Over the next few years, Maserati plans to release the mid-engined MC20 sportscar, an updated Ghibli and Quattroporte, a new GranTurismo and the all-new Grecale crossover. And by 2023, the mission is to have EV or hybrid powertrain options across the board. It’s a much needed full-scale refresh considering just how outdated Maserati’s lineup is in general. Going into 2021, however, if you’re itching for a four-door Maserati, the Levante GTS is the only model worth considering.
One of Maserati’s biggest shortcomings, no matter which model you’re looking at, is its inability to maintain an unwavering luxury experience. From start to finish, your time with a luxury automobile should have no indicators that anything less than the absolute best was used to design and build the car.
Brand’s like Bentley and Rolls Royce are masters at this, using the finest materials for even the smallest things like the fuel filler cap and the sun visor hinges. Anything you might touch while spending time in a luxury car should be nothing short of impressive.
While it gets to share the same parts bin as Ferrari and utilize the same upholstery, Maserati also borrows from its FCA family in the US. Every time you hit the signal stalk to change lanes you’re quickly reminded your $100,000 Maserati is using the same cheap plastic switchgear found in a Jeep Cherokee.
The Levante GTS is definitely guilty of using plastics from the bottom of the FCA barrel. Unlike it’s two four-door stable mates, however, the Levante makes up for it with an immense amount of utility and genuine practicality in addition to the Ferrari-born 3.8-liter twin turbo V8.
Ignoring the Jeep-sourced plastics in the cabin, the Levante GTS is probably the closest thing to a Ferrari SUV we will get, until the Ferrari SUV actually hits the road. The Levante borrows its powerplant from the mid-engine Ferrari 488 and with it comes the broad, playful powerbnd and, of course, the signature sonorous exhaust note.
Something I suspect the eventual Ferrari SUV will accomplish is what Levante already masters: hiding the fact it’s an SUV while cornering. The drive modes of Normal, Sport, Off-Road, and Increased Comfort and Efficiency (I.C.E) each bring noticeably different characteristics to the table and not just negligible throttle map changes.
In Off-Road mode the suspension is in the highest setting, the AWD is at its most active. In other words, it feels like a classic SUV. The low-profile tires made it a bit nerve-racking heading up a rock-strewn trail, but the endless torque and clear sightlines eased that tension.
At the other end of the Levante’s drive mode spectrum, Sport mode was more of the SUV’s party trick. With the suspension at its lowest, the Levante starts to take on more wagon-esque visual proportions than that of an SUV. Around city streets it felt like a wagon too. There was never a sense you were in a low slung sports car, but it did feel like a different animal altogether. Conversely, out of the city and up in the mountains, through long sweepers and tight hairpins, it will have you fooled. The Levante weighs over 5,000 lbs but you’d never guess based on how increasingly addictive each bend in the road becomes.
Historically, when a Sport Utility Vehicle attempts to adopt sports car qualities, it rarely ends well. In the search for more ”sport,” it loses the “utility” and becomes a master of neither. By making the drive mode characteristics so drastically different from each other, the Levant GTS gives you the choice without as many compromises.
Factoring in the cargo space in the back, a Ferrari V8 engine up front and the adaptive suspension underneath, at just over $120,00, the Levant GTS isn’t just a bargain. It’s the only four-door Maserati worth your money in 2021.
Key Specs:
MSRP: $121,475
- Engine: 3.8-Liter Twin Turbo V8
- Power: 542 Horsepower
- Torque: 538 lb-ft
- Curb Weight: 5,175 lbs
