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When you think of Italian vehicles, you're likely to associate them with performance and jaw-dropping beauty. And typically, that's exactly what you get, whether it's a sports coupe, sedan, or even a crossover. So even though some may not consider them direct competitors, how do you choose between the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Maserati Levante, two crossovers built in Italy and equipped with luxury features and strong engines? We spent some time with both vehicles at the 2016 Los Angeles auto show-here are four ways in which the Stelvio and Levante differ.
Alfa Romeo hasn't released full specs on the Stelvio, but visually, it looks more youthful than the Levante. Dynamic creases run across the side of the taut body, making it appear more windswept than its Italian brother.
Adding a bit of sophistication, the Maserati Levante features plenty of chrome accents: on the door handles, around the windows, in the middle of the trunk, and of course, on the grille. The crossover's long nose and bulbous rear end give it a rounded, elongated shape.
Both models have muscular sheetmetal, but it's only when you look inside the cabins that you see the real personality differences between the two vehicles. The Levante features decadent leather seats as standard and an optional Luxury Zegna package that features leather and silk seats from Ermenegildo Zegna. Shiny aluminum accents fill the cabin. And although its 8.4-inch touchscreen looks similar to the units on its Chrysler brethren, the interior is a classic, clean design.
Although the Levante cabin can be described as mature, the Alfa focuses on athleticism. On the top-of-the-line 505-hp Stelvio Quadrifoglio model, Alcantara and leather cover the heavily bolstered seats. A swoopy, wide screen infotainment system sits inside the top portion of the dash, and the round climate controls knobs remind us of mainstream cars. The Stelvio Ti model promises to add more refinement with real wood accents.
The Stelvio offers two engines with big differences in power, and the Levante is sandwiched in between them. Alfa's crossover offers 280 hp from a 2.0-liter turbo-four and 505 hp from a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6, and the Levante packs a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 available with 345 hp or 424 hp. In its most powerful form, the Maserati is estimated to hit 60 mph in 5.0 seconds. Compare that to a manufacturer-estimated 3.9 seconds for the Stelvio Quadrifoglio.
It may look ready for a cocktail party, but believe it or not, Maserati has actually equipped the Levante for off-road adventures. The automaker says the Levante provides a comfortable ride even on rough surfaces and snow or ice. Switch the Levante to "Off-road" mode, and the engine, transmission, and suspension automatically adjusts to harsher surfaces. The Stelvio has no such off-road feature, but it does have a Race mode in Quadrifoglio form. This feature activates the over-boost function and disables ESC, while enhancing throttle calibration, steering responsiveness, and overall engine performance.
Text Source: Motor Trend