The Ferrari of SUVs

The Ferrari-assembled, 3.8-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 in the Levante Trofeo is one of the most powerful engines Maserati has ever fitted to one of its cars, and it’s telling of the time we live in that it chose its SUV as the recipient, rather than one of its gorgeous Grand Tourers. The Trofeo’s 590hp and 538ft-lb of torque is transferred to the road via the ‘Intelligent’ all-wheel-drive system and the chassis has been tweaked to handle the extra power (although Maserati claims the car was capable of handling this increase of performance from the onset). We’re not sure the aggressive and performance-oriented styling tweaks and trinkets — outside and in — have necessarily made the Levante Trofeo a better car to look at, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t want to take it for a spirited blast. There’s always the chance that you’ll get to see the look on a V12 Vantage S owner’s face as you stay with him away from the lights…

Photos: Maserati