2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo

The mere fact that the Maserati Levante Trofeo exists makes us very happy indeed. Its Ferrari-derived 580-horsepower twin-turbo V8 is proof that the brand has finally been allowed to reach its full potential. Allow us to explain.

Maserati is the red-headed stepchild of the Italian automotive industry. Due to company politics, it has never been allowed to showcase what it's capable of. You see, if Maserati aimed too high, it would stomp on Ferrari's toes. Aiming lower wouldn't help either because then it would be at war with Alfa. That's why Maseratis have always been so… mediocre.

Nothing's worse than being middle of the road. A lousy car is fun to laugh at, and a genuinely epic vehicle allows one to wax lyrical. But what do you write about when a vehicle like the standard Levante is released? Sure it was stylish, and as a midsize luxury SUV, it wasn't the worst you could do, but the BMW X5 and just about any other rival had it beaten comprehensively. But now, with Ferrari power under the hood, it's ready to take on the big guns - not just the BMW X5 M, but the Porsche Cayenne and even the Lamborghini Urus. The Levante, it seemed, was just another in a long line of mediocre Maseratis. That is until the Trofeo model came along.

The Trofeo's design is relatively subtle, considering it's the raunchiest model in the lineup. A set of 21-inch Orione Miron alloys are standard. Four additional no-cost 21-inch designs are available, with 22-inch wheels costing an additional $400. The grille is prominent, and the refreshed new Maserati trident sits proudly in the middle of it. The only hints at this model's blistering performance are the small, subtle tailgate spoiler, quad exhaust pipes, and three small vents on each fender with a new Trofeo badge right above. These vents are surrounded by a smattering of red, helping them stand out a bit more. Adaptive LED headlights and LED tail lights are standard equipment and the exterior trim elements, such as the grille, mirrors, window surrounds, and side badging are blacked out.

The 2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo has the same dimensions as the less powerful Modena S model. It has a total length of 197.6 inches and a 118.2-inch wheelbase. The width is rated at 77.4 inches, while the 66.9-inch height is relatively low for an SUV. Its ground clearance is a useful eight inches and its curb weight is 5,070 pounds.

Originally available in 15 colors, the Trofeo's palette is currently only six colors strong. Bianco is the only non-metallic option, with four no-cost metallic colors available. They are Nero Ribelle (black), Grigio Maratea (dark gray), Grigio (light gray), and Blu Emozione. The white Bianco Alpi is a $2,700 option. Instead of an extensive color palette, Maserati allows you to pick a color for the brake calipers. There are five available options, and they all contrast or blend nicely with the available hue options. These are the default no-cost gloss red, as well as the four additional $500 gloss options: blue, black, yellow, and silver.

When it was first launched, the Levante offered disappointing performance. It was brisk, but a Golf 7 R was faster and half the price. The Levante GTS came later and while it retailed at the same level as the BMW X5 M, GLE 63, and Porsche Cayenne Turbo, the performance just wasn't there. Soundtrack-wise it was good, with the twin-turbo V6 howling, gurgling, and making all sorts of pops and bangs on the overrun. Problem is, the forward momentum doesn't sync with the sound.

Looking at the engine specification, you soon realize what the problem is. The base model only has 345 hp, while the top-spec model at the time had 424 hp. Even with all-wheel drive as standard, this car couldn't post sub-five-second 0-60 mph times. Maserati's rivals were getting close to twice the power of the entry-level model. Driving the 2017 Levante was like driving a politician - loads of noise, but nothing remarkable ever happens.

Maserati had to go back to its overlords, asking, "please, sir, may we have some more?" The result was a 3.8-liter twin-turbo, sourced from Ferrari. This engine couldn't make the same power as it does in an Italian Stallion, still, the 550 hp in the Latest Modena S and 580 hp in the Trofeo were finally enough to make the Levante competitive. Acceleration times dropped below four seconds, with the Maserati claiming a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds for the subject of this missile, the Trofeo. If you kept your right foot pushed into the plush carpet for long enough, it could reach 187 mph. Adaptive suspension was added to keep it stable, and finally, Maserati had an SUV with a bite that could match all that barking.

