Currently reading: Maserati Levante GTS due in August with 523bhp Ferrari V8

Hot SUV model will rival Porsche Cayenne Turbo, with same output as Quattroporte GTS

The Maserati Levante will soon be hot on the heels of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo when a GTS version launches this summer with a Ferrari V8 unit.

Spotted winter testing in Scandinavia, the performance SUV model will inherit the twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre engine that’s currently used in the Quattroporte GTS, where it produces 523bhp and 479lb ft of torque. Like all Maserati petrol engines, it's been co-developed by Ferrari and is made at that brand's Maranello home.

The Levante GTS will be capable of sprinting from 0-62mph in around 4.5sec, ranking it alongside the 542bhp Cayenne Turbo and upcoming Range Rover Velar SVR, which is predicted to have around 542bhp as well. 

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Like its hot SUV rivals, the Levante GTS will get bespoke chassis settings that are more road-biased than its siblings. Expect a harder performance mode for its air suspension that will sacrifice ride comfort for enhanced body control, as well as stiffer anti-roll bars to reduce lean in the bends.

The car will wear GTS trim inside and out, with larger wheels and more aggressive bumpers for the exterior. Spy shots show where much of the GTS's changes will be located, although camouflage prevents us from seeing details of the changes to be applied.

The interior will likely come with a higher-spec finish as standard, with a carbonfibre trim likely to signify the model’s sporting credentials. Maserati launched its latest In-Connect infotainment technology across its range last year, so this current system, which uses an 8.4in touchscreen and centre console-mounted rotary controller, is expected to be retained in the GTS.

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The GTS will sit at the top of the Levante range, which currently receives power from either a 3.0-litre V6 petrol or a diesel engine of the same arrangement. The current quickest model, the V6 S GranSport, retails from £76,995, meaning the GTS could start at more than £80,000.

No official reveal date has been set, but a Maserati spokesman said the brand is due to announce forthcoming plans by June, suggesting the Levante GTS's unveiling could come before the summer months. The first examples are expected to enter showrooms in August.

Following the GTS, Maserati will bolster its Levante line-up with a hybrid variant. It will mate the V6 petrol engine to an electric motor that's shared with Chrysler's Pacifica Hybrid, its Fiat Chrysler Automobiles stablemate, to offer around 33 miles of pure-electric driving.

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Peter Cavellini 13 February 2018

An Apple is ......

like VW’s trick with Skoda and Seat, the Levante is just an Alfa Romeo Stelio with slightly posher Clothes on, that’s all.

astonandy 29 March 2018

I think Peter, it's actually

I think Peter, it's actually a Jeep Grand Cherokee with Posher clothes. The Stelvio and Guilia share their underpinnings which will, it has been announced be the basis of the 2019 Jeep. So, the Levante and Stelvio platforms don't appear to be related.

astonandy 29 March 2018

I think Peter, it's actually

I think Peter, it's actually a Jeep Grand Cherokee with Posher clothes. The Stelvio and Guilia share their underpinnings which will, it has been announced be the basis of the 2019 Jeep. So, the Levante and Stelvio platforms don't appear to be related.

fatcheso 4 November 2017

Porsche Cayenne Turbo vs. BMW X5M

I worked for Porsche for 12 years, now with BMW. I drove both at the testing grounds just befor the GTS was released south of Spartanburg, SC. The Porsche traction control system was too intrusive, turned both off & on because these system are getting better like transmissions, BMW was a better controled drive. Porshce was very good, but not as good. Also, just visually, I like the BMW design language, these other SUVs coming out are so so.

The Jag is terrible. Now Porsche has a big grill, welcome to the party Lexus has started.

 

5wheels 21 September 2017

Disappointment

Yesterday my smack was gobbed !!! My first live view of the Bentley SUV. What a horrible total none event. It doesnt even deserve road space !!! Now Massa about to throw up and give us yet another road cluttering none event. Add the fight between the hateful X6 (and its varients) and the Merc copy me I am uglier than you heap and even walking down the street is going to be annoying!!

astonandy 29 March 2018

5wheels wrote:

5wheels wrote:

Yesterday my smack was gobbed !!! My first live view of the Bentley SUV. What a horrible total none event. It doesnt even deserve road space !!! Now Massa about to throw up and give us yet another road cluttering none event. Add the fight between the hateful X6 (and its varients) and the Merc copy me I am uglier than you heap and even walking down the street is going to be annoying!!

Forgive me if English is not your first language, but this, whatever it is meant to be, is completely unintelligble. How about composing your thoughts and then composing your comment and THEN rereading it?

And what's poor Felipe Massa done to upset you?