MASERATI LEVANTE TROFEO

Price £124,900 On sale Now

What’s new? Flagship SUV gets more powerful V8, chassis mods and extra driver modes

FOR MANY, THE Levante Trofeo’s engine is worth the price of entry alone. Packing 574bhp and 538lb ft, its blistering pace – 0-62mph in 4.1sec – is a given, but it’s the 3.8-litre unit’s operatic snarl and crackling overrun that will have you wringing it out to the redline time and again.

A new Corsa setting drops the air springs by 35mm and stiffens them by 20%, plus it further sharpens the throttle, adds steering heft, frees up the ESP and keeps the Q4 four-wheel drive sending torque rearwards. It’s not as well-controlled as a Cayenne, but there’s real fun to be had.

Slacken everything off and it’s supple and refined. It still trails the Porsche for quality and tech, but the engaging Maserati makes up for it with genuine character.

★★★★C