Compare the2023 Aston Martin DBXVS 2023 Maserati Levante

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Aston Martin DBX 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 Aston Martin DBX 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 DBX’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 DBX and Levante have rear cross-traffic warning, but the DBX has Rear Cross Traffic Warning (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Levante’s Rear Cross Path doesn’t automatically brake.

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

The DBX comes with a full 3-year/unlimited-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The Levante’s 50,000-mile basic warranty expires sooner.

The DBX’s corrosion warranty is 6 years and unlimited miles longer than the Levante’s (10/unlimited vs. 4/50,000).

The DBX has more powerful engines than the Levante:

As tested in Motor Trend the Aston Martin DBX 4.0 is faster than the Maserati Levante:

On the EPA test cycle the DBX gets better mileage than the Levante:

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

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

The DBX 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.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Aston Martin DBX higher (5 out of 10) than the Maserati Levante (1 to 3). This means the DBX produces up to 39 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Levante every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Aston Martin DBX, 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 DBX’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Levante:

The DBX 707 has standard 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.

The DBX stops much shorter than the Levante:

For better traction, the DBX has larger tires than the Levante (F:285/40R22 & R:325/35R22 vs. 265/45R20). The DBX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Levante (F:285/40R22 & R:325/35R22 vs. F:265/45R20 & R:295/40R20).

The DBX’s standard 285/40R22 front and 325/35R22 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Levante’s standard 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the DBX has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Levante Modena/S. The DBX’s optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the Levante.

The DBX 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 DBX offers an available 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 a smoother ride and more stable handling, the DBX’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the Levante (120.5 inches vs. 118.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the DBX is 2.8 inches wider in the front than the average track on the Levante.

The DBX707 handles at .97 G’s, while the Levante Modena pulls only .91 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The DBX executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the Levante GT (24.4 seconds @ .79 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .69 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the DBX707 is quieter than the Levante Modena:

The DBX has .7 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom and 6.3 inches more rear legroom than the Levante.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the DBX when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Levante doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

The DBX has a much larger cargo volume than the Levante with its rear seat up (22.5 vs. 20.5 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the DBX’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Levante doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

While the Levante Modena S can only tow 3306, any DBX can tow a minimum of 5940 pounds.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Levante, the DBX 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 DBX’s 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.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the DBX has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Levante doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the DBX’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Levante doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Aston Martin DBX offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The Levante doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The DBX’s Auto Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Levante doesn’t offer an automated parking system.