Maserati Levante S GranSport 2017 UK first drive

With the arrival of the Levante S, Maserati’s SUV is available for the first time in right-hand drive markets with a petrol engine. At launch, the Levante was offered in the UK only with a V6 diesel, which, as Maserati itself admits, undermined one of the marque’s core brand values: a stirring soundtrack.

The Levante was always intended to be Maserati’s volume seller. Since going on sale in 2016, the SUV has just about doubled the company’s output, thanks largely to that relatively frugal diesel offering. But there is undoubtedly a hardcore of potential Levante buyers in the UK who just couldn’t reconcile that famous trident badge, and all the connotations of luxury, performance and desirability that went along with it, with the agricultural rumblings of a diesel motor. Now, they don’t have to.

The petrol engine is a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo V6 - built by Ferrari, no less - that develops 424bhp and 428lb ft of torque at 4500rpm. Maserati quotes a 0-62mph time of 5.2sec and a 164mph top speed. Whereas the diesel engine returns claimed fuel economy of 39.2mpg on the combined cycle, the petrol manages 25.9mpg, with 253g/km of CO2.

For this 2018 model year refresh, Maserati has introduced two new model lines. Having chosen between the Levante diesel and Levante S, buyers can then upgrade to either GranSport or GranLusso specification, the former adding sportier design touches - black body trim and well-bolstered sports seats - while the latter tends towards luxury, adding chrome and body-coloured elements externally and wood trim rather than carbonfibre within the cabin.

Other changes include a switch to electric power steering, as well as a new suite of level two advanced driver assistance systems, including lane keep assist and road sign recognition.

How important is the Levante to Maserati? Given that 90% of buyers have never owned a Maserati before, it seems the Levante is set to form the basis of the marque’s entire business strategy for years to come. 

The Levante S has been designed to straddle the line between performance and luxury. That means it should be refined, quiet and comfortable one moment, then fast and athletic the next. That it makes a decent job of both without truly excelling at either demonstrates how squarely Maserati’s engineers have nailed their brief.

All Levantes sit on air springs as standard, but early models tended to ride with a faint edge - a sort of gentle spikiness, like wrapping your fingers around a conker husk - that never went away at any speed. Now, though, the Levante S rolls along the road with a little more fluency, although it doesn't quite pull off the Porsche Cayenne’s trick of ironing out the road surface. The frameless, double-glazed windows keep wind noise down, while the petrol V6 only makes itself known with a cultured, subdued yowl from the exhaust tips.