2019 Maserati Levante GTSHandout / Maserati So, you want a Maserati SUV — a really fast one: Well, your timing is impeccable. Two years after the launch of the Levante, its first SUV, Maserati has followed up with the new GTS. Essentially the Quattroportes twice-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 plunked into the engine bay, the Levante GTS boasts a Porsche Cayenne Turbo-challenging 550 horsepower and an equally stout 538 lb.-ft. of torque. Now, if numerical one-upmanship matters to you, know that the GTS is officially a little slower than the Porsche, Maserati claiming it takes around four seconds to scoot from rest to 100 km/h, while the Cayenne Turbo can get there a smidge faster with the Sports Chrono package.You wouldnt know it from the drivers seat, though. Once you get the (admittedly hefty) 2,170 kilogram Levante rolling, the thing is the proverbial rocketship, seemingly getting faster the more it gathers speed. Its hard to remember anything short of a supercar with such immediate roll-on throttle response. One second youre doddling behind a semi, the next youre getting a notification from air traffic control that youre cleared for takeoff. Seriously fast is this Maserati and if you want even more, theres a Trofeo version with even more 590! horses. Seriously, if you need an SUV with more horsepower than the Levante is now offering, you need therapy.It doesnt quite sound the part, though. Oh, it bellows and roars, but after the symphony of the V6 in the Levante S creates, I expected more of an intoxicating V8. Only as musical as a Porsche V8 might not sound like much of an insult, but if youre ever driven the Levante S, youd know my disappointment. Maybe the Trofeo ups the ante. Not much else ruins the ride. The suspension variable, natch is firm when you need it; supple if not. The seats, swaddled in the most hedonistic of leathers, will flatter your behind. Theres room a-plenty in the rear seats, and even if the cargo area isnt the most commodious among comparable SUVs, its still plenty roomy. The Harman/Kardon sound system is faithful in its aural replication, but it could stand a few more decibels when Billy Idol starts lamenting his ex-girlfriends White Wedding.Even Maseratis MTC+ infotainment system is top notch. Oh, the graphics may be six months out of date thats 48 months in Silicon Valley years but, based on Chryslers UConnect system, its one of the most capable touchscreen systems in the segment. Nothing fancy no gesture control, for instance, just straight-up good programming.The GTS also does right by your wallet that is, of course, if youre filthy rich. The base price $138,500, some $3,300 cheaper than the equivalent Cayenne Turbo. Like Porsches ubiquitous SUV, the GTS can get pricier quickly, my test unit optioned out to a cool $155,540. But thats also true of all of Porsches Turbo models, not just the Cayenne, notoriously expensive when you throw in the doo-dads. 2019 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Brian Harper / Driving You still want the Porsche: Of course you do. Porsche fans are only slightly less devoted deluded? than Tesla fanatics, so no matter what I say here, the Levante will never going to outsell the Cayenne. That said, I dont have anything really bad to say about the Cayenne Turbo. As I mentioned, Porsche would make toilet paper a (costly) option in a public bathroom, were it in the commode business. But pricing issues aside, its a more than competent vehicle.In fact, these two vehicles are so similar they could easily have been separated at birth. Both are powered by twice-turbocharged V8s with roughly the same horsepower, both boast the Cayennes Sport Chrono package notwithstanding the same acceleration, and and both reach about equal lock-you-up-and-throw-away-the-key top speeds: 286 km/h for the Porsche, versus 291 for the Maserati.Theyre roughly the same size and though their interiors are vastly different, the cabins are equally luxurious. Hard to say anything bad about either, though if it matters to you, Porsche Cayennes are becoming as common as VWs these days. 2019 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Handout / Mercedes-Benz You want a different kind of German muscle: Then you might want to consider AMGs version of the Mercedes GLE, the 63 S. Boasting 577 horsepower from its twin-turbo V8, the 63 S also undercuts both Porsche and Maserati with its $116,300 starting price. That said, whod have ever thought thered come a day when Mercedes-Benz would become the price-point competitor in the luxury segment.It shows: The interior isnt quite as nice, and the ride isnt quite as settled as the Cayenne or Levante. And while were being frank, the GLEs styling leaves me a little cold, exhibiting neither the passion of the Maserati nor the ruthless efficiency of the Porsche. Buy it for the horsepower or its booming exhaust if you must, but its not quite as sophisticated as either of the other two. (It’s worth noting the 63 S is still based on the bones of the
Origin: Want a Maserati Levante? Consider these other super sport-utes, too
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Want a Nissan Maxima? Consider these alternatives
