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2019 Maserati Levante GTS First (Wet) Drive Review | A brief taste of a Ferrari-flavored SUV

If it rained any harder, someone would've had to scrounge up an extremely old man to build a giant ship and start herding animals. Lake Huron is dryer. My shoes were still unwearably soggy the next day. So, not exactly the best environment to sample the 550-horsepower, V8-powered leviathan of a performance SUV known as the 2019 Maserati Levante GTS. Sure, it has all-wheel drive and a limited-slip rear differential, but those are traction aids, not magic. In any event, our time with the "lesser" of two V8-powered Levantes would be limited, compromised and extremely damp, but several laps around the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Mich., nevertheless provided a taste of what one might expect under better conditions. Chiefly, you can expect noise. Beautiful, beautiful noise. Even with our heads and ears encased in helmets, the V8 sang a nasty warbling wail. Though built by Ferrari in Maranello, the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 doesn't build to the expected screaming Italian crescendo – it's deeper, more muscular and still deeply invigorating. You'd undoubtedly drive like a buffoon just to hear the thing. Second gear may be popular. Maserati Levante GTS View 8 Photos Stuffing a V8 into the Levante was never originally intended. It was only supposed to have a V6. Nevertheless, a group of engineers secretly took it upon themselves to see if they could fit the Quattroporte GTS' V8 into the Levante, because why not? Turns out they could and in the process, even beef up the engine. Rather than being lambasted by their bosses for going rogue on their little skunkworks project, Maserati instead green-lit not one but two V8-powered Levantes: the 550-hp GTS and 590-hp Trofeo. See, screwing around at work does have its benefits. The differences between GTS and Trofeo are largely horsepower, some minor cosmetic differences, and the Trofeo's extra standard equipment and heftier price tag. Respectively, that would be $121,475 and $171,475. The priciest V6-powered Levante S GranSport goes for $93,475. Maserati Levante Trofeo View 13 Photos Maserati didn't stop with the engine, however. The chassis was tuned to handle all those extra prancing horses, and while suspension componentry is shared with the rest of the line, tuning is specific for the V8's. 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.

The BMW M8 leads this month's list of discounts

Back in June of this year, the BMW 8 Series was the most heavily discounted vehicle in America. This month, it's the 617-horsepower M8. Midsummer buyers of the 2020 BMW M8, which is offered in hardtop, convertible and four-door Gran Coupe bodystyles, were seeing an average of $6,150 cut off the sticker; this month that figure has ballooned all the way to $16,864. That's more than 11% off the car's $150,000-plus retail price, and, according to data provided by TrueCar, it's the largest dollar amount sliced off the retail price of any car for the month of September. Next is the Maserati Quattroporte, buyers of which are saving $15,912 for an average transaction price of $99,763. If that's still too expensive, the smaller Ghibli's $70,030 average transaction price represents a huge 14.5% discount, earning the Italian sedan entry into our monthly top 10 best deals list.  The third largest monetary discount in September comes off the $131,066 sticker price of the lovely 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT. Take $15,473 off that sum for an average transaction price of $115,593. For a look at the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices, check out our monthly recap here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide. BMW Maserati Mercedes-Benz Car Buying Coupe Luxury Performance Sedan consumer best deals biggest discount

Step inside the secret lab creating Maserati's future

MODENA, Italy – Driving Maserati's raucous GranTurismo MC and the effortlessly quick Levante SQ4 back to back feels like traveling through time. Horsepower doesn't go out of style, but a user interface quickly does, and the GranTurismo looks like it's from another era in that respect. Designers, engineers, and executives are busily orchestrating a transformation that will ensure the 105-year old firm's next leap forward is even more dramatic. Autoblog went behind the scenes in Maserati's Innovation Lab – which has never been opened to outsiders before – to find out how the looming metamorphosis will shape Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles' (FCA) flagship brand. Maserati is on the brink of a ground-up redesign that will take it into new segments of the market, and diversify its powertrain palette. We heard the term electrification used on many occasions during our visit, though company officials resorted to automotive omerta when we asked for additional details. An earlier product plan reveals every upcoming addition to its line-up will be available with an electric powertrain, and there will be quite a few cars to electrify. Historically a small, almost niche automaker, Maserati is on track to release five new models between 2020 and 2023, including a second SUV positioned below the aforementioned Levante, plus replacements for most of its current cars. Technology is playing a significant role in Maserati's renaissance. The company's four-year-old Innovation Lab is home to simulators capable of reproducing six months' worth of wear and tear in two weeks. Engineers can dial in a variety of situations, locations, and road conditions, ranging from a winding country road in France to a busy highway in southern California. They can digitally insert potholes, add rain or fog at the push of a button and remove either just as quickly, and put virtual prototypes on a long list of race tracks around the world, including the Nurburgring. Digital wind tunnels help the team test future cars well before they're built. This approach saves time and money, explained Luca Dusini, the man responsible for Maserati's vehicle dynamics testing and simulation. Making every dollar and each minute count is key to pulling off such an ambitious overhaul. 90% of development work is carried out on the various simulators, according to Dusini. This is significant, because Maserati is developing most of the technology it will pack into its future models from scratch.