Maserati Levante 2021 Owner's Manual page 210

Starting and Driving
Maintenance
After driving through water, have your
vehicle fluids and lubricants inspected
at the Service Network to assure the
fluids have not been contaminated.
Driving in Snow and Wet Grass
In heavy snow, when pulling a load,
or for additional control at slower
speeds, set "I.C.E." drive mode with
transmission in M +/- (Manual) and
shift the transmission to a low gear.
See "Drive Mode" in this section for
further details. Do not shift to a lower
gear than necessary to maintain
forward motion. Over-revving the
engine can spin the wheels and
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traction will be lost.
Avoid abrupt downshifts on icy or
slippery roads, because engine braking
may cause skidding and loss of control.
Follow these instructions even when
driving through a path section covered
with wet grass.
Driving in Mud and Sand
In general, when driving in mud and
sand, if your wheels spin, always
reduce the throttle in order to slow
the tires and regain traction.
• When driving in mud, avoid using
low gear that could cause wheel
spin. Follow the tyre and vehicle
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manufacturer's advice on tire
pressure.
• When driving in sand, adopt lowest
gear possible. Tire pressure set at the
lower limits may help to increase the
vehicle capability. If you are driving
through sand dunes, avoid climbing
over them while try to go round
them.
Hill Climbing
Before climbing a hill, determine the
conditions at the crest and/or on the
other side and shift the transmission to
a lower gear.
The vehicle is equipped with Hill Start
Assist (HSA) that helps the driver to
manage the brake intervention in
acceleration when driving uphill (
chapter "Brake and Stability Control
Systems" in section "Safety").
If you stall or begin to lose forward
motion while climbing a steep hill,
allow your vehicle to come to a stop
and immediately apply the brakes. If
stalled, restart the engine, and shift
into R (Reverse). Back slowly down the
hill, allowing the compression braking
of the engine to help regulate your
speed. If the brakes are required to
control vehicle speed, apply them
lightly and avoid locking or skidding
the tires.
WARNING!
If you lose forward motion, or cannot
make it to the top of a hill or grade,
never attempt to turn around. To do
so may result in tipping and rolling
the vehicle. Always back carefully
straight down a hill in R (Reverse)
gear. Never back down a hill in N
(Neutral) using only the brake.
Remember, never drive diagonally
across a hill; always drive straight up or
down.
If the wheels start to slip as you
approach the crest of a hill, ease off
the accelerator and maintain forward
motion by turning the front wheels
: slowly. This may provide a fresh "bite"
into the surface and will usually
provide traction to complete the climb.
Traction Downhill
When descending mountains or hills,
use Hill Descend Control (HDC) to
avoid repeated heavy braking (for
further details, refer to "Hill Descend
Control - HDC" in section "Driver
Assistance Systems").
When descending mountains or hills,
repeated braking can cause brake fade
with loss of braking power. Avoid
repeated heavy braking and downshift