Maserati Levante GTS and Trofeo have arrived in Australia

At $ 265,000 and $ 330,000, Maserati has launched the Levante GTS and Trofeo in Australia. The two Italian SUVs are powered by a V8 motor and will be up for deliveries by early 2020. Also, the Maserati Levante GTS and Trofeo are the first SUVs by the Italian automobile manufacturer which are powered by a V8 motor. Note that the aforementioned prices do not include the extra on-road-costs.

What differentiates the Maserati Levante GTS and Trofeo from other Levante models is the presence of some exclusive elements like red brake calipers, chromed grille surround, piano black bumper inserts, four oval exhaust outlets, and a much more aggressive and intimidating front face, side skirts, and rear bumper. In the case of the Trofeo, you can also choose from yellow, silver, black, red, or blue brake callipers. More customisation options on the Trofeo include red cylinder-heads and intake manifolds.

On the inside, the Maserati Levante GTS comes equipped with the likes of sports pedals, Alcantara headlining, leather upholstery, velour floor mats, illuminated sills, and a 900 W 14-speaker Harman Kardon stereo system. Black, beige, tan, and red are the available color options for leather upholstery. Additionals on the Trofeo are Pieno Fiore natural leather trim with contrast stitching, 1280 W 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, and all of the paddle shifters, dash, door trim, and, console finished in matt carbon finish. Both the Levantes get an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system that features Bluetooth, navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. 

In terms of power, the Maserati Levante GTS gets 549 PS of maximum power at 6,250 rpm and a peak torque of 730 Nm from 2,500 to 5,000 rpm from its twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8. The SUV can do a 0-100 kmph run in 4.2 seconds before topping out at 292 kmph. The Maserati Levante Trofeo, on the other hand, packs in 598 PS of maximum power and a peak torque of 730 Nm, both at same rpm levels as the Levante GTS. The top speed on the Trofeo is 304 kmph and the SUV can do a 0-100 kmph run in just 3.9 seconds.

While the engine on the Maserati Levante Trofeo is the same twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 as on the GTS, the enhanced power on the Trofeo is due to a new crankshaft, camshafts, valves, pistons, connecting rods, turbochargers, cylinder heads, wiring loom, oil pump, and an auxiliary drive belt. The kerb weight of both the Maserati Levante GTS and Trofeo stand at 2170 kg, while the expected fuel mileage is around 7.46 kmpl.

The ZF eight-speed automatic transmission with shorter-throw gear shifter, limited-slip rear differential, and Maserati’s Q4 all-wheel-drive system takes care of the power delivery duties. In conventional circumstances, the setup sends all the power to the rear wheels and also holds the capability of sending up to 50% of the total power to the front wheels. All this is achieved with the help of torque vectoring. The Australian-spec Italian SUVs ride on  21-inch forged alloy wheels, which are clothed with 265/45 front and 295/40 rear tyres. There are six-piston Brembo monobloc brake calipers with 380mm drilled discs upfront and 330 mm discs at the rear. Safety features are plenty with six SRS airbags, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring. And front & rear parking sensors with a reverse camera.

Maserati will be offering only 60 units of both the Levante GTS and Trofeo in Australia. Moreover, 15 of the 60 units have already found their buyers.