The Levante makes the most sense when the plan has a long highway and a mountain road in it. Maserati rental in Malaysia with Grandpride means the Maserati Levante, a large five-door SUV, at RM 3,300 a day with 120 km and Basic Cover included. The weekend it suits best is two days in Cameron Highlands, planned below.
The Levante was Maserati's first SUV. It was built from 2016 to March 2024 at the Mirafiori plant in Turin, with twin-turbo V6 engines, Q4 all-wheel drive, an eight-speed automatic and air suspension as standard, and it is just over five metres long. CHECK: year and engine of the Grandpride Levante
Friday
7 pm. Collect the car at the showroom in Section 13, Petaling Jaya, which is open until 9 pm on weekdays and Saturdays. Walk round it with your phone, photograph the wheels, and note the fuel gauge: on Sunday it goes back at that level. Ask for a Touch 'n Go card, loaded with any amount from RM 50 to RM 500, because the expressway toll plazas are cashless. CHECK: how rental days are counted, so that Friday 7 pm to Sunday 7 pm is billed as two days
Saturday
7.30 am. Leave PJ and head north on the North-South Expressway. An early start matters more for the highlands than for the expressway: the stretch from Tanah Rata through Brinchang to Kea Farm jams on weekends and holidays.
At the Tapah exit, before the climb. Fill the tank here. There are few petrol stations up in the highlands, and the Levante's V6 will use a fair amount on the way up.
The climb. The Tapah road, Route 59, passes Ringlet before Tanah Rata. It's narrow and steep, with blind corners and lorries. In a car this long, keep to your side on every bend and don't cut the corners; let faster local traffic past where it's safe.
About 11 am. Tanah Rata. Allow about three and a half hours from KL without heavy traffic. Parking up here is limited, so ask your hotel about space for a five-metre car before you arrive.
Afternoon. The BOH Sungei Palas tea estate and the mossy forest near Mount Brinchang are both north of Tanah Rata, through the stretch that jams. Do them in one trip rather than driving back and forth. Take a jacket: daytime highs seldom pass 25 °C.
Sunday
9 am. Leave by the other road, down through Kea Farm, Tringkap and Kampung Raja to Simpang Pulai near Ipoh. It's less winding than the Tapah road, though the drive takes longer. Take the descent in a lower gear, and go gently after rain or in fog.
Midday. Lunch in Ipoh; our KL to Ipoh guide has ideas for a day in the town.
Afternoon. South on the expressway to PJ. Refuel before the showroom so the gauge matches Friday's reading, and aim to be back by 7 pm, the time you collected on Friday. The showroom is open until 8 pm on Sundays, but an hour past your pick-up time may count as another day.
The numbers that decide the booking
The drive up is about 200 km each way, and coming back through Simpang Pulai and Ipoh adds more. With driving around the highlands, the weekend comes to well over 400 km.
| Mileage choice | Kilometres over two days | Enough? |
|---|---|---|
| Included only | 240 km | No |
| +50 km a day | 340 km | No |
| +100 km a day | 440 km | Probably not |
| Unlimited | No limit | Yes |
Take unlimited. Distance paid for after the rental costs more per kilometre than any package.
Only the named renter may drive, so one person does seven or eight hours at the wheel over the weekend; build in a stop each way. The car must stay in Peninsular Malaysia, which this route never leaves. More detail on the roads themselves is in our KL to Cameron Highlands guide, and other two-day ideas are in weekend getaways from KL by car.
Cost and cover
The Levante is RM 3,300 a day. On top: protection (Basic Cover is included; a Loss Damage Waiver lowers the excess; Grandpride Protection+ takes it to zero for damage and theft and includes glass and tyres, which matters on a mountain road), the unlimited mileage, and the toll card. You see every line before you reserve, pay a RM 50 booking fee online that comes off the total, and pay the rest in store or in person. CHECK: deposit amount for the Levante
If the Levante is already booked for your weekend, the Range Rover Velar at RM 3,300 and the Porsche Macan at RM 2,000 do the same trip; the Macan is the smaller car and the easier one on Route 59. Both are compared in our Range Rover rental guide and Porsche rental guide.
