Maserati Levante

With a long bonnet, curved roof, a hatchback-like sloped tail-gate and voluptuous rear haunches, the Maserati Levante is far removed from your average squared-out SUV, and has its exotic appeal. It’s not quite mould-breaking on the inside but there’s a raft of colours, hides and woods to choose from, so there’s lot of scope of customisation, albeit for a price. The Maserati Levante isn’t the roomiest SUV and its seats aren’t the most cosseting either, yet the overall sensation is of being in a sumptuous cabin.
A Maserati of any shape had better be sporty. And the Levante is. It feels well balanced and the steering has an old-school weight to it too. What doesn’t feel sporty enough is the engine. Sure, it sounds incredible and the 275hp, 3.0-litre V6 diesel is strong, but power flows in so smoothly that the Levante feels slow when it really isn’t. If only Maserati offered the Levante with V6 and V8 petrol engines in India. Of the other things, ride quality on the standard-fit air suspension is good, though sharper edges aren’t filtered out in their entirety.