We've done enough Maserati bashing for now. Time to sing some praises for the 3.8L twin-turbo, Ferrari-derived V8 engine. It's a phenomenal engine, producing 580 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque. To make the most of this power, Maserati uses an AWD system and a widely-praised eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF. A wide variety of manufacturers use this gearbox. Some get it wrong. Others get it right. Maserati got it spot on because it feels like it has telepathic powers. In Corsa (sport) driving mode, the gearbox bangs through the ratios like a pure thoroughbred. Maserati's adaptive exhaust system also opens some flaps, and the accompanying howl is intoxicating.

There's no need ever to use the manual-override paddles, but you'll want to. They're mounted on the steering column, as they should be. They feel spectacular, made from natural aluminum and not just painted with some faux metal-colored paint. They're also optionally available in carbon fiber at extra cost. The Levante wants you to play with it, which is a breath of fresh air. Its German rivals tend to feel a bit clinical, and you can't level the same criticism against the Trofeo.

Maserati also included a Comfort mode, and it does a good job. You can still hear the slight burble from the rear, but the shifts are lazier yet still smooth as silk. Be warned, however. The slightest input on the accelerator will awaken the beast. This is a car you have to learn to drive smoothly. You need to know precisely what point in the throttle travel it starts barking, or the driving experience will drive you mad. It switches between Jekyll and Hyde way too fast and needs another, even more, relaxed driving mode.

Super SUVs are beloved for a good reason. They offer you the ability to carve up a canyon safely, feeling like a proper professional driver. The setup is the same across the genre; enormous power, massive brakes, adjustable suspension, and all-wheel drive.

We already know the Maserati has enormous power and all-wheel drive, but what about the rest? Well, the brakes are six-piston Brembos in front with a four-piston setup at the back. They bite hard when you need them to, but there's enough feel to stop it from being jerky in town.

In Corsa mode, the adaptive suspension is extremely firm, resulting in almost zero body roll. Unfortunately, the steering is a miss. As is the norm these days, it's an electric system. Most manufacturers in this league have figured out how to provide feedback via the steering wheel, but Maserati sadly hasn't perfected the setup here.

The adaptive suspension's comfort mode is the biggest disappointment. We'll admit that it must be tricky to tune a car for both comfort and speed, but most of its rivals have managed to do just that. The Levante is too stiff, even in Comfort mode. It's a pity because it's the main thing stopping the Levante from achieving true greatness.

At this point, we'd normally move on, but it's worth exploring the politics around this car a bit more. Alfa Romeo was also off its game for a while, and it too was relying on an SUV to put things right. Alfa did not care about its standing in the Stellantis hierarchy, and it aimed high. So high that it didn't just hit the mark but overshot it by a significant margin. It easily beats the Trofeo when it comes to providing a joyous driving experience - and for nearly $70,000 less.

The Maserati Levante Trofeo was not built to be fuel-efficient and its EPA estimates confirm this. With a city/highway/combined rating of 13/20/16 mpg, it's about the same as the Porsche Cayenne Turbo which attains 14/19/16 mpg. Neither car is particularly good at using gas sparingly. Equipped with a 21.1-gallon tank, the Trofeo should be good for just under 340 miles between refills.

At this level, you can't afford anything cheap on the inside. Well-heeled customers tend to be savvy, and they'll spot a piece of low-quality plastic from a mile away. Regrettably, low-quality plastic is the least of its problems. There are glaring examples of parts-sharing between the Maserati Levante Trofeo and some much cheaper brands from within the Stellantis stable.

Maserati tries to disguise it by adding beautiful leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, and lots of carbon fiber. But it all comes crashing down the moment you realize the infotainment system is lifted from a Chrysler Pacifica. Maserati adds some fancy graphics when it starts up, but once it's gone, you can't unsee the fact that your Italian twin-turbo V8 SUV has the same entertainment system as a minivan.

While the parts-sharing is disturbing, the Levante has to be praised for fitting five adults. The second row might be a bit tight, but it's not an impossible mission. Headroom and legroom are ample front and rear. Front passengers are treated to 12-way power-adjustable seats that have heating and cooling. Getting in and out is easy thanks to the ground clearance and big, wide-opening doors.

Visibility is good, but it's a struggle to see out of the small rear window. We can't moan too loudly about this, as it's a worthwhile trade-off considering the handsome exterior.

