Maserati gave the new Levante GTS version its world première at the 25th Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend; the second model to feature the V8 engine it's positioned below the Levante Trofeo in the range but retains many of its features including more sporty styling.
The Levante GTS Twin Turbo V8 maintains the V900 architecture of the 3.8-litre unit fitted in the flagship Quattroporte GTS but Maserati says it has been re-engineered to work with the Q4 Intelligent All-Wheel Drive System and retuned to deliver 550hp at 6,250 rpm (compared to 590hp for the Levante Trofeo) while the 730 Nm peak torque between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm remains unchanged.
Like all Maserati petrol engines, this V8 is assembled by Ferrari in Maranello and thanks to its weight/power ratio of 3.9 kg/hp the Levante GTS takes 4.2 seconds to reach 100 km/h (compared to 3.9 seconds for the Levante Trofeo) while its top speed is 292 km/h.
The Levante’s level of sportiness was improved when the Trofeo version was launched at the end of March during the New York International Auto Show as the brand tries to address a poorly thought out launch range and drive sales further upwards. So the new GTS adopts a similar styling theme, which focuses around styling upgrades to the lower front and rear bumpers, to provide a more sporty presence.
Inside, the cabin comes as standard with full leather or as an option full-grain Pieno Fiore natural leather, sport pedals and Harman Kardon Audio system with 14 speakers.
Alongside the new V8 engined GTS, the Levante range has inherited new content such as the Adaptive Full LED Matrix headlights (as an option) and standard Integrated Vehicle Control (IVC), which is already available on the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans. Rather than simply correcting vehicle instability, the IVC function helps prevent it, providing enhanced active safety, improved driving dynamics and an even more exciting performance.
Photos: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018
