Compare the2024 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2023 Maserati Levante

The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport’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.

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 Escalade 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 Escalade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Levante doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escalade offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Levante doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights 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 Escalade’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 Escalade and the Levante have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, around view monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Cadillac Escalade weighs 565 to 1365 pounds more than the Maserati Levante. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Escalade 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 Escalade’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Levante’s (6/unlimited vs. 4/50,000).

There are almost 5 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Maserati dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escalade’s warranty.

The Escalade has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Levante doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escalade first among large premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Levante isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Maserati vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, Maserati is rated lower.

The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 75 more horsepower (420 vs. 345) and 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 369) than the Levante GT’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 32 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 428) than the Levante Modena’s standard 3.0 turbo V6.

The Escalade’s 3.0 turbo diesel produces 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 369) than the Levante GT’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The Escalade’s 3.0 turbo diesel produces 32 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 428) than the Levante Modena’s standard 3.0 turbo V6.

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escalade V8’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 Cadillac Escalade uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Levante requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Escalade has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Levante (24 vs. 21.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Escalade 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 Cadillac Escalade higher (3 to 6 out of 10) than the Maserati Levante (1 to 3). This means the Escalade produces up to 45.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Levante every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is available on the Cadillac Escalade, 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 Escalade’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Levante:

The Escalade stops shorter than the Levante:

For better traction, the Escalade has larger tires than the Levante (275/50R22 vs. 265/45R20). The Escalade’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Levante (275/50R22 vs. 265/45R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Levante Modena/S.

The Cadillac Escalade’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Maserati Levante only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Escalade 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.

The Escalade 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escalade’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the Levante (120.9 inches vs. 118.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade is 4.3 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Levante.

For better maneuverability, the Escalade’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Levante’s (39.7 feet vs. 41.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Escalade Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Levante (10 vs. 9.7 inches), allowing the Escalade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Escalade Sport Platinum 4WD is quieter than the Levante Modena:

The Escalade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Levante can only carry 5.

The Escalade has 2.1 inches more front headroom, 9.7 inches more front shoulder room, 7.1 inches more rear legroom and 8.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Levante.

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

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

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Escalade’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Levante doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Levante’s (8000 vs. 5952 pounds).

The Escalade 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Escalade can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Levante can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning 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 Escalade’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.

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

The Escalade has a 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 Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport’s Adaptive Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Levante doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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

The Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV outsold the Maserati Levante by over 10 to one during 2022.