Maserati Levante Trofeo and GTS 2019 Review – International

Better late than never

Three years after the Maserati Levante was released in 2016 and another three before it's replaced by an all-new electrified model in 2022 (according to Fiat Chrysler’s latest five-year business plan), Maserati has finally blessed its first and only SUV with V8 power.

Competitors like BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Range Rover and Porsche have been doing it for generations and after dabbling with diesel V8s they now also offer plug-in hybrid versions of their big SUVs – something Maserati has promised but not yet delivered.

But Italy’s trident brand has always done things differently and now, finally, the Maserati Levante Trofeo and GTS arrive as fitting flagships for not only the brand’s top-selling model but the entire Maserati range as it prepares to send off the GranTurismo and CranCabrio.

The Trofeo’s peak power output of 441kW and claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds mark two new performance benchmarks for the brand, and both models also bring new highs in terms of Maserati SUV pricing and exclusivity.

At a cool $264,990 plus on-roads, the ‘softer’ Maserati Levante GTS costs $85K more than the 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6-powered Levante S GranSport and GranLusso, which previously topped the large five-seat SUV range at $179,990 apiece.

The base V8 Levante’s $265K sticker price also makes it far dearer than other V8 luxury performance SUVs, including the Audi SQ7 TDI ($161,900), BMW X6 M ($197,629), Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 ($195,030), Range Rover Sport SVR ($239,187) and Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe ($254,000).

And the Maserati Levante Trofeo’s stratospheric $330,000 price tag eclipses that of the $300K V8 Quattroporte GTS limousine and the flagship Maserati GranTurismo coupe (from $295,000), making it Maserati’s priciest model this side of the $345K GranTurismo MC and GranCabrio (from $335K).

Of course, there are other more expensive SUVs, like the Range Rover SV Autobiography ($398,528) and Bentley Bentayga W12 ($427,300), not to mention the Rolls-Royce Cullinan ($685,000) super-luxury SUV.

When it comes to high-performance SUVs, nothing beats the value equation of the $135K Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk -- the world’s most powerful volume SUV thanks to a 522kW supercharged 6.2-litre V8 that propels it to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds.

Almost as quick at 3.8sec is the smaller, less powerful and cheaper Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q and Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S, while the Lamborghini Urus tops them all with a 3.6sec 0-100km/h sprint, although it’s no more powerful than the Trofeo and costs a cool $390K.

In that context the Maserati Levante Trofeo is a snip and is also quicker and more powerful than all other German, Italian and British rivals, including the 404kW/700Nm Porsche Cayenne Turbo ($239,000), 423kW/700Nm Range Rover Sport SVR ($238,200) and 430kW/760Nm Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S ($192,840).

So it’s no surprise there’s strong Aussie demand for the Trofeo, which will comprise the majority of the 60 Levante V8s earmarked for Australia in 2020. A similar number will be available here in subsequent years, when the GTS is expected to become the top-seller.

What is a Maserati Levante GTS?

At the heart of the Maserati Levante GTS is the same twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 as seen in the Quattroporte GTS, delivering 404kW of power and 730Nm of torque.

In this case, that’s enough to hit 100km/h in a claimed 4.2 seconds -- just 0.1sec slower than the lighter but equally powerful Cayenne Turbo, but matching the higher-output BMW X5 and X6 M and AMG GLE 63 S, and bettering the Rangie Sport SVR and Jaguar F-PACE SVR.

Top speed of the Maserati Levante GTS is 292km/h and, like all Levantes, it comes standard with air suspension, a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and Maserati’s rear-biased Q4 all-wheel drive system with limited-slip differential.

Maserati says the SUVs retains their ideal 50/50 weight balance despite the 60kg-heavier (253kg) V8, and the GTS scores improved handling via firmer air-sprung double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, uprated Skyhook dampers, new Maserati Integrated Vehicle Control and specific ESC/ABS tune.

Other mechanical upgrades include a shorter-throw gear shifter, six-piston Brembo monobloc brake callipers with 380mm drilled discs up front (330mm at rear) and 20-inch alloy wheels with 265/40 front and 295/40 rear tyres.

The V8 is distinguished from lesser Levante variants via revised bodywork including a more aggressive front fascia, chunkier rear bumper and sexier side skirts, plus red brake callipers, chromed grille surround, piano black bumper inserts and four oval exhaust outlets.

The Maserati Levante GTS scores an interior workover too, via a 900-Watt, 14-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, sports pedals, Alcantara headlining, velour floor mats, illuminated sills, specific instrument cluster graphics and full premium leather upholstery on almost every surface including the bolstered front sports seats. Four standard leather colours will be available (black, red, tan and beige).

What is a Maserati Levante Trofeo?

The Trofeo ups its interior game significantly via sumptuous Pieno Fiore natural leather trim with contrast stitching (in the same colours, except beige), plus matt carbon trim for the dash, console, door trim and paddle shifters, Trofeo-badged instruments and floor mats, and a 1280W 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

Full Matrix LED headlights are standard and the Maserati Levante Trofeo raises its chassis stakes via even more dynamic chassis tuning including IVC, plus a ‘Corsa’ driving mode with launch control, in addition to the existing Normal, ICE, Sport and Off Road modes.

