Low Miles Paddle Shifters Custom 20 Mht Wheels Red Brake Calipers Ipod Leather on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo Road Test | Paint the town red

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- It’s a transitional moment for Maserati and many of its contemporaries. WeÂ’re on the precipice of an electric future that is taking shape but not yet reality. Until that day comes, weÂ’re taking our final laps in things like the 580-horsepower Levante Trofeo. Dripping in attitude, sharp design and packing an engine that sounds ready for Imola, this Levante recalls everything Maserati has done well over its 108-year history, which predates Ferrari by three decades. Except for the sport utility body style, this vehicle could have been built by Maserati in almost any era. In 2022, however, itÂ’s not a template. Maserati will replace the Ferrari-built V8, like the one under the hood of my test vehicle, with its in-house Nettuno V6, a 600-hp twin-turbo engine that is MaseratiÂ’s biggest engine project in decades. Ultimately the brand will go all-electric. In the here and now, the Levante Trofeo is an attention-getting vehicle. Even more awe-inducing than the engine, the $17,000 Rosso Magma paint looks like it should come with a parole officer. It's available through the Fuoriserie Corse customization program and is by far the most expensive option on this 2022 Levante Trofeo, which stickers for $173,550. It almost appears iridescent in some lighting. Other add-ons include carbon-fiber paddle shifters ($450), painted 22-inch staggered wheels ($400) and gloss black brake calipers ($500). Being the Trofeo trim, itÂ’s already loaded with the best features from the Modena and GT variants.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This is our first taste of the Levante since Maserati reshuffled the trim lineup for 2021. It wears the updated Maserati emblem and Trident, and Trofeo is spelled out in a script that has a vaguely 1980s vibe. Otherwise, this is the Levante weÂ’ve known for several years. It arrived on a bright and unusually cold spring morning, the booming bass of the exhaust note reverberating through my neighborhood. From the back, it cuts a bit of a Porsche silhouette, but up front the shark teeth grille leaves no doubt this is of Italian origin, specifically Maserati. It recalls things like the Alfieri concept, Tipo 60 Birdcage, and for a deep cut, the 1950s A6GCS racer. While the design up front borders on ostentatious, things are more measured in the back, where the roof slopes gently into the curvaceous fenders. Maserati also gets the details right.

2019 Maserati Levante GTS has a 550-hp Ferrari-derived V8

A V6-powered Maserati Levante just wasn't enough. At least that's what a group of engineers thought as they formed a sort of skunkworks and secretly set out to see if they could fit the Ferrari-derived V8 from the Quattroporte GTS into the Levante. Turns out they could, and after revealing their project to company honchos, were given the green light for not just one V8-powered Levante, but two. The first to be revealed was the Levante Trofeo shown at the New York Auto Show. Now we get this, the Levante GTS, which was revealed last month to journalists in Pontiac, Mich., and kept under wraps until now. It will debut in Europe at Goodwood. Although the GTS shares the same 3.8-liter V8 as the 590-horsepower Trofeo, it features a slightly less prodigious output of 550 hp with peak torque of 538 pound-feet available from 2,500 rpm to 5,000. Maserati says the GTS will hit 60 mph in 4 seconds with a top speed of 181 mph. View 8 Photos The chassis was tuned to better handle the extra power, and while the suspension shares the same components as the rest of the Levante line, the tuning was changed for the GTS and Trofeo. The Sport Skyhook adaptive damping system was also retuned, while the air springs feature six different height levels spanning a total of 3 inches from its lowest to highest position. A rear-biased all-wheel-drive system and a rear limited-slip differential are included. These mechanical updates are largely shared with the Trofeo, which differs visually and features extra luxury equipment. Outside, the GTS features a larger lower air dam, a special black-trimmed grille and 22-inch wheels. Inside, there's a full-leather interior package and carbon fiber trim. That includes the shift paddles, which are carbon fiber rather than metal. Maserati models also receive some updates for the new model year. The eight-speed ZF automatic gets a new electronic shifter. Similar in layout to BMW's (forward for R, rearward for D, push button for Park), it replaces the previous Chrysler-sourced PRND layout. It's similar to what you'd find in a current Alfa Romeo but the shifter itself is more luxurious and substantial in feel and appearance. The infotainment system has been refreshed, but remains a Chrysler Uconnect system in Italian clothing. There's also new optional "Pieno Fiore" leather for all three models, Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte. It is available in red, black and tan.

Only best-performing US Fiat dealers to get Alfa Romeo franchises

Alfa Romeo has been rumored to return to the US market so many times for so many years, it's hard to keep count. This time, though, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne promises that it's for real. Alfa is scheduled to reappear in the States this summer with its 4C sports coupe as its introductory model. However, buyers won't be able to pop into just any Fiat showroom and leave with a 4C – it's planning to only sell Alfas at its best-performing dealers, according to The Detroit News. In fact, the first 4Cs sold here won't be sold at Fiat dealers at all. Instead the first shipment of cars in June will go to Maserati dealers, not unlike the handful of Alfa 8C Competizione coupe and convertible models that trickled in starting in 2008. According to Fiat Chrysler spokesperson Rick Deneau, the company is still deciding which Fiat retailers will participate in Alfa's reentry. Many of Fiat's US dealers are apparently not happy with the meritocracy approach. They built Fiat showrooms partially on the promise that Alfa would enter the US market in 2012, then 2013, and now later this year. Even worse for them, the prospects for more mainstream Alfa Romeo models in the US are still questionable. This isn't the first time that we've heard that Fiat plans to keep Alfa Romeo exclusive in the US. Still, Fiat only plans to export about a 1,000 4C sports coupes a year here. If Alfa wants to be a legitimate player in America and be a money-making concern globally, it will need far more sales than that. Featured Gallery 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C: First Drive View 57 Photos News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Matt Davis / AOL Earnings/Financials Marketing/Advertising Alfa Romeo Fiat Maserati Coupe Performance Sergio Marchionne alfa romeo 4c fiat dealers