Not Another Trophy SUV
Maserati’s Levante Trofeo Confirmed For December
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It won’t fit in a stocking, though we’re happy to have one parked in the driveway with a ribbon slapped across the bonnet.
Yes, all we want for Christmas – OK maybe not all, but towards the top of what is a growing list – lands Maserati’s new Levante Trofeo, confirmed to hit the local market this December.
While news of the ‘super-SUV’s’ arrival will have some shaking their fists at clouds – you know who you are – there’s bit to like here.
The Trofeo, Italian for trophy, comes with a twin turbo 3.8 litre V8 – rumbling in true Maserati fashion to a palm sweating 304km/h; a number that puts it into rarefied air alongside some of the fastest SUVs ever built.
Maserati claim the engine has the highest “hosepower-to-displacement” of any of the marque’s offerings at 156hp/litre, leaving it with 441kW and 730Nm of torque that thrusts the 2170kg elevated steed to 100km/h in a claimed speed of just 3.9 seconds.
Aside from the brutish power on offer there’s a lot of other new bits attached to the Trofeo. Maserati revised the engine to accommodate the Q4 intelligently All-Wheel Drive system, which drives as a rear-wheel drive to mimic sports-car performance (until it needs to cut in) as well as designing a new crankcase, oil pump and auxiliary belt.
A car as big and fast as the Trofeo begs an obvious question – how well does it stop? Given 22-inch forged aluminium alloy wheels (the largest ever fitted to a Maserati) and Continental tyres, alongside monstrous 380mm front and 330mm rear disc brakes, you’ll get the whole thing to a standstill from 100km/h in under 35 metres.
Let’s be honest here, the Levante was never the belle of the ball, however, with a few angular strokes, the Trofeo offers a more appealing and far sportier look. The mean-mugging front grill is angrier than before, alongside wider cooling vents and aggressive wheel arches, as well as a new lighting system (the first Levante to boast Full Matrix LEDs).
Inside, sculpted sport seats of full-grain Pieno Fiore natural leather come in black, red or tan, providing comfort and support with Trofeo logo stitched to the headrests. It’s all to ensure you feel at ease on turning the dial to Corsa mode, tightening the suspension and demanding you push the thing to its limits while bellowing: “bloody hell this thing moves for an SUV.”
The Maserati Levante Trofeo starts at $330,000; maserati.com/au/en
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