The Levante’s pneumatic spring system provides six different levels and 75mm of height variation from lowest to highest position. In the new Corsa driving mode, the Trofeo drops to the lowest Aero 2 level -- 35mm lower than normal.

There are bigger 21-inch wheels for the Trofeo too, with the same 265/40 front tyres but lower-profile rears (295/35), while forged aluminium 22-inch wheels are available for the first time on a Maserati, with even lower-profile 265/35 front and 295/30 rear tyres – unique new Continental SportContact 6 rubber.

But as with Maserati sports cars the highlight here is the engine. And for the hard-core Trofeo, Maserati’s downsized biturbo V8 – which is built on a Ferrari production line, like the GranTurismo’s 4.7-litre atmo V8 it effectively replaces – gets a host up wholesale internal upgrades.

These extend to a new crankshaft, camshafts, cylinder heads, valves, pistons and connecting rods, plus bigger turbochargers and a revised oil pump, auxiliary drive belt and wiring loom.

Although peak torque remains unchanged at 730Nm (over the same 2500-5000rpm), there’s 36kW more power at 441kW (at the same 6250rpm), giving the high-output biturbo V8 a higher specific output per litre than any Maserati engine before it.

The downside is both Levante V8s are claimed to slurp 13.2-13.7L/100km of premium petrol, because both models weigh a hefty 2170kg (kerb).

Despite this, the Trofeo is claimed to hit 100km/h in just 3.9sec on its way to a 304km/h top speed, making it one of the top five quickest, fastest (and most powerful) SUVs money can buy.

Like all Maserati Australia models, it will be covered by a three-year/100,000km warranty (extended warranty coverage and up-front service packages are available at extra cost), but the Levante has not been crash tested by NCAP.

Driving the Maserati Levante GTS and Trofeo

Enough of the numbers … how do they drive? In short, as well as we’d hoped and just like you’d expect a V8 Maserati SUV to perform.

In truth, notwithstanding the Trofeo’s gimmicky launch control mode, I couldn’t feel much difference between the two V8s, except perhaps at the very top of the rev range, where the Trofeo is slightly more zesty as it approaches its higher 7200rpm rev limit.

Both 90-degree V8s present a hairy-chested rumble from idle, rising to a hair-bristling metallic symphony everywhere above 4000rpm, and a menacingly deep burble on overrun.

And both deliver near-instant throttle response and effortless accelerative ability in the midrange, allowing you to dispense with any traffic in any gear at almost any speed.

There is the occasional transmission shunt on change-down, especially if you’re indecisive with sharp throttle inputs, but both models leap from a standing start with surprising urgency and the GTS almost always feels every bit as quick as the Trofeo.

The biggest difference between them is dynamic; while both models deliver more grip and road-holding than any near-2200kg vehicle has a right to, the way the Trofeo hunkers down in Corsa mode into, out of and in the middle of corners simply defies physics.

The Porsche Macan remains the benchmark when it comes to SUV dynamics, but the Trofeo brings the Levante one step closer to the Cayenne when to comes to large SUVs. On a twisting piece of bitumen, it feels more like a V8 performance car than a full-size SUV.

The are also cosmetic differences between the GTS and Trofeo and -- aside from the latter’s bigger wheels, extra carbon bodywork and big bonnet scoops you can only really appreciate from the driver’s seat -- the major ones are inside.

Neat touches include the extensive Alcantara roof and pillar lining, acres of piano-black trim, sumptuous Pieno Fiore leather and generous lashings of carbon-fibre, including the long paddle shifters.

But in typical Maserati fashion, they’re mounted inconveniently on the steering column, not the wheel itself, and I preferred the cool touch of the alloy paddles in the GTS.

Parked in their lowest suspension setting, both Levantes look more like a muscled-up hot hatch overdosed on steroids, bringing new-found aggression to a rounded SUV design that might be relatively slippery at 0.33Cd but is otherwise fairly inconspicuous in a sea of SUVs.

Indeed, the Levante has aged better inside, where it now offers most safety and convenience technologies except for a head-up display, to go with its first-class design, build and material quality.

Maserati says there are more than 400,000 trim, leather, colour and wheel combinations available for the Levante and this customisability has played a big role in attracting 55,000 customers globally since 2016.

That makes the Levante the Italian car-maker’s most successful model ever, accounting for 52 per cent of sales last year. More importantly, 90 per cent of Levante buyers are new to the brand, even if their average age remains between 50 and 60.

Fitted with the Trident brand’s most powerful production engine ever, the Trofeo is a fitting new flagship for Maserati’s most important model.

It’s been a long time coming and it’s far from cheap, but the Maserati Levante Trofeo is one of the quickest, fastest and most exclusive SUVs money can buy.

How much does the 2019 Maserati Levante GTS cost?
Price: $265,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: January
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 404kW/730Nm
Fuel: 13.2-13.7L/100km
CO2: 313g/km
Safety: N/A

How much does the 2019 Maserati Levante Trofeo cost?
Price: $330,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: January
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 441kW/730Nm
Fuel: 13.2-13.7L/100km
CO2: 313g/km
Safety: N/A