but as far as up-spec interiors go, that's pretty nice. It goes perfectly with the blue exterior and is just nice to touch.

Remember that a Maserati is about being special. These seats are.

Expensive fabrics aside, they offer good support in the front and plenty of room in the back. Not that you'd really want anyone in there lest they mess up your fancy seats.

There's a 580-litre trunk, which has the auto-close button on the inner rear wall. This makes it easier for everyone to close, which is a solid consideration for many buyers.

Ergonomics are good, there's plenty of storage space in the center console, and visibility is good, despite the thick D-pillar and steep rear window slope. And do you really need five buttons to control the sunroof? NO.

The door compartments aren't all that useful, though, and appear to offer an infinite hole that begs for losing things, though not much of anything fits in there anyway.

Italian artists and designers? Check over. Mathematicians, yes we have that covered. Actors, dancers, singers, drivers and athletes? You know it.

But ask people to name an Italian tech entrepreneur or start-up captain and you could quickly run out of names. I'm not saying for a second that there aren't any, it's just that there aren't many compared to the country's other exports. And here we find the trident something like a fish out of water.

First things first, all the technology is here. Satellite Navigation, DAB Digital Radio, Surround View Camera; and everything is presented on a crisp 8.4-inch touchscreen.

It just feels a little ordinary, and while many Maserati buyers might not recognize it from similar systems on Chrysler and Jeep cousins, we know, and you really can recognize it.

The user interface is just a little difficult to navigate. The menus are just a little clumsy. The overall presentation isn't anything stylish or fancy, and it's usually far from befitting a car that leaves the showroom with a six-figure bill beginning with two...

Perhaps the crux of the matter here is that the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia, also part of the same Stellantis parent company, achieve a newer and convincingly nicer media system. One would expect the flagship to be a bit fancier, especially when brands like Mercedes-Benz keep pushing the game.

Good stereo (14-speaker Harman Kardon), although a 17-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system is only $2693 more. Go do it.

For the 2021 model year, the Levante offers a full range of driver assistance and safety technologies, including front and rear autonomous emergency braking and forward pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with Traffic Assist, active lane keeping assist and traffic sign recognition, 360-degree cameras and rear cross-traffic alert.

The car has not been crash tested in either Australia or Europe so unfortunately there is no ANCAP or Euro NCAP rating to offer.

(Video) 2021 Maserati Levante Review | Major Tech Upgrades!

I think value is very subjective when a Maserati is on your shopping list.

As a consultant, I'd argue that the Levante offers more for less, and that it's better to shave that 23 per cent performance boost for a 24 per cent discount and choose a 'non-S' GranSport like ours will give you a car with plenty of power and some tasteful options that's well under the $200,000 mark.

Although if you're reading this and have already opened a second tab to learn more about $17,000 Zenga pad upgrades, I feel that everything I'm saying is largely irrelevant.

For context: we're somewhere in Porsche Cayenne S and Range Rover Sport HSE territory before you start ticking boxes, which makes the Maserati feel very much in line with buyers' expectations.

Simply put, the Levante's twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 is a stunner!

It's not explosively fast, the peak torque band between 1750 and 4750 rpm gives the car enough time to build up steam before picking up the pace, and with peak power at 5750 rpm the howling six really just wants you to keep accelerating admit.

The exhaust delivers a suitably entertaining soundtrack, with a tonal crescendo through the rev range, complemented by pops and crackles during shifts. It would be nice to boost the 'S' power if you could fund it.

Too bad then, the gearbox isn't as sharp as the engine almost urges it to be, it shifts smoothly and precisely, albeit without any quick pace or theatrical roar to like. However, it's a regular eight-speed automatic, not a multi-clutch Fastbox, once again reminding the driver that it's here to do the work of a rhythmic jogger and not a thrashing sprinter.

Put up with it, you'll find some rambling back roads and the Levante is a gem.

It carries speed impressively well and builds speed much faster than you think. Additionally, it was very fuel efficient for a twin-turbo six, returning less than 10l/100km on a combined city and touring loop, which is below the claimed 11.9l/100km on a combined cycle. Sure, it sped along in cruise control on the freeway, but in some fun sections the tach regularly spun towards 6000 rpm.

That it managed a very conservative thirst was both a surprise and a delight.

The Levante rides on air suspension that offers different damping settings as well as an adjustable ride height.

Running around in Sport puts the car a few millimeters closer to earth, and behavior is determined and predictable. Push it up a notch to the standard comfort setting, however, and larger speed bumps and sharp edges transmit a fidgety and almost under-damped nature through the big SUV.

Picking up your pace in this environment only reinforces the busy nature of the car, which rocks and wobbles over bumps, never uncomfortable or lacking the confidence it deserves, but perhaps not with the determined nature we'd really desire.

We had the car on some wet uneven-grip roads and felt that in both the Comfort and Sport settings the car was happier trotting than running, especially when mid-corner grip changed. Perhaps the regular 20-inch wheels and slightly thicker sidewall would make more sense, although they don't look quite as sharp in the parking lot.

Dial back to urban speeds and these are mostly washed away, with the car once again maintaining composure and comfort.

The Levante is a grand tourer, not a sports machine, but the V6's rev-happy nature almost encourages you to explore the car's capabilities, even if it makes you feel that when conditions aren't perfect you'd rather take it easy .

As I've hinted at throughout this review, the Maserati Levante is a quintessentially Italian car.

It offers beauty and brawn as you would expect, tickling with efficiency and quality as an added surprise. But Maserati knows its strengths, and if you're looking for the latest technology platform or the savviest dynamic capabilities, this isn't the car for you.

That the infotainment system is adequate and that the car is better suited to high-speed touring than layered switchbacks, however, speaks more to the Levante's capabilities than anything else, because who cares if your sub-sub-menus are a bit ordinary, if you look and sound like this.

Italy is a Renaissance country and the2021 Maserati Levante Gran Sportis a Renaissance car.

Beautiful and soulful, it offers a buyer who wants something a little different, something that is both sensible and prestigious.

Being special has never had anything to do with being perfect, and in many ways that is Maserati's reason for being. Not the best by any standards, but more memorable than most - and in today's market that says enough.

(Video) 2021 Maserati Levante S Q4: Start Up, Exhaust, Test Drive and Review

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2021 Maserati Levante GranSport on test

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