It seems every automobile brand is in a competitive race to overshadow their rivals. Which is why Maserati came up with not one but two versions of their Levante SUV, the 2019 Maserati Levante GTS and the 2019 Maserati Levante Trofeo.
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 it is a limited version vehicle which means not everyone will be able to get their hands on it.
Maserati’s design team has not made many changes to the Levante’s exterior design. The biggest change for the 2019 Levante is under its hood. The Levante now runs on a Ferrari inspired 3.8-liter 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 542 horsepower and 729 Nm of torque whereas the more performance-ready Trofeo purges out 582 horsepower 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 0-100 kmh 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 290 kmh.
The 2019 Maserati Levante wouldn’t be complete without driving enhancements. Thankfully, Maserati didn’t shy away from improving a few weak points from their 2018 model. 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 interior has a similar appearance again with only slight changes from last year. The Trofeo variant gets a sweet package though with the extra badging and styling to make it look sportier and more appealing. 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 which is not really exciting to the eye.
