Compare the2023 Audi SQ8VS 2023 Maserati Levante

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi SQ8 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.

Both the SQ8 and Levante have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The SQ8 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 SQ8 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 SQ8 Prestige 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 SQ8’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 SQ8 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, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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 standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the SQ8 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Levante has not been tested, yet.

The SQ8’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 SQ8’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Audi vehicles are better in initial quality than Maserati vehicles. With 16 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Audi higher than Maserati.

The SQ8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 155 more horsepower (500 vs. 345) and 199 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 369) than the Levante GT’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The SQ8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 76 more horsepower (500 vs. 424) and 140 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 428) than the Levante Modena’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The SQ8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 30 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 538) than the Levante Modena S’ standard 3.8 turbo V8. The SQ8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 30 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 538) than the Levante Trofeo’s standard 3.8 turbo V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi SQ8 is faster than the Levante Modena 3.0 turbo V6:

On the EPA test cycle the SQ8 gets better mileage than the Levante:

Regenerative brakes improve the SQ8’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Levante doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The SQ8 has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Levante (22.5 vs. 21.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi SQ8 higher (3 out of 10) than the Maserati Levante (1 to 3). This means the SQ8 produces up to 22.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Levante every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the SQ8’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Levante:

For better traction, the SQ8 has larger tires than the Levante (285/45R21 vs. 265/45R20). The SQ8’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Levante (285/45R21 vs. 265/45R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the SQ8 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Levante Modena/S.

The SQ8 Prestige offers 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 SQ8 Prestige 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 SQ8 is 1.9 inches wider in the front and .2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Levante.

The SQ8 Prestige handles at .92 G’s, while the Levante Modena pulls only .91 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The SQ8 has 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 SQ8 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 SQ8 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 SQ8’s cargo area is larger than the Levante’s in every dimension:

The SQ8’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Levante’s (7700 vs. 5952 pounds).

While the Levante Modena S can only tow 3306, any SQ8 can tow a minimum of 7700 pounds.

The SQ8 Prestige has a standard 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.

The SQ8’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.

A manual rear sunshade and power rear side window sunshades are optional in the SQ8 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Levante doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

The SQ8 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 SQ8 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Levante doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The SQ8 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Levante doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 outsold the Maserati Levante by over two to one during 2022.