Maserati Levante Trofeo 2021.

Maserati Levante Trofeo 2021.

Maserati Levante Trofeo 2021.

Three years have passed since the first Maserati Levante SUV debuted. And only now the Italians decided to go even further and presented at once two «charged» versions of the V8 — GTS and Trofeo.

Maserati does not hide that the main target of these new products will be fans of the Porsche Cayenne GTS and Cayenne Turbo, but even the fans of the Lamborghini Urus are in the halo of hits. What will the Maserati Levante Trofeo be able to counter them? I went to the home of Maserati to find out all the details.

Modena is home to Maserati’s oldest main factory and headquarters. The earth and the atmosphere here seem to be special. Special cars are born to the ringing of Modena cathedrals. And it was here that the Maserati Levante Trofeo came in — the most power-equipped V8 crossover in the world.

As much as 156 hp from one liter of working volume, Ferrari minders were able to remove from a gasoline V8 with a volume of 3.8 liters. And it is this engine from Ferrari that is installed on the Levante GTS and Trofeo.

Now Maserati Levante Trofeo is the pinnacle of the lineup and the most top-end version of the crossover, with 590 hp under the hood. (580 hp for EU countries). Among V8 supercrossovers, only the Lamborghini Urus (650 hp) and the insane Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (717 hp) are more powerful.

Maserati Levante Trofeo 2021.

The Bentley Bentayga with a 608-horsepower engine will be slightly more powerful, but it has a W12.
Against the background of the characteristics of the Levante Trofeo, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo (550 hp) and the Range Rover Sport SVR (575 hp) have somehow faded.

The Maserati Levante Trofeo became not only faster, it climbed into the «big league» SUV with a top speed of 300 km / h and challenged the Lamborghini Urus there. Unheard-of arrogance. But Maserati, with the help of colleagues from Ferrari, is ready to give this fight.

The Maserati Levante GTS is good too. It is positioned as a more relaxed version. It has the same engine as the Trofeo, but with 550 hp, slightly more modest performance, emphasis on chrome trim and an interesting price.

By the way, the Italians have prepared another surprise for their competitors here. Both the Levante GTS and Levante Trofeo are positioned more affordable than the corresponding versions of Porsche and Range Rover. And almost 2.5 times more affordable than the Lamborghini Urus. But it’s not even about the money.

Maserati Levante Trofeo 2021.

What is the difference between the Maserati Levante Trofeo and the Levante V6?

Externally, the top version of the Levante Trofeo can be distinguished from other versions by real carbon bumper skirts, side skirts and black edging of the radiator grille. It has a different front bumper configuration with massive air intakes, a carbon fiber diffuser at the rear, additional hood air intakes and 22-inch wheels.

The Levante Trofeo also has 6-piston aluminum monoblock calipers and perforated discs measuring 380 mm x 34 mm up front, and 4-piston monoblocks and ventilated perforated discs measuring 330 mm x 28 mm at the rear.

The brake calipers are available in silver, blue, yellow or red.
The Maserati Levante Trofeo and the GTS are already equipped with LED headlights.

There are not many differences inside. Trofeo logos on headrests, floor mats, carbon fiber inserts on the center console and dashboard, and other splash screens on multimedia screens.

And also small, purely Italian, «chips» in the form of a gearshift joystick with a logo and other stitching technology on the seats. In fact, the Italians have done a great job of renovating the interior.

Levante Trofeo leather is used for finishing of the highest quality and only from two factories in Australia and Germany.

Maserati Levante Trofeo 2021.

The fit of the parts has become almost flawless, and the sound insulation has been further improved. The 1.7kW Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system is capable of breaking your eardrums with bass. But here the simple keys for controlling the power windows remained.

The most important thing about the Maserati Levante Trofeo lies under the hood. This is a twin-turbo V8 with a displacement of 3.8 liters and a return of 590 hp. with a torque of 730 Nm.

These engines are produced especially for Maserati at the Ferrari plant. The Enzo Heart didn’t just transform the Levante’s character, it made the Levante Trofeo a completely different Maserati.

The Trofeo modification also differs from the usual Levante in the reconfigured eight-speed «automatic» and suspension with air springs and adaptive shock absorbers, other calibrations of the all-wheel drive transmission and stabilization system, the uncompromising Corsa driving mode with the launch control function. In addition, the top version received 22-inch forged wheels and more powerful brakes with six-piston calipers and perforated cast iron discs.

Thanks to them, from 100 km / h, the Maserati Levante Trofeo stops after 34.5 m.

The wrath of «Neptune»

I have already driven a Maserati Levante S V6 with a 430 hp engine. Even with him, the dynamics were more than enough. What is 590 HP and 730 Nm in the same body? — to admit it was even difficult to imagine. And now it’s time to find out.
A dozen Maserati Levante Trofeos will start from Piazzo de Roma in Modena.

This square has seen a lot in its history, but even the marble Caesar on the walls of the palace seemed to shudder from the roar of hundreds of «horses» under the hoods of Maserati.

Surprisingly, the Levante Trofeo turned out to be very calm in city traffic. The main thing is not to «breathe» on the gas pedal.

Having made my way through the narrow streets of Modena to the Autobahn, I drown the «trigger» and immediately get such a kick of acceleration that I barely have time to brake in front of the car in front. Not bad, very good!

But it turned out that it was just a warm-up, and not even in the «Sport» mode. To measure the acceleration, we went to the runway of the Modena flying club. Here we go into Corsa mode and activate the launch control.

At the same time, you need to squeeze out the gas and the brake. Gas, gas to the floor, drop the brake and — flew. The 590-horsepower Levante Trofeo promises to accelerate to 100 km / h in 3.9 s, but we got the EU version, which got 100 km / h in 4.1 s.

The Europeans were unlucky, — the thought flashed in my head, — as much as 0.2 s will always lose to our Levante Trofeo and will be like on the Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

Maserati Levante Trofeo 2021.

The Levante Trofeo «eats» corners with such speed that you can barely manage the steering wheel. Stop. Yes, this is a 5-meter crossover, not a sports car! It should actually be calmer.

But the rolls of the Levante Trofeo are so small, and the slightest gas turns it into a corner so dashingly that after a couple of kilometers you again forget that this is a 5-meter Levante, not a Ferrari.

Corsa mode automatically lowers the ride height to 170mm, stiffens the shock absorbers and sharpens the throttle response. ESP allows more and even a skid effect appears.

But one has only to overdo it with gas or twist the steering wheel, as follows a sobering whip of electronics.

And the Maserati Levante Trofeo can also be loved for its sound. There is a tremendous exhaust accompaniment here. It is moderately loud, but does not irritate or frighten others. It sounds very noble, as befits a patrician.

He can be a tenor, a baritone, or he can become the roar of an angry «Neptune» and the driver also controls this aria.

We must pay tribute to the Italians, their attempt to challenge the fastest SUV in the world — counted.

Maserati succeeded in giving the Levante Trofeo a new striking character and diluting the well-established wishlist of «the most and most». But will this attempt be successful or not? — time and reaction of buyers will already show.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply