I have been having something of an all-Italian week here in LA. First I got a fantastico Ducati Panigale V2 that I will write about as soon as my order for 15 thesauri arrives so I can describe what that superbike feels like to ride. Then, before I recovered from the sheer cornering g forces of which the Panigale is capable, Maserati dropped off a Levante Trofeo—the SUV with a Ferrari-built V8 under its hood. Mamma mia! I want to move to Italy. I am assuming everyone there drives Maseratis and rides Ducatis; if this is not true, don’t tell me.
The Levante is Maserati’s first SUV in something like 105 years of making cars. It debuted at Geneva in 2016 and went on sale soon after. But those first Levantes were powered by mere V6 engines. Nice, twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6s, sure, making 350 hp in base trim and 430 in the Levante S. But you really want to order yours with the V8. In fact, get the top-of-the-line Trofeo V8. Starting sticker price is just under $150,000.
For that you get the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 making 590 hp. Not only is that the most powerful engine in the Levante line, it is the most powerful engine Maserati has ever made, short of the MC12’s V12. Maserati says this engine was not only “developed in cooperation with Ferrari,” but is made in the Ferrari engine plant in Maranello. And it sounds like it.
That V8 is mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and thence to a limited-slip differential in the rear and a power-take-off drive shaft going to the front axle to make this Levante AWD. Normally all power and torque go to the rear, but when slip is detected it can be split 50/50. The weight balance is also 50/50. The promise in the press kit was “Maserati-grade handling.” So, naturally, I took it up to my favorite twisty mountain road.
There are three drive mode switches on the center console: off-road, I.C.E. and sport corsa. I didn’t go off-road. I.C.E. stands for “Increased Control and Efficiency,” and who wants that? So I hit sport corsa. Actually if you “long press” the sport corsa button you get even sportier, more corsa-like driving. Throttle response snaps to, the exhaust valves flap open, gears shift even faster, the ride height drops by an inch and the Skyhook damping gets firmer. In addition, the Intelligent Q4 all-wheel drive is optimized at the same time the ESP and traction control are relaxed.
In maximum mode ride setting, il Trofeo really felt firm, without being brutale. The big ute has passive antiroll bars, but it felt like a softer version of the active bars used on so many large powerful sedans and SUVs lately. Roll was completely nonintrusive; anyone lucky enough to be riding with you would not be flung around and rag-dolled on your ride. And the Skyhook air bag suspension smooths out the ride along with the ride height.
When passing bicyclists, I slowed the Trofeo and went down a mode or two on the console buttons to quiet the exhaust burble and ease up on the auto-downshifting feature so I wouldn’t startle the poor guys. By the next turn I’d hit the corsa button again and return to wailing.
Maserati says its electric power steering “retains the razor-sharp feeling typical of every Maserati,” but I’d add that, after trying to wrestle the Trofeo’s 4,784 pounds through turns all morning, the Trofeo’s steering felt perhaps like a somewhat duller razor, one you’d used all month and were thinking of swapping out. Still, that curb weight is less (barely) than a Lamborghini Urus, 272 pounds less than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo and 366 pounds less than a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (though the Trackhawk makes 707 hp, so in that argument curb weight may be irrelevant).
The big Continental SportContact6 tires—265/35ZR-22 front and 295/30ZR-22 rear—never squealed all week. The rig was very competent in corners without resulting in the more severe behavior exhibited in AMG SUVs. There was still something like natural feel to the Maserati Levante in a corner.
It’s comfortable in a straight line, too. It gets from 0-60 in less than 3.9 seconds and to a top speed of 189 mph, but it’ll feel like a more or less comfy SUV getting there.
If there are any complaints about the Levante Trofeo they fall into the category of minor whining about all the parts-bin parts scattered throughout the interior. This normally doesn’t bug me, but it really stands out in this $150K Maserati. Everything from window switches and door handles to the big infotainment screen and its operating system. The latter is still a Chrysler Uconnect setup, no matter if it’s called “Maserati Touch Control Plus.” Of particular irksomeness was the HVAC system—heating, ventilation and air conditioning. I had the Trofeo on a hot week with temps in the 90s. Most normal passenger vehicles of the modern era you just set it at 70, hit auto and never think about it again. This HVAC system gave a token effort to cool the interior then sort of gave up on the task. If it was a student intern you’d fire it.
But the rest of the interior I liked, from the raised texture of the carbon-fiber trim pieces to the leather-swathed everything inside. I especially liked the little oval Maserati clock on the dash. Crazy, no?
So should you buy this or any number of competent competitors above and below it? If all you want is power at the lowest possible cost, then the 707-hp Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is your ute at $87,645; or save 20 grand and get the 475-hp SRT version. A Cayenne Turbo makes almost as much hp—541—for “only” $126,500, and there are a number of Cayenne models to suit your every SUV whim. Or go up to the Cayenne’s stablemate, the Lamborghini Urus, with 650 hp for just north of 200 grand.
But the Maserati has all the Italian pastiche of the Lambo for 25% off the sticker price. And you can’t beat the Ferrari sound of the exhaust, the rapido acceleration and stable, even fun, handing of this otherwise practical SUV. Maybe just lease one and wait for Ferrari to come out with its sport utility vehicle, then everyone will be happy.
For now, I have to get back on the Ducati. Ciao!
2020 Maserati Levante Trofeo Specs
Base Price: $149,990
Drivetrain: 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8, eight-speed automatic, AWD
Output: 590 hp @ 6,250 rpm; 538 lb-ft @ 2,500-5,000 rpm
Curb Weight: 4,784 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA City/Highway/Combined): 14/18/15 mpg
Pros: Powerful, wonderful engine, good suspension
Cons: Interior uses a lot of generic Chrysler hardware
