AR Test Drive: 2018 Maserati Levante SQ4 – An Italian Aristocrat

When we hear the word “Italy” we probably think of pasta, Monalisa, Venice, Vespa, Del Piero, Leonardo da Vinci and Ferrari. But beside all that, Italy is known for the birth place of European Renaissance for art and culture which started in 14th Century and lasted until 18th Century and the essence of The Renaissance is conveyed throughout Italy’s most iconic sculptures, monuments, paintings and structures. And into cars too. You might be thinking why do we care about art and culture of Italy when we are about to dive into review of a beautiful 2018 Maserati Levante SQ4? Simply because designing and creating a car is an art of its own and The Renaissance of 14th century is still being lavishly existent in today’s every form of Italian arts which includes Italian cars as well. That is one reason why Italian cars are so beautiful and why every young car enthusiast sticks a poster of Lamborghini Diablo instead of a Miata.

We fortunately got the chance to experience first hand one such Italian car, The Maserati Levante SQ4 GranLusso. Thanks to Sal-Sabeel Autos for giving us the opportunity. We took a closer look of what Maserati has to offer in the ever more competitive market of SUVs’.

The first impression that it gives is the massiveness of the car. It has huge front grill with the big Maserati logo embedded. Behind the front grill there’s a electronically controlled radiator vents that opens and closes automatically. Body lines are smoothened out throughout the car.

Interior is super luxurious but not as spacious as you would expect from a high end luxury SUV. from exterior standpoint it sits in between of crossover and SUV so boot space is compromised as well as the rear passengers’ leg room. But the list of features is long and hefty. It comes with standard heated seats with 17 way adjustability, fully leather wrapped trims, dash and seats,
panoramic sunroof, integrated touch infotainment system, b&w 17 way speakers and many more.

This particular unit came with 21 inch factory Maserati wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires. It has adaptive air suspension. Ride height can be adjusted by toggling various modes. Most spectacular thing about this car is the 50/50 weight balance which showcase Maserati’s commitment to make car agile on corners and they have achieved it handsomely. They dialed the suspension in such a way that this car can take corners as fast as some of the high performance sedans and sports cars.

It gets interesting when we dive into power plant of this car. It’s a V6, 3 liter, twin turbocharged engine which is a direct production of Ferrari producing 424hp and 428 lb/ft of torque. Ferrari powered SUV? drives as nice as it sounds. It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Heavy breathing starts when Sport Mode is engaged. Exhaust valve opens, rumble of the V6 can be felt even more and brutal acceleration gives the thrill that no other SUV can deliver. It’s on it’s own class. 0-90 under 5 seconds. That’s supercar level timing and it’s quite understandable as for being a Maserati. Power is being delivered through 8 speed automatic gearbox to 4×4 drivetrain.

2018-standard techs have been integrated like the standard ABS, traction control, stability control, adaptive air suspension, parking assist, collision assist, 360 angle view, emergency brake assist and so on.
This excellent piece of Italian art has been imported by Sal-Sabeel Auto which is situated in Gulshan-1. Road-8, Dhaka and currently on sale starting at Tk.3 crore 50 lac and upward depending on interior and exterior optional features. At that price point it might not be a bargain for many but for those who can afford it would be an honor just to own one.