THE Maserati Levante Hybrid it is the second model (after the Ghibli) of the trident brand to be electrified, albeit slightly (mild-hybrid). By 2025, however, there will be half a dozen new models, all with a 100% electric version.
Maserati has already received, on several occasions, the extreme unction for being on the verge of disappearance (in line with what happened to Lancia) and several resurrection plans have been thrown in the trash. Now the beginning of salvation is finally near, but in the world of the living.
The new recovery project is called MMXX and will have its crucial phase until 2025: by then we will have the MC20 (convertible and electric versions in 2022), the medium-sized SUV Grecale (Alfa Romeo Stelvio platform, to be presented later this year and electric version in 2022), the new GranTurismo and GranCabrio (in 2022 and also with “battery-powered” versions) and the new Quattroporte sedan and SUV Levante (also as electric) for 2023.
The Modena manufacturer is investing €2.5 billion (and with the confidence of Stellantis, the new group that resulted from the merger of PSA and FCA) to return to an annual sales level of 75,000 cars, after hit rock bottom in 2020, with just 17 000 new registrations and €232 million in losses (results worse than the 2019 losses, aggravated by the pandemic).
With the “help” of Alfa Romeo
For this first electrified propulsion system — the same one we saw in the Ghibli Hybrid — the Italians combined a four-cylinder, two-liter gasoline block (from Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio) with an electric motor that serves as a generator and starter motor and an electric compressor, which Maserati calls an eBooster, changing almost everything about this engine:
Corrado Nizzola, responsible for electrification at Maserati“The gasoline engine received a complete treatment to start having Maserati genes. We changed almost everything and I think that only the displacement and part of the cylinder head remained unchanged”.
There is a new turbocharger and the engine management was completely reprogrammed, which required a lot of work in some processes such as synchronizing the eBooster with the starter/generator.
In the end, the four-cylinder engine has an output of 330 hp at 5750 rpm and a maximum torque of 450 Nm which is available at 2250 rpm. But, more than quantity, Nizzola prefers to emphasize the quality of that torque: “almost more important than the maximum value is the fact that as early as 1750 rpm 400 Nm remain at the orders of the driver's right foot”.
But we're not a hybrid that can run without using gasoline — it's a mild-hybrid, or semi-hybrid, meaning there's a lightweight hybridization system that sometimes supports the gasoline engine. The system requires an additional 48 V network (with a specific battery in the back of the car) that feeds an electric compressor that works to generate overpressure until the turbocharger is sufficiently charged, thus minimizing the effect of delaying the entry into action of the turbo (so called “turbo-lag”).
The combination of eBooster and electric motor-generator provides an extra boost when the engine reaches RPM in Sport mode, at which point the performance benefits can be fully realized, while in Normal mode it balances fuel usage and performance. The engine sound is obtained without using amplifiers, but only by adjusting the dynamics of the exhaust fluid and the adoption of resonators, tuned to provide the sound so typical of the Maserati.
Why not a plug-in hybrid?
The reason why Maserati did not make a plug-in hybrid is given by the person responsible for electrification at Maserati, Corrado Nizzola: “we evaluated this possibility, but for it to add value to the car, the electric range would have to be more than 50 km and that's it. it would involve adding a heavy battery that would change the mass distribution of our cars”.
This way it was ensured that the Levante Hybrid weighs less than the Diesel (the four cylinders is 24 kg lighter than the V6) and with the placement of the battery at the rear, a 50/50 weight distribution is achieved. But, of course, a mild-hybrid system leaves Levante at a disadvantage compared to the increasingly numerous SUV competition in this segment that have plug-in hybrid variants, capable of doing several tens of kilometers in purely electric mode.
The intention of getting the best of both worlds with this (semi) hybrid version seems to have been achieved, judging by the number of benefits and consumption.
Six seconds right from 0 to 100 km/h equal the sprint of the petrol version (3.0 V6 of 350 hp) and means practically one second less compared to the Diesel V6, while in emissions the Italians indicate 18% less than the petrol version (estimate of 231-252 g/km) and 3% less (almost the same) than this diesel SUV (with the average consumption value still being homologated). The top speed of 240 km/h is 10 km/h lower than the V6 petrol version and the same 10 km/h higher than the V6 Diesel.
Blue, the color of Maserati hybrids
On the outside, there is a new triple-layer metallic blue color, called Azzurro Astro, as the color collection will add, for the hybrid versions, the Grigio Evoluzione, which was presented in the Ghibli Hybrid, with some details in cobalt blue, the color chosen for Maserati's hybrid models. Blue personalizes the three emblematic side air intakes, the brake calipers (option) and the logo on the C-pillar.
There are, in fact, several logos on the Levante Hybrid: an oval front on the hood, two Tridentes (one on the C-pillar and one on the radiator grille) and the GT emblem above the three side air intakes. This – GT – is the level of finish of the Levante Hybrid, with the exterior styling characteristics of the GranLusso (chromed on the front bumper and front grille), with the Sport Pack being available as an option.
The boomerang-shaped rear lights, already introduced with the 2021 facelift, are inspired by a Maserati classic, the 3200 GT by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and by the Alfieri concept. To emphasize this boomerang shape, the tail lights were produced using 3K injection molding technology, thanks to which the unit has a tricolor lens: black on the perimeter, red on the center and transparent on the lower section.
The distinctive exterior identity is enhanced by a series of chrome front inserts, chrome front and rear body underguards, body color rear deflector, cobalt blue brake calipers (option) and Zefiro alloy wheels of 19".
New interior, more modern and connected
The GT interior features Grain A leather and piano lacquer finishes as standard. The front seats in leather have reinforced side support, the sports steering wheel has aluminum shift paddles and the pedals are made of stainless steel, with the pillars and roof covered in black velvet to make the environment more exclusive and sporty.
The center console houses the revamped gearbox lever and drive mode buttons, as well as the forged aluminum double rotary knob for audio volume control and other functions.
The multimedia system is new, based on Android Auto. Your information is displayed on the 8.4" high resolution touchscreen, with a modern look (almost no frame around it), and with graphics and software "from this millennium" (even if the browser still does not have up-to-date information of real-time traffic).
The instrument panel includes a tachometer and a large (still analogue) speedometer on either side of a 7” TFT screen. Another important progress is seen in the increase, in quantity and resources, of driver assistance systems, in which Maserati was a good decade behind its main rivals, mainly the Germans.
The standard sound system is signed by Harman Kardon, in the Premium version with 14 speakers and 900 W amplifier, which includes a bass grille (mounted on the ports), finished in black and a 12-channel amplifier, together with a high-performance subwoofer. For those who demand more, there's a Bowers & Wilkins Premium Surround System, with 17 speakers and 1280W amplifier, which features a 100mm Kevlar center cone for the midrange drives.
the least expensive of the Levantes
The prices are not yet known, but it is possible to project an entry value in the order of 115,000 euros for the Levante Hybrid, around 26,000 euros below what Diesel costs (and taking as a reference the 24,000 euros that the Ghibli Hybrid costs less than the Ghibli Diesel). Which means that the access step to the Levante range is considerably lower.