Compare the2024 Mercedes GLEVS 2023 Maserati Levante

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLE 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 GLE’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.

The Mercedes GLE has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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 GLE offers optional Post-Collision Brake, which automatically apply 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.

Both the GLE and Levante have rear cross-traffic warning, but the GLE 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 GLE’s 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 GLE 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, rear cross-path warning and available lane departure warning systems.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GLE its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 58 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Levante has not been tested, yet.

The GLE’s 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 GLE’s warranty.

As tested in Motor Trend the GLE 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Levante GT 3.0 turbo V6:

On the EPA test cycle the GLE running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Levante:

The GLE 450e can travel with zero emissions for 38 miles. The Levante can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the GLE 450/580’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Levante doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Mercedes GLE 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 GLE, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Levante.

The GLE stops much shorter than the Levante:

For better traction, the GLE’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Levante (F:275/45R21 & R:315/40R21 vs. F:265/45R20 & R:295/40R20).

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the GLE can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Levante doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The GLE 450 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 GLE is 1.4 inches wider in the front than the average track on the Levante.

The GLE 450 handles at .83 G’s, while the Levante GT pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the GLE’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Levante’s (39.4 feet vs. 41.2 feet).

The design of the Mercedes GLE amounts to more than styling. The GLE has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is lower than the Levante (.31 to .33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GLE get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the GLE 450 is quieter than the Levante Modena:

The GLE offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Levante can only carry 5.

The GLE has .3 inches more front headroom, 3.5 inches more front shoulder room, 6.3 inches more rear legroom and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Levante.

The GLE has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Levante with its rear seat up (33.3 vs. 20.5 cubic feet). The GLE has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Levante with its rear seat folded (74.9 vs. 57.3 cubic feet).

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

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the GLE’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Levante doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The GLE’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 GLE can tow a minimum of 7700 pounds.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Levante, the GLE 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 GLE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, certain gauge, 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 GLE’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 GLE has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Levante doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

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

The GLE offers an optional 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 GLE’s 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 GLE outsold the Maserati Levante by over 16 to one during 2022.