Being the halo model in the Levante range, there are various no-cost leather options available. By default, black Pieno Fiore natural leather is fitted. Customers can go the traditional route and opt for Nero with Cuoio stitching or spruce it up slightly with Rosso stitching. If you're feeling more flamboyant, you can go for a full Rosso leather interior with contrast Amman or black stitching. Whatever leather option you choose is added to the upper dashboard as well. There are five interior trim options, with 3D Carbon Fiber costing an additional $1,500. Ebano Wood, Carbon Fiber, Metal Net, and Open Pore Radica Wood trim are all no-cost options with a glossy finish.

The ultimate leather option is called Zegna Pelletessuta (woven leather in English). It costs a cool $4,000 and is available in Cuoio/Nero, Nero/Grigio, or Marrone.

The Levante is a practical machine, offering 20.5 cubic feet of cargo space as standard. It's spacious enough for three large suitcases and some loose luggage. However, you have to pack carefully as the trunk is wide at the one end and quite narrow near the seatbacks. With the rear seats folded flat, the luggage capacity grows to 57.4 cubic feet. Compared to the Porsche Cayenne, the Levante is left wanting. The Cayenne boasts 26.3 cubes with the seats in place and 59.3 cubes with the rear seats folded flat.

Interior storage is adequate, with the Maserati offering the obligatory cupholders up front and in the rear. There's a large storage bin underneath the front passenger armrest. The front cupholders are air-conditioned, which is a nice touch.

There are a few options that you can add to the Levante Trofeo. Items such as four-zone climate control system that costs $1,100, carbon-fiber paddle shifters ($450), black roof rails (no cost) are available, but that's about it. Everything else is already chucked in as standard. The list included LED headlights with automatic high beams, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, dual-zone climate control, a surround-view camera, a dual-pane sunroof, heated side mirrors, and a power liftgate.

Driving features include remote start, launch control to help you achieve sub-four-second figures, front and rear parking sensors, a limited-slip differential on the rear axle, and hill-descent control. On the safety side, it adds adaptive cruise control with forward-collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keep assist.

Plucked straight from a minivan and given a fancy name, Maserati's Touch Control Plus 8.4-inch touchscreen is mated to a magnificent 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system. It comes as standard with navigation, SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth connectivity. You can also play music via a USB, and there are four additional USB ports for charging.

It grinds us that this same system is found on blue-collar cars, but we have to concede that the infotainment does what it's supposed to do and is intuitive.

The Maserati Levante SUV was recalled once in 2020 for a fuel-line sensor that may leak, possibly causing a stall and increasing the risk of a fire if an ignition source is present. This problem carried over to the 2021 model too, joined by a second - a malfunctioning automatic seat-belt locking retractor. The 2022 model has so far been recall-free. It has never been rated by J.D. Power.

Maserati includes a four-year/50,000-mile limited warranty and the same coverage for the powertrain. Roadside assistance is also included, but a maintenance plan is not.

Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has completed a Levante Trofeo crashworthiness review. In fact, no variant of the Levante SUV has been tested for crashworthiness. It's worth pointing out that the Levante comes with a lot of safety and driver assistance features as standard, so the likelihood that it will hold up well in a crash is high.

Maserati did not skimp on safety features. Standard safety kit includes ABS, stability control, and front, side, and curtain airbags. Driver assistance features include adaptive LED headlights with auto high beams, a surround-view camera, blind-spot monitoring with lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, forward-collision avoidance with automatic emergency braking, and parking sensors front and rear.

Maserati likes to call the Levante the Maserati of SUVs. That's not the most brilliant piece of marketing we've seen because there hasn't been a good Maserati since the 2008 Quattroporte automatic. It has been a series of mediocre products built on the principles of platform sharing.

The Trofeo is our favorite current Maserati in the US, but it's not without flaws. The ride is appalling, and we can't forgive the obvious parts-sharing. Sure, it's the norm these days, but companies like Bentley and Lamborghini do a much better job of hiding their humble roots. Just imagine showing this car off to the neighbor, and he/she tells you they have the same touchscreen in their minivan. That's going to sting.

On the plus side, it is stupidly fast and handles like a sports car on stilts. You also get a lot of standard features, and you can brag about the Ferrari-sourced engine. We honestly want to love this car, and to a certain extent, we do. We adore the noise, those beautiful aluminum shift paddles, and the sheer speed.

