Compare the2022 Audi RS Q8VS 2021 Maserati Levante

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi RS Q8 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 rear seat belts.

The RS Q8’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Levante doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the RS Q8 and Levante have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The RS Q8 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Levante’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The RS Q8 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Levante doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the RS Q8 helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Levante doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The RS Q8’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.

Both the RS Q8 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The Audi RS Q8 weighs 420 to 840 pounds more than the Maserati Levante. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the RS Q8 the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Levante has not been tested, yet.

The RS Q8’s corrosion warranty is 8 years and unlimited miles longer than the Levante’s (12/unlimited vs. 4/50,000).

There are almost 3 times as many Audi dealers as there are Maserati dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the RS Q8’s warranty.

The RS Q8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 246 more horsepower (591 vs. 345) and 221 lbs.-ft. more torque (590 vs. 369) than the Levante’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The RS Q8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 167 more horsepower (591 vs. 424) and 162 lbs.-ft. more torque (590 vs. 428) than the Levante S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6. The RS Q8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 41 more horsepower (591 vs. 550) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (590 vs. 538) than the Levante GTS’ standard 3.8 turbo V8. The RS Q8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 11 more horsepower (591 vs. 580) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (590 vs. 538) than the Levante Trofeo’s standard 3.8 turbo V8.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the RS Q8’s fuel efficiency. The Levante doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the RS Q8’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Levante doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The RS Q8 has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Levante (22.5 vs. 21.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the RS Q8’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Levante:

The RS Q8 offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The Levante doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

For better traction, the RS Q8 has larger tires than the Levante (295/40R22 vs. 265/50R19). The RS Q8’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Levante (295/40R22 vs. 265/50R19).

The RS Q8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Levante’s standard 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the RS Q8 has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Levante. The RS Q8’s 23-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the Levante.

The RS Q8 has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Levante doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The RS Q8 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Maserati doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Levante.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the RS Q8 is 2.4 inches wider in the front and .3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Levante.

The RS Q8 has .9 inches more front headroom, 3.7 inches more front shoulder room, 5.6 inches more rear legroom and 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Levante.

The RS Q8 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Levante with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 20.5 cubic feet). The RS Q8 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Levante with its rear seat folded (60.7 vs. 57.3 cubic feet).

The RS Q8’s cargo area is larger than the Levante’s in every dimension:

The RS Q8’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Levante’s (7700 vs. 5952 pounds).

While the Levante GTS can only tow 3306, any RS Q8 can tow a minimum of 7700 pounds.

The RS Q8 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction 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.

A manual rear sunshade and power rear side window sunshades are optional in the RS Q8 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Levante doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

The RS Q8 offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Levante.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi RS Q8 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Levante doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 outsold the Maserati Levante by over four to one during the 2021 model year.