Maserati’s entry to the luxury SUV segment, the Levante, first landed on Philippine shores more than three years ago. And now we finally get to see the refreshed version of this luxury vehicle launched in the local market.
The new Levante is a much more powerful version of its predecessor. It’s poised to overpower its competition, including the likes of the Jaguar F-Pace and Porsche Cayenne Turbo. You see, its makers thought the 3.0-liter V6—both the 430hp, 580Nm twin-turbo gastound and the 275hp, 600Nm turbodiesel—wasn’t enough, so they decided to give the Levante an even bigger engine along with the new Trofeo badge.
But before we take a peek under the hood, let’s talk about the refreshed design. Apart from the new 22-inch forged aluminum wheels, only subtle changes can be seen on the exterior. While the side air intakes now feature a more aggressive look, a carbon-fiber splitter and side bezel blades have been fitted for better airflow distribution. A new pair of vents have also been added to the hood. Meanwhile, ‘Saetta’ Trofeo logos have been plastered on the C-pillars.
On the inside, the seats sport full-grain ‘Pieno Fiore’ leather with contrast stitching and a visible Trofeo badge stitched on the headrest; these premium seats can be had in black, red, and tan. More Trofeo badges can also be seen on the floor mats. Lastly, capping off the new-look interior is an elegant Maserati clock placed front and center above the dash.
Now, on to the engine. The new Levante Trofeo packs a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 powertrain capable of producing up to 590hp and 730Nm of torque—Maserati claims this is one of its most powerful engines ever. It’s hard to argue otherwise since the Trofeo can do 0-100kph in just 3.9 seconds. The suspension setup, on the other hand, features a double-wishbone setup in front and a multi-link suspension at the rear.
The revamped Levante also features Maserati’s Q4 Intelligent AWD system. The Maserati Integrated Vehicle Control (IVC) has also been included here. In addition to the existing Normal, I.C.E., Sport, and Off-road driving modes, a new ‘Corsa’ mode has been included in the package. This new feature improves engine response and opens exhaust valves during acceleration. It also enables faster gear shifting and lower air suspension height level, and dampens the suspension and optimizes the AWD system.
“It’s proof that when you play with the elements you end up in a storm,” quips Maserati CEO Tim Kuniskis. “In the case of Trofeo, the engineers and designers in Modena knew that the driveline parameters were more than able to cope with additional power and they also knew that Maserati had access to the finest engines on earth. So, they were up to the challenge of making the finest luxury SUV also one of the fastest.”
What do you think of the new Levante Trofeo?