The brain's logical part keeps repeating that it costs $155,200, which is around $37,700 more than the Modena S, which also has the same Ferrari-sourced engine, albeit detuned to 550 hp. Other super SUVs that are equally impressive and cost less include the Porsche Cayenne Turbo ($129,900) and BMW X5 M ($105,900). A Bentley Bentayga V8 is around $22,000 more. But perhaps the main thorn in the Levante's side is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q. Maserati's little brother did a superb job of building a performance SUV, beating the Trofeo in every department that matters, and at a price that's almost $70,000 less than the Trofeo. Out of all the downsides this car has, this one stings the most.

There is only one Levante Trofeo SUV model and it has an MSRP of $155,200, excluding the delivery and destination charge of $1,495 in the USA. It's steep, but it comes fully loaded from the factory. Even so, we have to put it into context. You could buy a brand new BMW X5 M and still have around $50,000 to splurge on optional extras before you reach the price of the Maserati Levante Trofeo.

The 2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo is a single-model flagship trim atop the lineup and comes with a Ferrari-derived 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine with 580 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque, sending the power to an intelligent all-wheel-drive system through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Trofeo runs on 21-inch alloy wheels and has automatic adaptive LED headlights with auto high beams, blacked-out exterior styling details, quad exhaust tips, a power liftgate, and a dual-pane sunroof. Inside, it comes with full leather upholstery, front seats that are heated, ventilated, and 12-way electrically adjustable, and aluminum paddle shifters.

The Touch Control Plus 8.4-inch infotainment screen includes Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM, Bluetooth, five USB ports, navigation, and a 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system. Safety is taken care of by six airbags, forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, front and rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control.

There are no optional packages, as the Maserati already comes with almost everything. Standalone options include four-zone climate control for $1,100, carbon-fiber paddle shifters at $450, and that Zegna Pelletessuta leather option for $4,000. All-season tires and piano-black roof rails are available at no extra cost.

Since there's nothing left to add to the car, apart from the four-zone climate control and carbon-fiber paddle shifters, we'd instead tell you how we'd spec it. We think it looks stunning in Blu Emozione with gloss-red brake calipers. The ride is already too firm, so it's best to stick to a 21-inch alloy, in this case, Gloss Black Staggered Anteo wheels. Our leather option is Rosso because if you're going to order a high-performance crossover with 580 hp, you need red leather seats. The no-cost carbon fiber paddles are tempting, but we'd stick with the standard aluminum paddles. As specced, the Trofeo is no more expensive than the standard listed MSRP of $155,200 excluding destination.

Years from now, the Porsche Cayenne will be used as a case study in business school. It saved Porsche from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it into a profitable company that produces stunning cars like the 911 GT3.

True to form, the Cayenne Turbo is a beast of an SUV. Porsche ditched the serious off-road kit after the first generation and decided to focus purely on making the Cayenne as good as it can be on-road. The result is the current Turbo, which comes with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 541 hp on tap. It's only just beaten by the Maserati when it comes to the standard 0-60 mph time, requiring the optional Sport Chrono package to achieve its best-possible 3.7-second dash, but the Porsche rides and handles better. It manages to shrink around the driver and effectively disguises its weight. There isn't as much pantomime or drama in the Porsche, and at times it can feel too clinical. Porsche wins this battle thanks to the Cayenne's premium, bespoke interior. It's more spacious, luxurious, and attractive-this is an easy win for Porsche.

If you're interested in the Trofeo, there's a good chance you have money to burn. Why not go the whole nine yards and buy a proper Italian steed? The Lamborghini Urus retails for more than $200,000, but you can see where the money goes.

The Rambo Lambo is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that delivers whopping specs of 641 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. It gets to 60 mph faster than the Trofeo, and it just rockets ahead to 190 mph from then on.

On the downside, the Urus is nowhere near as practical as the Trofeo. Its sloping roofline cuts into its rear headroom and trunk capacity. It's more luxurious, offering four-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a dashboard that looks like it belongs in a supercar. The feel-good factor in the Urus is high. The Urus is the best interpretation of a high-riding supercar we've ever experienced, and it easily walks all over the Trofeo.