Maserati Levante 2018 review: S GranSport

I think we have to talk looks first because… Maserati. The Levante is a beautiful looking car, and I don’t say that lightly because SUVs do not look like sports cars, nor will they ever. But Maserati has managed to transcend the boxiness of the SUV and imbue traditional Italian style into an SUV’s body, with lush curves that are almost Rubenesque. It’s a big car but is still elegant.

  The Levante is a beautiful looking car, and I don’t say that lightly because SUVs do not look like sports cars. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

The interiors are just as good. The GranSport I drove was dual toned in brown and black leather, and had a luxurious finish. The seats are made from smooth, quality leather, as is the steering wheel which is beautiful to hold - something I think makes for a great daily driving experience. 

The dash upholstery is finished in an extra special brown and black nubuck leather. An old-school speedo display (together with a digital read-out) makes it retro cool and reminds you that you’re actually in a sports car. 

The dash upholstery is finished in an extra special brown and black nubuck leather. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

The centre console is well thought out and designed, and everything has an A1 premium finish. The gear-shifter and centre storage are quite high for an SUV. You usually have a bit more elbow room in the bigger cars, but the compact design is in line with a smaller, sporty feel. It has a large sunroof which makes the whole cabin feel light and airy. 

The front is good - lots of leg and headroom for driver and passenger. My 185cm husband had no trouble in the front at all, even with the centre console and storage area taking up precious elbow room. The payoff is that it feels like you’re in a more compact car, and Maserati's going for that experience, which it pulls off quite well.

The back is not as spacious as you would imagine for such a sizeable car, and my husband was quite squishy in there. Still, if you don’t have giant teenagers (or if you’re only 161cm like me) you’ll be fine. My two children aged four and six had loads of room to spare. 

The boot is a good size at 580 litres, but it’s not as big as it could be, and this was surprising because it’s such a long car. They could have opened up the back a bit more. No complaints on our week of driving though, I easily slotted in a full load of groceries and the kids bikes got in there perfectly fine.

The boot of the Levante is a good size at 580 litres. (image credit: Dean McCartney)

Getting in and out for my children took a bit longer than usual as it was so high off the ground, the youngest needed help. There are two cupholders in the front, two in the back plus a bottle holder in each door. That centre storage bin so nicely hidden under two leather doors is actually really deep and there is room for two full sized bottles in there, great for long trips. 

The car is quite heavy, and I found all the framework heavy, too. You need to push the doors hard to close, and it was all a bit of a workout getting two little ones in and out of the car. Still, hardly anything to write home about.

The air-con is powerful, and it was enough to fend off the heat on a stifling 40 degree day. Air vents in the back meant the kids were comfortable, too. 

The turning circle is 11.7 metres which is on par with other… seven seaters, but this is a five seater, so it’s on the large side. 

The Levante comes standard with advanced safety technology like Auto Emergency Braking, collision warnings and blind spot monitoring. It also has speed sign recognition where it actually shows you what the speed limit is so you can stick to it. There are six airbags, two ISOFIX points and three top tethers for children's car seats. The Levante hasn’t yet been ANCAP safety tested.

The Levante S GranSport that I drove comes in at $179,990. All that power in the engine means it uses more fuel, with Maserati claiming 10.9L/100km on the combined cycle. 

There is a three year/100,000 km warranty which can be extended to five years and servicing is recommended every two years or 20,000km.