Maserati Levante GTS

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Maserati Levante GTS, the five-door V8 SUV that Maserati revealed in July 2018 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and sold until the end of V8 production in 2023. It has the 3.8L twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox and Q4 all-wheel drive, and the figures below are its launch output of 550 PS. It is not a guide to the Levante Trofeo, which uses a related V8 with 590 PS, and it is not a guide to the V6 Levantes (the 3.0 petrol in two states of tune, the diesel and the later 2.0 mild-hybrid GT). We say below where each of those differs, because an advert that says only "Levante V8" can describe a GTS or a Trofeo, and a car that says only "Levante" can be a very different machine. One more disagreement: PistonHeads says the V8 GTS and Trofeo were revealed at the 2018 New York show with UK sales from mid-2019, whereas Marque News, Complete Car and others place the GTS world premiere at Goodwood in July 2018, so we use 2018 as the start year and note that UK deliveries came later.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: Marque News, an Australian motoring news site, which published the Maserati launch figures on 23 July 2018, PistonHeads' used buying guide to the Levante Trofeo, which also covers the GTS, and the government recall checker. We also read Complete Car (16 July 2018), MotorBox, Carscoops (27 November 2018), The Drive's review (updated 14 November 2018) and Auto Express's specification page. Maserati's own press site, its Stellantis media pages and its brochure PDF all returned 403 errors, so we did not read them and we did not try to get round the block. Wherever our sources disagree we say so rather than choose quietly.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 3.8L twin-turbo V8 petrol, 3799 cc, a 90-degree V8 that Maserati describes as retuned from the Quattroporte GTS unit and re-engineered for Q4. Marque News says it is assembled by Ferrari in Maranello.
• Power: 542 bhp. Maserati's launch figure is 550 PS (404 kW) at 6250 rpm, which most launch pages print as 550 hp. Converting 550 PS gives about 542 bhp (550 multiplied by 0.9863), and Carscoops prints 542 hp with 550 PS beside it. The 550 figure in our old catalogue row was therefore the metric number labelled as bhp.
• Torque: 730 Nm, which is 538 lb ft. Marque News puts it between 2500 and 5000 rpm, while MotorBox says 2000 to 5000 rpm.
• 0-100 km/h: 4.2 seconds, which is the figure Marque News, Complete Car and MotorBox print for 0-100 km/h. The 4.0 seconds printed by US outlets is a 0-60 mph time.
• Top speed: 292 km/h, or 181 mph. Carscoops prints 291 km/h in brackets, which is a rounding of 181 mph.
• Drive: all-wheel drive through the Q4 system, with a rear-biased layout and a limited-slip rear differential.
• Weight: The Drive lists 4,784 lb, which is about 2,170 kg by our conversion, and MotorBox says the V8 adds 60 kg over the V6 cars.

Where the European cars differ

The launch numbers above are the ones most pages repeat, but they are not the only ones. PistonHeads gives the GTS as 523hp with a claimed 181 mph, and Auto Express lists a 530 bhp car with 0-62 mph in 4.3 seconds and 730 Nm from 2500 rpm. The simplest reading is that the European specification is rated at 530 PS, which converts to about 523 bhp, and that Auto Express has printed the PS figure under a bhp label. We could not confirm that from a Maserati page, because those were blocked. Search summaries of other sources, which we did not read in full, also show 523 bhp for UK cars and 4.3 seconds for Europe, against 4.2 seconds in other markets. The practical advice is to check the build and the registration document: a UK or European Levante GTS is probably a 523 bhp car, and a grey import or a car from outside Europe is more likely to be a 542 bhp car. Do not assume the figure in an advert is the figure on the car.

GTS, Trofeo and the V6 Levantes

The Trofeo is the more powerful V8. At launch Maserati rated it at 590 PS, about 582 bhp, and Carscoops prints 581 hp, with the same 538 lb ft of torque as the GTS, 3.7 seconds to 60 mph and 187 mph (300 km/h). PistonHeads' used guide lists 572hp for the Trofeo and 4.1 seconds to 62 mph for the European car, again a lower European rating. The Trofeo also has a Corsa drive mode, recalibrated engine, gearbox and traction maps, a lower ride height and sportier damper settings. The Drive notes that the GTS has a black plastic engine cover where the Trofeo has red valve covers and carbon-fibre paddles. Both cars use the 22-inch Orione wheel.

