Maserati waited for the Goodwood Festival of Speed to show off their new 550-PS Levante GTS, the V8-powered supersport utility vehicle.
The sportiest and fastest Levante GTS is also the only one in its line-up with a V8. As with the V6 duo, the Levante gets a more powerful state of tune for its Ferrari-built eight-cylinder beast as well, making 20 PS more than the unit in the Quattroporte GTS. Here, it’s paired to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and, now, the Q4 all-wheel drive system. It produces a Porsche Cayenne Turbo-matching 550 PS with a peak 730 Nm of torque coming in from 2,500 rpm. Weighing in at 2,145 kg, it boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 256 PS/tonne, allowing a sprint from 0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 292 km/h.
Inside, the Levante GTS has all the creature comforts expected from a sport crossover SUV. The Levante GTS’ cabin is offered as standard with premium leather upholstery with a full-grain Pieno Fiore natural leather upholstery offered as an option. You also get sport pedals and a Harman Kardon audio system with 14 speakers. Feature-wise, the GTS packs standard Integrated Vehicle Control (IVC) with the Adaptive Full LED Matrix headlamps available as an option.
Expect the Levante GTS to arrive in India later this year or early next year, at a price of around Rs 2.3 crore (ex-showroom). Even with the price differential, based on power and positioning, it puts it up against the Porsche Cayenne GTS, the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, the BMW X6 M, and, of course, what seems like a bargain in this crowd, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT.
Story: Jim Gorde
