Alfardan Sports Motors has brought to Qatar two versions of Maserati’s Levante new generation SUV. They are the 2019 Maserati Levante GTS and the 2019 Maserati Levante Trofeo.
Maserati’s design team has not made many changes to the Levante’s exterior design. A look at the front fascia will reveal that almost everything is same except for the front bumper and the grille.
The bumper in both the Trofeo and GTS has a wider opening to allow more air to pass through. While the GTS’s bumper is of the same colour as the rest of the body, the Trofeo has carbon fibre highlights on it.
Klaus Busse, head of Design at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has given both the vehicles a real quad exhaust system. You can tell the Trofeo apart from the GTS thanks to its hood vents, a Trofeo badge on the D-pillar, red-coloured intake manifolds and red valve covers.
The biggest change for the 2019 Levante is under its hood. The Levante now runs on a Ferrari inspired 3.8-litre V-8 engine which is built by Ferrari but is slightly different in design than the stock Ferrari V-8. This V-8 is similar to the one used in the Quattroporte GTS but has slight changes in the form of brand-new camshafts, valves, pistons, and connecting rods. This engine inside the Levante is twinned with twin turbos.
However, the GTS and the Trofeo have different power outputs. The GTS pushes out 542hp and 729Nm of torque whereas the more performance-ready Trofeo purges out 582hp and 729 Nm of torque. Both the SUVs are teamed up with a ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic gearbox that takes power to the rear wheels however power can be transferred to all the four wheels when needed.
The Trofeo gets an added advantage over the GTS thanks to different tuning which lets it absorb more boost in the higher rev range. The change to the V8 engine is a big one for the Maserati Levante. The 2019 V-8 Levante GTS is capable of doing 0-100kmh in 4 seconds while the Levante Trofeo does the same slightly better in 3.7 seconds. Top speed for both SUVs is in excess of 290kmh.
The 2019 Maserati Levante would not be complete without driving enhancements. The air suspension and dampers are the same from last year which is supported by the Normal and Sports modes. The Sports mode lowers the SUV by 0.4 inches but to take things to the next level, Maserati has added a Corsa mode to the higher-end Trofeo. The Corsa mode lowers the Levante Trofeo an additional 1-inch and to top it off gives you the liberty to use the launch control function.
The lowered Levante Trofeo grips the road well, however, the GTS with its Normal mode gives way to some sway on high-speeds. Switch to Sports mode and the huge 21- inch tyres (22-inch also available in Levante Trofeo) gives good road grip with an excellent and highly responsive steering wheel.
The interior has a similar appearance again with only slight changes from last year. The Trofeo variant has extra badging and styling to make it look sportier. There is even a special clock on the dashboard which pops up thanks to the Pieno Fiore leather that surrounds it and most of the SUV’s interior along with a Harman Kardon audio system. Other than that, the GTS and the Trofeo share largely the same interior. The GTS has an all-black finish.
The starting price for the Levante GTS is QR505,000 and for the Levante Trofeo is QR628,000. The Trofeo comes with a handful of extra features and is a limited version vehicle.
The GTS variant comes more on par with the likes of Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Mercedes G-Class and Range Rover. The Maserati Levante Trofeo is an attempt to challenge top-tier SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga SUV and the Lamborghini Urus, both of which are considerably expensive than the Levante Trofeo. Therefore, for those looking in terms of these SUVs the Trofeo is a good choice since it is cheaper, it offers an exceptional weight to power ratio and it holds the famous Ferrari V-8.
Maserati Levante GTS
