Maserati Levante vs Mini Countryman
What's the difference?

Maserati Levante

—

2021 price

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Mini Countryman

$45,900 - $77,800

2025 price

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Summary

2021 Maserati Levante

2025 Mini Countryman

By Stephen Corby

By Emily Agar

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Twin Turbo V8, 3.8L

Inline 4, 2.0L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

0.0L/100km (combined)

7.7L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

That engine
Surprisingly capable on track
Rear-biased AWD

Gorgeous Mini styling
Strong on-road performance
Lots of personalisation available

Dislikes

Not the prettiest Maserati
Seems strange to want to track one
Expensive

Lacking a few features for a top-grade model
An expensive endeavour for a Mini
Not much separates the two trim levels

2021 Maserati Levante Summary

Driving a whopping great SUV down the straight on a race track at more than 200km/h sounds like fun, but it actually feels a bit wrong, like entering a baby elephant in a dog show.

These are strange times, of course, and the Maserati Trofeo Levante is a suitably strange vehicle - stylish, classy, expensively appointed family hauler that also has the heart and soul of a race car.

Indeed, while performance SUVs are an increasingly commonplace vehicle, the Levante - which was actually getting along in the tooth as a model before this significant upgrade - has higher performance credibility than most.

That's because it has a big Ferrari V8 driving all four of its wheels and delivering a properly supercar-like 433kW and 730Nm.

It's not what you might call a typical Maserati buyer's car, but then only those who know what the Trofeo badge stands for - shouty insanity, basically - will be interested in this end of town. It is a lot of car, but is it worth the large load of money on the sticker ($330,000)?

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2025 Mini Countryman Summary

The Mini Countryman is the not-so-mini cousin to the iconic and smaller Mini Cooper.

The new generation offers a larger body-size, fun new interiors and a whole suite of updated technology.

We're in the flagship John Cooper Works grade in Favoured trim to find out if this small SUV is still urban-friendly and fun after all of these changes.

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Deep dive comparison

2021 Maserati Levante 2025 Mini Countryman

Verdict

Maseratis are built for a fairly specific niche buyer; someone with a lot of money, someone slightly older and certainly someone who likes the finer things in life and appreciates Italian style, quality and heritage.

They are not, typically, the kind of buyers who want to tear around race tracks like fiends in big, shouty SUVs. But apparently there is a niche within the niche of Maserati fans who do, and they are willing to invest big dollars in vehicles wearing the Trofeo badge, like this Levante.

It might seem a slightly strange creation, a track-mad SUV with a screaming Ferrari engine, but surprisingly, it really does work.

Verdict

The new Mini Countryman John Cooper Works in Favoured trim offers everything you’d expect it to - the iconic Mini styling, a powerful driving performance and a well-equipped cabin. It’s a wonderfully quick urban dweller that you can park anywhere but is just as happy on the open-road. For me, this is pure fun and offers more personality than a lot of its rivals.

Maserati Levante vs Mini Countryman What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Maserati Levante vs Mini Countryman
What's the difference?