Maserati South Africa will launch the powerful 433 kW V8 Levante Trofeo SUV in South Africa in 2020.

The Trofeo boasts a 3.8-litre Twin Turbo V8 engine that has a power-to-weight ratio of 156 horsepower per litre, giving it a 0-100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 304 km/h.

“Aside from being one of the most powerful Maserati models ever, the Levante Trofeo’s sporting interior offers all the comfort of a prestigious SUV. It is built to the enduring principles of a Maserati grand touring vehicle,” says Rens Rademeyer, Dealer Principal at Maserati Johannesburg.

 

For instance, mentions Rademeyer, every Trofeo will have Maserati’s exclusive Pieno Fiore Italian leather as standard, and is equipped with a 1 280 Watt, 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins premium surround sound audio system, for a concert-hall sound experience.

“The Trofeo will also have unique carbon fibre exterior details, and our customers can, as always, indulge in their creativity in the Maserati fit and finish studio to further custom design their Trofeo.”

Specific details of the Levante Trofeo, like the lower splitter, the side blades in the front air intakes, the side skirt inserts and the rear extractor, are made of ultralight, high-gloss carbon fibre, further underlining this model’s racing look. The hood is also new, with two aggressive heat extractors for better cylinder head cooling. Beneath the hood, the high-gloss carbon fibre engine cover sports the Maserati Trident and a V8 inscription. The cylinder heads and intake manifolds are painted red.

The elegant restyling was mainly focused on the lower front fascia and the rear bumper and is crowned by the 22-inch forged aluminium “Orione” wheels, available in both polished and matte finishes.

The Levante Trofeo was first revealed at last year’s New York International Auto Show, where it was lauded for combining a powerful engine with perfect weight distribution and a low centre of gravity.

While this is true of all Levante models, in the Trofeo the power, weight and chassis have been refined to work perfectly with the high-power V8. This helps to ensure that while it provides an exhilarating driving experience, it never compromises its long-distance comfort and active safety.

In further fine-tuning the Trofeo, Maserati engineers have added a Corsa mode with launch control and incorporated an Integrated Vehicle Control (IVC) system into the electric power steering system. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is programmed to reward spirited driving.

“Interest in the Levante Trofeo has already been overwhelming. The first unit, a specially numbered Launch Edition in Blu Emozione Matte, will arrive in the first quarter of 2020, with bespoke units following soon thereafter,” says Rademeyer.