If you can afford to spend $169,980 on an SUV, you are probably feeling pretty good about yourself right now. But I bet you’ll feel even better if you spend that money on a 2019 Maserati Levante Trofeo. It’s impossible to wrap this midsize crossover SUV around yourself and not feel like the coolest cat on the street.
Just take a stroll around the vehicle. The base Levante starts at $76,980, and it’s a good-looking beast. It has a scarab-like shape with a long hood and a sloping dome of a roof – what the designers are calling “coupe-like” nowadays, almost a fastback line that integrates the second row of doors into its swoops. Piercing headlamps and a big grille with a bold Maserati trident at center define an expressive face.
The Trofeo amps this look up with visible carbon-fiber trim pieces, bigger grille vent openings, a vented aluminum hood and full LED headlamps, foglamps and taillamps. My test car wore a coating of Grigorio paint, a greenish gray that looked menacing and expensive. The Trofeo got looks wherever we parked, and lots of “What’s that?” reactions. I felt like a celebrity at my local diner on Sunday morning.
Is it possible for an exhaust note to have an accent? The twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 engine breathes out through dual-twin chrome-plated stainless steel exhaust pipes with a sound that could only be Italian. The engine is from Ferrari, and puts out a boast-worthy 590 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque. If anybody asks, the Trofeo is both quick and fast, capable of runs of 3.8 seconds from 0 – 60 mph on the way to a top speed of 189 mph. That’s throw-you-back-in-your-seat quick, and lose-your-license-for-good fast. A quick-shifting ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive help get the power to the pavement.
The 21-inch staggered wheels wear some pretty skinny rubber in the form of low-profile tires, but the ride is smooth and comfortable, thanks to the Skyhook performance suspension with electronic damping. I didn’t venture off-road in the Levante, despite the presence of all-wheel drive and the SUV classification – I wasn’t willing to risk damaging the low-hanging carbon fiber or the luscious paint job to the vagaries of trails and rocks and things. I doubt that many Levante Trofeo examples will see much dirt duty.
Sitting in the Trofeo’s driver’s seat, I had a hard time dwelling on my problems. I was surrounded by tailored luxury and pampered by upscale convenience features, including leather, Alcantara, carbon fiber, polished aluminum, Bowers & Wilkins sound, power sun blinds, a panoramic sunroof, driver assistance technology and more. I found the driver’s seat to be perfectly roomy and comfortable – I’m six feet two inches tall, and Italian cars are often too confining for my generously American proportions, but Levante didn’t present a squeeze.
The Levante Trofeo has some serious competition in the performance luxury SUV category. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe, Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, BMW X6 M and Bentley Bentayga V8 come to mind right away, and there are more coming if you’ve got the cash.
Once you get into the rarified atmosphere of performance luxury, it’s all about how your choice makes you feel. If you value uniqueness, style and distinctive sound, the 2019 Maserati Levante Trofeo is worth experiencing.
