Compare the2022 Acura MDXVS 2021 Maserati Levante

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Acura MDX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Maserati Levante doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the MDX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Levante doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Acura MDX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Levante doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The MDX offers an optional Low-Speed Braking Control that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Levante doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The MDX’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Levante.

The MDX’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Levante doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the MDX and the Levante have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Acura’s powertrain warranty covers the MDX 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Maserati covers the Levante. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Levante ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The MDX’s corrosion warranty is 1 year and unlimited miles longer than the Levante’s (5/unlimited vs. 4/50,000).

There are over 2 times as many Acura dealers as there are Maserati dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the MDX’s warranty.

The engine in the MDX has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engines in the Levante have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

On the EPA test cycle the MDX SH-AWD gets better fuel mileage than the Levante with its standard engine (19 city/25 hwy vs. 16 city/22 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the MDX’s fuel efficiency. The Levante doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Acura MDX uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Levante requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The MDX has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Levante doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Acura MDX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Levante.

For better stopping power the MDX’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Levante:

The MDX has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Levante doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the MDX is 3.5 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Levante.

The Acura MDX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 500 pounds less than the Maserati Levante.

The MDX uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Levante doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The MDX has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Levante can only carry 5.

The MDX has 6.1 inches more front shoulder room, 3.9 inches more rear legroom and 4.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Levante.

The MDX’s cargo area provides more volume than the Levante.

While the Levante GTS can only tow 3306, any MDX can tow a minimum of 3500 pounds.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Levante, the MDX offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The MDX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and other key instrumentation readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Levante doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Acura MDX has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Levante doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The MDX offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Levante doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The MDX is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Levante doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.