Maserati Levante SUV - Reliability & safety

Maseratis don’t tend to sell in big enough numbers to feature in customer satisfaction studies like our annual Driver Power survey. However, the Levante uses proven parts that have appeared in other Maseratis already, so t it should be a dependable choice.

Maserati Levante reliability

Older Maseratis from the eighties and nineties are not renowned for giving trouble-free motoring, but close association with car industry giants Fiat and Chrysler has improved things considerably in recent years. The Levante’s diesel engine is manufactured by the Italian diesel specialist VM Motori and shared with other models in the range, so it’s well proven and unlikely to give serious trouble.

Unlike Audi, Maserati doesn’t slap a 60,000-mile limit on its three-year new-car warranty, so if you do hit trouble within that time, you can be confident it’ll be sorted no matter how far you’ve driven the car.

Safety

The Levante includes the kind of safety kit that’s part-and-parcel of any new car these days, such as multiple airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control and ISOFIX mounting points for the safe fitment of child seats, as well as ‘active’ safety technology designed to reduce the likelihood of a collision happening in the first place.

Adaptive cruise control allows the car to maintain a safe distance from vehicles in front on the motorway, as well as make progress on its own in stop-start urban traffic. Lane-departure warning alerts you if the car is drifting out of position on a motorway or dual-carriageway, while a surround-view camera makes parking or manoeuvring in tight spots easier.

Forward collision warning and braking assistance detects any impending crashes and either applies the brakes if you don’t respond, or helps you to exert the maximum possible braking force if you do.