The V6 Levantes are a different ownership proposition. PistonHeads says the 3.0 petrol reached the UK in mid-2017 in 345 hp and 424 hp forms and that the 2.0 mild-hybrid GT followed in mid-2021, after a period in which the V6 diesel was the only UK option. The Drive puts the 424 hp Levante S about a second slower to 60 mph than the GTS. If a listing quotes a diesel or V6 specification, it is not the car in this guide. Every Levante has Q4 all-wheel drive, so the drivetrain alone will not tell you which one you are looking at. Check the engine and the badge on the tailgate, and ask for the build record.

Drivetrain, gearbox and suspension

The Q4 system is rear-biased. PistonHeads says it can send all of the torque to the rear wheels and up to half to the front when grip drops, and The Drive says the shift can take as little as 150 milliseconds. A mechanical limited-slip rear differential is standard on the V8 cars, and the system also brakes the inside wheels to help the car turn. The gearbox is the ZF eight-speed automatic, which PistonHeads calls dependable and quick to downshift.

The GTS has air suspension with adaptive dampers. The Drive describes six ride heights with Skyhook dampers and 3.3 inches of travel, including an off-road setting and a lowered Park position. That is useful on a heavy car, but it adds things that can wear and leak, so we list it in the checks below. The Drive found more body roll than in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and BMW rivals, and said the brakes needed more bite early in the pedal travel.

What to check before you buy

Our checklist comes from PistonHeads' guide, from The Drive's criticisms and from our own reasoning, and we mark which is which. PistonHeads, writing on 20 January 2024, lists no engine-specific faults for the Trofeo, but it does report coolant pipes that came loose or leaked on some cars, and a recall covering a turbo-to-intercooler pipe, though it was not sure that this reached the Trofeo. It also reports expensive damper failures, infotainment freezing, rear camera failures, Apple CarPlay faults, faulty parking sensors and adaptive cruise, blown speakers, warning-light cascades and power steering failures that were often traced to a weak battery, tyre judder on full lock and uneven tyre wear. It says a software recall covered a gearbox that could shift into neutral on nearly 3,300 cars. Those are the Trofeo's reports, so we treat them as a guide to what the GTS may also do and not as proof.

Our own advice, which is reasoning and not a source, is to check the date and the engine rating, to look for matching tyres with even wear and to ask for a four-wheel alignment record. Run the car through every ride height, watch for it sagging overnight, and check the dampers for leaks. Test every screen and camera, and ask for a battery test. Look at the coolant level and for any staining around the pipes, ask for the service file and the dealer history, and have a Maserati specialist run a diagnostic scan. We have not quoted prices because they vary with age, condition and specification and we could not verify them. The Drive also found the Uconnect-based switchgear and infotainment dated and the boot small for the class, so decide whether those matter to you.

Recalls and paperwork

Use the government recall checker before you buy and again after you have bought, with the registration number or the make, model and year. It covers manufacturer safety recalls that have not yet been checked or fixed, and says non-safety recalls are communicated by the manufacturer. We have not run it for any specific car. PistonHeads mentions recalls for the gearbox software, the rear camera and a seat wiring harness, but it gives them in general terms and does not tie them to the GTS, so ask a Maserati dealer whether any campaign is open against the chassis number. A clean public check is not proof that every update has been done.

The ownership case

The Levante GTS offers a Ferrari-assembled twin-turbo V8 with 542 bhp in its launch form, 730 Nm, rear-biased all-wheel drive and a body style that carries four or five people. It is quick for a tall, heavy SUV, with a claimed 4.2 seconds to 100 km/h and 292 km/h flat out, but it is not the most powerful Levante and it is not the cheapest to run. What you are buying is a particular output, a particular specification and a complete history. We have not driven it, so read the sources, verify whether the car is a 523 bhp European car or a 542 bhp car, get a specialist inspection and treat every published figure as a claim until someone measures it.