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Managed to get a test drive arranged via Bowker Maserati in the new Levante S model which has recently been announced for the UK market. It's about time eh? Order now and you are looking at October delivery.
The car I drove was a LHD Italian market car which was doing the rounds at various dealer and later on this month will be at Millbrook. The new S model features the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 from the Ghibli S but has an extra 20 bhp (424bhp) which is welcome thanks to the sheer size and weight of the Levante. 0-60 is despatched in 5.2 seconds and the Levante powers its way to a lofty 164mph, got to Love the Italian for not limiting their cars like the Germans.
First impressions of jumping in the cabin are that it is a lovely place to be, very much identical to the Diesel model I've sat in before apart from some nice carbon bits and lovely red stitching. The ICE is much more inline with a modern car and offers a massive improvement over the old generation entertainment systems fitted to the GT and QP cars of old. The touchscreen system is much more intuitive and user friendly than the aforementioned.
Despite numerous comments from various car journalists about the limited footwell space and offset driving position I did not struggle to get comfortable via the electrical switches nor did I feel that space was compromised.
Fire the engine up with the Start/Stop button and the Ferrari designed and built V6 barks into life. Pressing the SPORT button really does enhance the sound and there is a really purposeful burble when idling.
I drove about a 30 miles loop mixed motorway and A roads so got a feel for the performance and handling, it was a wet day (The North West!!!) and the car felt really surefooted and planted (50:50 weight distribution claimed) even when under heavy acceleration away from the lights and when cornering hard. The only way to drive the Levante S is in SPORT mode where you get the better throttle response, lower ride height and blips on downchange. There is also a nice mode where you can press the SPORT mode again in order to have comfort and ride height set for bumpier roads without the crashiness you'd expect in the lowest setting. It's almost like the bumpy mode (shock absorber symbol) fitted to Ferrari's recent cars. Using the flappy paddles to downchange and the car emits snorts and cracks as you press on and the 8 speed ZF box offers pin sharp changes as quick as anything you would ever need or could measure! I love the induction noises with the valves open and it's not too dissimilar to the sound of the latest C63 AMG which is of course not a bad thing.
If I were in the market for a SUV right now the Levante S would definitely be a contender, superb handling , class leading cabin and acceptable looks when compared to the competition (Cayenne, X5, F-Pace, Stelvio etc...)
[video=youtube;5VLlV5O162g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VLlV5O162g[/video]
The lovely gent who acommpanied me on the test drive was a Maserati UK representative who certainly knew how to drive. This is him at 2:12 launching the MY18 GTS up Goodwood hill and totally committed at Molecombe!
Enjoy!
[video=youtube;jhFcNl9Y-ZY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhFcNl9Y-ZY[/video]
The car I drove was a LHD Italian market car which was doing the rounds at various dealer and later on this month will be at Millbrook. The new S model features the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 from the Ghibli S but has an extra 20 bhp (424bhp) which is welcome thanks to the sheer size and weight of the Levante. 0-60 is despatched in 5.2 seconds and the Levante powers its way to a lofty 164mph, got to Love the Italian for not limiting their cars like the Germans.
First impressions of jumping in the cabin are that it is a lovely place to be, very much identical to the Diesel model I've sat in before apart from some nice carbon bits and lovely red stitching. The ICE is much more inline with a modern car and offers a massive improvement over the old generation entertainment systems fitted to the GT and QP cars of old. The touchscreen system is much more intuitive and user friendly than the aforementioned.
Despite numerous comments from various car journalists about the limited footwell space and offset driving position I did not struggle to get comfortable via the electrical switches nor did I feel that space was compromised.
Fire the engine up with the Start/Stop button and the Ferrari designed and built V6 barks into life. Pressing the SPORT button really does enhance the sound and there is a really purposeful burble when idling.
I drove about a 30 miles loop mixed motorway and A roads so got a feel for the performance and handling, it was a wet day (The North West!!!) and the car felt really surefooted and planted (50:50 weight distribution claimed) even when under heavy acceleration away from the lights and when cornering hard. The only way to drive the Levante S is in SPORT mode where you get the better throttle response, lower ride height and blips on downchange. There is also a nice mode where you can press the SPORT mode again in order to have comfort and ride height set for bumpier roads without the crashiness you'd expect in the lowest setting. It's almost like the bumpy mode (shock absorber symbol) fitted to Ferrari's recent cars. Using the flappy paddles to downchange and the car emits snorts and cracks as you press on and the 8 speed ZF box offers pin sharp changes as quick as anything you would ever need or could measure! I love the induction noises with the valves open and it's not too dissimilar to the sound of the latest C63 AMG which is of course not a bad thing.
If I were in the market for a SUV right now the Levante S would definitely be a contender, superb handling , class leading cabin and acceptable looks when compared to the competition (Cayenne, X5, F-Pace, Stelvio etc...)
[video=youtube;5VLlV5O162g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VLlV5O162g[/video]
The lovely gent who acommpanied me on the test drive was a Maserati UK representative who certainly knew how to drive. This is him at 2:12 launching the MY18 GTS up Goodwood hill and totally committed at Molecombe!
Enjoy!
[video=youtube;jhFcNl9Y-ZY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhFcNl9Y-ZY[/video]