Motor Australia – September 2019

42 september 2019 whichcar.com.au/motor

Ferrari-derived V8 imbues extreme SUV with real character

MASERATI LEVANTE TROFEO

ENGINE3799ccV8,DOHC,32v,twin-turbo

POWER441kW@6250rpm

TORQUE730Nm@2500-5000rpm

0-100KM/H3.9sec(claimed)

4.0 WEIGHT2170kg•PRICE$330,000

Rating

LIKE: Ferrari V8 performance

and sound; quality leather;

air-spring suspension

DISLIKE: Cheap plastics and

switchgear; artificial-feeling

steering;datedinfotainment

THIS IS THE maddest, baddest

and fastest Maserati SUVa (not

inconsiderable) sum of moneycanbuy.

With the thirst for high-end,high-

performance off-roaders showingno

sign of being slaked, it wasonlya

matter of time before Maserati,already

late to the SUV party, jumpedonthe

bandwagon with a rival tothelikesof

the Porsche Cayenne CoupeTurboand

Range Rover Sport SVR.

In what promises to beoneofthe

quickest four-by-fours aroundwhenit

lobs early next year, the LevanteTrofeo

gets a Ferrari-built 3.8-litretwin-turbo

V8 with some Maserati extras– new

camshafts and valves, redesigned

cylinder heads, pistons androds,a

tweaked ECU and a pair oftwin-scroll

turbochargers. It’s the sameengineas

in the Levante GTS, and itproducesa

healthy 441kW and 730Nm.

To cope with the extrapower,the

chassis gets a new ‘Aero2’ modefor

the air suspension that lowerstheride

height 35mm.

There’s also a new Corsadriving

mode that stiffens the springsand

dampers, as well as looseningtheESP’s

grip a little, sharpening thethrottle

and putting the eight-speedautomatic

gearbox on high alert.

As with the GTS, the Q4four-wheel

drive essentially runs in rear-wheeldrive

most of the time, only sendingtorque

forward when it senses slip.Maximum

torque split front to rear is50/50.

Adding to the Trofeo’s credentials as

a ‘proper driver’s car’ is a mechanical

limited-slip differential for the rear axle.

Our test car also came with vast

22-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in

specially developed Continental rubber,

265s at the front and steamroller 295s

at the rear.

Externally, the Trofeo is marked out

by those huge wheels and some bonnet

vents, plus a smattering of carbonfibre

aerodynamic additions, while inside

you’ll find a pair of high-backed sports

seatsandyetmorecarbonfibre,this

timefinishedin a tastefulnakedweave.

Thesoftleatherontheseatsand

dashboardis first-rate,soit’sa shame

someoftheplasticsandswitchgear

aren’tquiteuptothe$330Kpricetag.

Frankly,theLevanteTrofeocould

handlelikeit hadtwoleftfeet,butyou

wouldbewillingtoforgiveit because

ofthatFerrari-builtengine.Ofcourse

it deliversplentyofperformance,but

it’sthenoisethatreallysmearsa grin

acrossyourface.

Thisis a classicItalianengine,filled

toitscrackle-redcamcoverswith

character.Yes,there’sa sportsexhaust

withanactivevalvethatopensin Sport

modeforthefulloperaticeffect,but

eventhenthesoundis culturedandon

justtherightsideofnoisy.It snarlsand

howlsunderload,thencracks,pops

andburblesontheoverrun.Itsglorious

tenoris nevermorethana right-foot

flexaway.

Peaktorquecomesin atjust

2500rpm,butthere’sa decentchunk

belowthat,sotheTrofeofeelseasilyas

fastasa PorscheCayenneCoupeTurbo.

It’sthesortofeffortless,lag-freeurge

youexpectfromturbochargedengines

thesedays,butwhilethetorquecurve

is flat,theV8’sperformancestillbuilds

excitingly,crescendoingwitha snarling

rushofrevsoverthelast1000rpmorso.

Happily,theengineis matedtothe

familiareight-speedZFauto,which

deliverssmoothandcrispshiftsin auto

mode, yet reacts quickly to the long

steering column-mounted paddles.

Even in its firmest Corsa

configuration, the Levante copes well

with torn and ragged tarmac. The car’s

mass eventually tells, but it’s surprisingly

entertaining. The algorithm-enhanced

ESP imperceptibly brakes individual

wheels to rotate the car into a corner

and quell understeer, while adaptive

dampers give the Levante the feeling

it’s breathing with the road, rather than

pummelling it into submission.

Push really hard and it gets a touch

floaty over big bumps and rolls onto its

outside rear, but generally it simply digs

in and goes. Arguably the weakest link

is the steering, which feels more natural

in Comfort. That’s when the Levante

becomes a composed and comfortable

cruiser, those air springs adding just the

right amount of waft to proceedings.

The Levante continues to trail the

Germans for overall quality, yet it still

feels a bit special. In terms of outright

ability and true premium appeal, the

Trofeo is just shaded by the Cayenne

Turbo – but then what isn’t in this class?

Be mindful of the car’s mass and

size and you can cover ground at an

alarming rate. And then there’s that

glorious masterpiece of an engine,

which is almost worth the price of entry

alone. It may be flawed, but it has a

charm and personality that’s rare in this

type of car.

BY • JAMES DISDALE

MAIN

Though limited by the

standard Levante’s

shortcomings, the

Trofeo model displays

admirable character

ABOVE

Exquisite leather

upholstery and open-

weave carbonfibre are

interior highlights

OPPOSITE

Awesome Ferrari-built

V8 engine is enhanced

with Maserati-specific

modifications

➜

M