Maserati Levante Trofeo

We Say: Great Design Meets Greater Power. This Is Irresistible

- Girish Karkera

This is an on-going debate – size matters. Or doesn’t. Since I mention “on-going”, it is clear I am on the fence with this one. The automotive world is currently strewn with examples of humble 2.0-litre units powering everything from big SUVs to two-seater sportscars. But once in a while, you get something as humungous as this V8 and you realise how entertainment multiplies. Compare this to listening to your favourite band on a really high-end portable speaker rather than on concert speakers. Yes, can’t be the same…case in point, this Maserati Levante Trofeo.

In India, the Levante only comes with a torquey diesel engine. However, Maserati has a V6 petrol version which makes for the meat of its sales globally. But now it has plonked a new powertrain into the long hood of its first SUV to showcase its ability to be a grand tourer. Why? Well, because grand touring is what a Maserati has traditionally been all about. And they have left no stone unturned to make sure the Levante gets it right. Starting with the engine.

The powertrain is nothing short of exotic. It is a 3.8-litre V8. Yes, classic stuff. Hand-built at Modena by Maserati’s more famous cousin – Ferrari. Of course, the engineers working on the cars with the Trident logo insist that calling it a Ferrari engine may not be entirely right because of the extent of fine-tuning that has gone into making sure it custom fits a Maserati. For the Levante, there have been further adjustments to the crankshaft and overall refinement, pistons are new and they even have a different turbo for this unit.

Power peaks at 581bhp but the torque figure hovers around 720Nm. It’s the kind of numbers that make you go numb and appreciate the advantages of sheer size. The gearbox is an eight-speed automatic, which has been sourced from ZF and the mating to the power unit is a rather successful one as we figured on the drive.