2019 Nissan MaximaDavid Booth / Driving So, you want a Nissan Maxima. That’s not a bad idea, as Nissan’s flagship has always been the sportiest of Asian front-wheel-drive sedans. It’s powered by a 3.5-litre V6 that’s won so many awards, even Nissan has stopped counting. It has a stiffer suspension than anything this side of a BMW M product, and it’s fairly luxurious by any standards. In short, it’s a great car. It’s also a little bit of an anomaly, the Maxima competing for mid-sized sedan honours not only with its Camry rival, but also Nissan’s own Altima. Unlike Toyota, which splits its family haulers primarily by size — the Avalon is almost 100 millimetres longer than the Camry, while the Maxima is actually slightly shorter than the Altima — Nissan differentiates Maxima and Altima by intent, the former getting the vroom-vroom engine and stiffer suspension, while the latter competes directly with Camry for yeoman duty. And the Maxima truly does feel sporty. The V6 pumps out decent grunt with 300 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque. More importantly, it acts the part, all growly at low revs and fairly singing — or, at least, as much a family hauler’s V6 can — when the tach swings toward redline. The suspension is also well-dampened, meaning the Maxima is fairly sporty — again, at least as sporty as an Asian family sedan is likely to get. The steering, wonder of wonders, is even responsive. 2019 Nissan Maxima Handout / Nissan Inside, more of that sportiness fills the cabin, now with a tinge of hedonism. Besides being plenty roomy — I fit five adults inside without the need to squeeze — the finish is particularly scrumptious and the stitching upscale. The front seats — resplendent in what Nissan calls its Zero Gravity’ technology — are comfy as well. A warning, however, to typical family sedan owners: the Maxima’s front buckets have side bolstering commensurate with its sporting nature, so they won’t accommodate those who visit McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nonetheless, the Maxima’s interior is comfy and luxurious, as long as you fit. The one exception to all this interior goodness is the Maxima’s rendition of the NissanConnect infotainment system. In this day and age of dashboard-wide Mercedes MBUX and twin-screen Audi MMI systems, the Maxima’s eight-inch screen and its seeming Pentium 4-level graphics seem out of touch with where automobile man-machine interfaces are going. It works well enough, but my Lord, it looks behind the times. That said, those looking for a truly sporting front-wheel-drive sedan would do themselves a favour by test driving a 2019 Maxima. 2019 Toyota Camry Handout / Toyota You want something a little cushier. Most people think Toyota’s Camry is Maxima’s direct competition, but it really isn’t. For all Toyota’s recently brash styling, the Camry remains a mainstream family sedan, not some Japanese BMW wannabe. It’s softer in the suspension, less proud in its internal combustion and less communicative in its steering feedback. Yes, it is sportier than it has been, but no one should mistake it for a 3 Series. That said, the Camry is now an attractive beast, both outside — which, as I said, is a little more overt in demanding attention — and inside, where a brilliant red interior is just the thing to convince aging Boomers that they remain as au courante as ever. It’s almost as roomy as the Maxima, as luxurious in its own way and, by most estimations, the most reliable vehicle on the planet. I have put family members and important friends of the family into Camrys, high recommendation indeed considering how unreserved they would be about complaining if I steered them wrong. They are two different cars, however, and if you’re shopping Maxima I don’t think you should be comparing it with Camry. 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Handout / Mercedes-Benz You are determined to go German. Well, the obvious choice is the Mercedes-Benz C300, which, outwardly, is way cooler than the Maxima not just because it sports a more obvious hood ornament, but also because it really is an attractive beast. If entry-level luxury sedans really were sold on looks alone, the Merc would be the only game in town. It also, while I am heaping on praise, features a very sophisticated all-wheel-drive system; I’m not sure if Mercedes’ 4Matic is the most technologically advanced — and, more importantly, whether most consumers could even tell if it was — but it works a treat nonetheless, and is almost a necessity if one wants to compete in the luxury sweepstakes these days. Unfortunately, other aspects of the C300 are not so stellar. The base four-cylinder turbocharged engine, while supplying a yeoman 255 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque, is simply not as engaging as the Maxima’s extrovert V6. Oh, it boasts a bit more grunt down low, but that tapers off as things start getting fun. And compared with the Maxima’s rorty V6, the 2.0L sounds more than a little flatulent. Nor does the
Origin: Want a Nissan Maxima? Consider these alternatives
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