SPICED-UP CROSSOVERS
THE JAGUAR F-PACE SVR AND MASERATI LEVANTE TROFEO ARE AIMING THEIR GUNS AT PORSCHE’S TWO TOP-END SUVS
THIS DUO OF BAD-ASS SUVS LOOK KEWL!
Welcome to the Jaguar F-Pace SVR and Maserati Levante Trofeo, two souped-up SUVs that premiered simultaneously in New York recently.
Designed to sit on top of their respective model ranges, the F-Pace SVR and Levante Trofeo feature spicier looks, uprated power and a more dynamic driving style.
Both of them come with racier exterior details like meaner-looking front bumpers, quad tail pipes and huge 22-inch wheels. The F-Pace SVR goes the extra mile by featuring sporty bucket seats, while the Levante Trofeo’s chairs are finished in dark leather and red stitching.
As the duo are being touted with range-topping performance, they come with eight-cylinder power.
The F-Pace SVR sports a 550hp/680Nm 5.0-litre supercharged motor while the Levante Trofeo gets a 590hp/730Nm 3.8-litre bi-turbo variation. Both employ eight-speed automatic and all-wheeldrive transmission.
SO THE MASER IS NATURALLY FASTER…
Yes it is, as the on-paper figures clearly indicate. While the F-Pace SVR goes from 0-100kph in 4.3sec, the Levante Trofeo does it in 3.9sec. The Maser’s claimed 300kph top speed is also superior to the Jag’s 283kph.
The more effective straight-line performance in the Levante Trofeo is also attributed to the launch control system it has. Jaguar, meanwhile, prefers to focus on a dynamic driving experience overall with the inclusion of active rear differential with torque-vectoring control.
WHICH MEANS THE JAG IS CHEAPER IN PRICE…
Basically, but there’s another reason for this, aside from the fact that one’s faster than the other.
While the F-Pace SVR is a mid-size SUV taking on the Porsche Macan Turbo with prices starting from around 12 million baht if sold in Thailand, the Levante Trofeo comes from a class above competing with the Cayenne equivalent north of 15 million baht.
But here’s a sticking point for fans of Maserati. Initially, the Levante Trofeo is being offered as a limited-edition model for the US and Canada, although the suits at Modena say other markets may get it should there be enough demand.
Jaguar, in the meantime, hasn’t mentioned whether production of the F-Pace SVR will be capped. Better even, the F-Pace SVR isn’t only left-hand drive.