Compare the2023 Mercedes G-ClassVS 2023 Maserati Levante

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes G-Class 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 its rear seat belts.

The G-Class’ 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.

The Mercedes G-Class 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.

The G-Class’ 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 G-Class and Levante have rear cross-traffic warning, but the G-Class has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Levante’s Rear Cross Path doesn’t automatically brake.

The G-Class’ 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 G-Class 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 Mercedes G-Class weighs 484 to 1192 pounds more than the Maserati Levante. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

There are over 3 times as many Mercedes dealers as there are Maserati dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the G-Class’ warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Maserati vehicles. With 66 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Maserati.

The G-Class has more powerful engines than the Levante:

As tested in Motor Trend the G 550 is faster than the Levante GT 3.0 turbo V6:

As tested in Motor Trend the AMG G 63 is faster than the Levante Modena 3.0 turbo V6:

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

The G-Class has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Levante (26.4 vs. 21.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes G-Class higher (3 out of 10) than the Maserati Levante (1 to 3). This means the G-Class produces up to 22.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Levante every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the Mercedes G-Class as an “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV). The Maserati Levante is only certified to “Low Emissions Vehicle” (LEV) standards.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes G-Class, 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 G-Class’ standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Levante:

The G-Class stops shorter than the Levante:

For better traction, the G-Class has larger standard tires than the Levante (275/55R19 vs. 265/45R20). The G-Class’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Levante (295/40R22 vs. 265/45R20).

The G-Class has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Levante; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The G 550 is 7.3 inches shorter than the Levante, making the G-Class easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The G-Class has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 4.9 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Levante.

The G-Class has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Levante with its rear seat up (38.1 vs. 20.5 cubic feet). The G-Class has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Levante with its rear seat folded (68.6 vs. 57.3 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the G-Class easier. The G-Class’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.3 inches, while the Levante’s liftover is 31.7 inches.

The G-Class’ standard towing capacity is much higher than the Levante’s (7000 vs. 5952 pounds).

While the Levante Modena S can only tow 3306, any G-Class can tow a minimum of 7000 pounds.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Levante, the G-Class has standard driver and 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 G-Class’ LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Levante’s standard xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

The G-Class 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 Mercedes G-Class has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Levante doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The G-Class has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, 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 G-Class’ Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Levante doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Mercedes G-Class outsold the Maserati Levante by 79% during 2022.