The big news for Maserati this year has been the introduction of the mighty V8-engined Levante Trofeo. This super-quick SUV with 427 kW and 730 Nm of torque on tap gets out the starting blocks in no uncertain terms. The claimed 0-100 km/h time is 3,1 seconds, and the 2 170 kg luxury vehicle has an affirmed top speed of 300 km/h!
Allied to this blistering performance is a Ferrari-developed twin-turbo V8 soundtrack from the engine compartment! For an in-depth analysis of the Maserati Levante Trofeo, read Maserati Levante Trofeo (2020) Review: A Hyper-SUV with the heart of a Ferrari
Maserati South Africa has been delighted with the sales success of the Levante Trofeo to date, with the early consignment of Trofeos being sold out before the new model hit our shores in early March. Since then Maserati has been selling its in-coming consignments of Trofeos almost as fast as they arrive in the showroom in Bryanston, and there seems to be no let-up in demand for this (very expensive) halo model. The current price of the Levante Trofeo is R3 790 000, more than R1,2-million more expensive than the previous range-topper, the Levante S GranSport.
Levante a success from the get-go
Maserati’s Levante SUV has been one of the surprise packages in the Trident marque’s model line-up, with sales exceeding expectations since its launch in 2016. In fact there is also a brisk trade in pre-owned Levantes, and AutoTrader currently lists 19 New and Used Maserati Levante examples for sale.
Unusually for any car company, and especially Maserati, the model range was introduced here with only a diesel model being available. Maserati, of course, has an immense history in the exotic car field and most of the all-time classic Maseratis were petrol-fueled. Rumbling V8s and sonorous V6 turbos have been pretty much a staple for this Italian maker of exotica, and diesels don’t normally stir the soul in the same manner as a high-revving petrol-engined motorcar.
Diesel very well received
However, the enthusiastic reception to the Levante Diesel surprised even Maserati. The timing of the Levante SUV with its excellent handling characteristics was spot on, as more and more customers migrated from sedans and even sports cars to SUVs with their advantages of space for the whole family in a package that could nevertheless excite in terms of performance and status.
The performance of the 202 kW Levante Diesel is more than adequate, with a 0-100 km/h time of 6,9 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h. The rated fuel consumption average is 9,7 litres/100 km.
Range expanded to include petrol models
However, Maserati has kept in mind that it has a hard-core following for people who love the higher-revving characteristics of petrol-fueled engines. Thus the range of Levantes was soon expanded to cater for a variety of tastes. These included the Levante S launched in 2018 with a V6 twin-turbo petrol motor producing 316 kW, lowering the 0-100 km/ time to 5,2 seconds and upping top speed to 264 km/h. Next came the Levant, which was a belated entry-level model coming in at just R20 000 less than the diesel This has a 257 kW turbocharged petrol V6 motor, which still serves up a respectable 0-100 km/h time of around 6,0 seconds.
The Gransport and GranLusso models
In each of these three engine configurations you can also order standard or special-trim versions. These are known as the GranLusso (Luxury) and GranSport (sporting) versions, where exterior and interior trim items are given an extra spin to individualise each of the models. However, the recently launched Trofeo is only available to order in one spec level, which has an amazing array of standard features to go with its hypercar-like performance.
The current Levante Model Range
| Levante | R1 820 000 |
| Levante Diesel | R1 840 000 |
| Levante GranLusso | R2 050 000 |
| Levante Diesel GranLusso | R2 060 000 |
| Levante GranSport | R2 070 000 |
| Levante Diesel GranSport | R2 080 000 |
| Levante S | R2 180 000 |
| Levante S GranSport | R2 340 000 |
| Levante S GranLusso | R2 340 000 |
| Levante Trofeo | R3 790 000 |
*Pricing correct at time of publishing and subject to change without notice.
Which Levante holds its value best?
Speaking to staff members at Maserati South Africa, the model that holds its value best on the used-car floor is the Levante Diesel. The reason for this is that in the ultra-luxury segment of the SUV market, the Levante Diesel is the only remaining diesel-engined player (previously the Porsche Cayenne diesel model was a competitor, but Porsche has discontinued this model.) Next in line in terms of value retention would be the Levante S, followed by the Levante.
The sales staff predict that the newly-introduced Trofeo will indeed command a high re-sale value, representing perhaps the best value-retention of all the Levante derivatives. This will be because of its rarity value, and the fact that (at the moment at least) demand definitely exceeds supply as far as the Trofeo is concerned.
However, as the Trofeo is still a brand-new model, it is impossible to verify any value-retention trends for this model yet.
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2017 Maserati Levante Diesel Video Review
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