But only slightly.
Italian marque Maserati has lifted the veil off the Levante GTS, a second V8 variant of its popular uber-SUV, lowering the price of entry into the desirable eight-cylinder club by some margin. The GTS also provides a more natural (and palatable) stepping stone between the Levante’s V6 options and the fire-breathing Trofeo V8.
In the GTS, the same 3.8-litre Ferrari-built V8-biturbo mill produces a pretty impressive 410kW and 730Nm, which means it’s by no means a slouch. Unless it’s next to a 440kW/730Nm Trofeo, that is. The GTS will complete the century sprint in 4.2-seconds, and hit the redline at 292km/h, as compared to the Trofeo’s 3.9-second century sprint time and 300km/h maximum.
Externally, a lot is shared between the GTS and the Levante Trofeo. The bumpers on either end are nicked straight from the Trofeo, and while the 22-inch alloys are different, you can probably pull puppy dog eyes and Maserati will let you have the better ones from the Trofeo (for a fee). What you won’t have to pay extra for in the GTS are things like LED adaptive-beam headlights, a 14-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, Integrated Vehicle Control, and gorgeous Pieno Fiore leather.
Along with the arrival of the GTS for the 2019 model year, the greater Levante range also gets some small but meaningful upgrades. There’s now a revised infotainment system for the SUV, with improved graphics and a more intuitive interface, as well as a new transmission lever and 11 ‘new’ exterior colours to choose from.
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