A Ferrari V8 and AWD make this Maserati the perfect crossover for a snowstorm

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If you’re a big fan of the internal-combustion engine, you’ll probably get a kick out of the specifications of the engine in the Maserati Levante Trofeo. This highest-performing version of the Italian automaker’s crossover runs a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, good for 7,000 revs, 590 horsepower, and a tonal character that sounds extra-sweet coming back your way after reflecting off nearby snow and ice.

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Mostly, Ferrari-built V8 engines drive fast, light, low-to-the-ground supercars that most folks wouldn’t dream of driving in the rain, let alone through the dead of a Northern Ontario winter in mid-February.

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But while a pavement-scraping Italian exotic would lose a front bumper on a frost heave after about three minutes of driving up here, and the oil pan not long after that, the Levante Trofeo’s air suspension lifts its curvaceous body up over the wheels for extra clearance at the touch of a button. Add in a set of winter rubber, and a tremendously flexible AWD system, and you’ve got a recipe for a hell of a thing to drive in a snowstorm.

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To my delight, nasty winter weather moved in on my lengthy voyage north for some testing and shooting of this machine. On our trip, the Levante Trofeo and I caught ourselves some crabby weather conditions in the snow-belt.

The name means “trophy”, by the way. The winner of the race. And this trophy-edition Levante is the fastest one there is.

During our inclement-weather drive, the  big revs and thrust of the little V8 under the Levante Trofeo’s vented hood would go to waste, instead spinning away in the background with little more than a faint hum seeping in through the firewall. 

Use “ICE” (a.k.a. Increased Control and Efficiency) mode in this setting, and Levante responds predictably and gently to your controls, the AWD system more evenly splitting engine power fore and aft, the throttle map smoothed right out. Here, Levante is making it as easy as possible to provide the smooth, accurate inputs an experienced winter driver makes to help keep on course and in control.

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And you hum along, the delightful scrunch of the tires and hum of the engine your constant companions while slicing through the scenery and watching snow accumulate. My tester was on quality winter tires, absolutely vital to confidence in this sort of driving.

On the highway, or the backroads, Levante Trofeo rides nicely, and the feel and comfort remind this writer of something like a Lexus or Audi sports sedan. It’s a touch stiff and sporty, but there’s sufficient give in those racy shocks on the highway to keep you feeling engaged, but without pulverizing your vertebrae. Levante Trofeo does what you want a crossover to do: perches you high and upright within the cabin, provides more clearance beneath, dials up the cargo volume versus a regular  car, and adds in AWD traction.

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Result? Something that’s easy and comfortable to drive any day of the year. That’s why so many people buy crossovers, by the way.

Other than a fiddly windshield-washer-fluid filler and fairly uneager performance noted from the rear electric defroster, this machine has everything I want in the winter — including piping-hot heated seats and an off-road mode that jacks up the ground clearance and provides additional four-wheel traction at a button press, in case of very severe conditions.

All of that, with firepower and thrust that blast Levante Trofeo into a position that’s shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the fastest crossovers on the road. On bare pavement, drivers can expect zero to 100 km/h in four seconds or less, en route to a top speed of something like 300 km/h.

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And what an engine. Built with decades of baked-in experience in motorsport and performance, this powerplant represents some of the very finest work mankind can do with an internal-combustion engine. 

It’s a 32-valve four-cam unit with some of the most advanced turbocharger management tech on the road. That’s all to make it as compact and lightweight as possible, but also immensely efficient at moving gasoline in and horsepower out. It’s designed to rev fast and build power on a linear wave of thrust across 7,000 rpm and eight forward gears, separated one from the next by millisecond shifting controlled via carbon-fiber race-car shift paddles.

Added all up, I figure the majority of this machine’s appeal is the absolute rush of its engine. The soundtrack is a beautiful, rumbling howl that gives way to a turbocharged ‘whoosh‘ overlapping the mechanical symphony as the tachometer needle closes in on redline. The turbocharged torque melts into the engine’s characteristic high-revving power curve. No surges, no steps, just power that continues swelling and pushing like the flame front at end of an explosion.

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Careful: get carried away with the sounds and sensations cooked up under the hood, and you’ll be in demerit-point territory before you know it. 

And at full song, somewhere north of 5,000 revs, the enthusiast driver will feel and hear the engineering and precision coming to life from the other side of the firewall — instantly igniting the grins and gut-laughs enthusiasts get when we experience being propelled beautifully down the road.

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So, a supercar soundtrack for your winter backroads driving or daily commute. You won’t see many high-end Italian sports cars out and about in Northern Ontario in February, but with the Levante Trofeo, you get access to the heart and soul of that driving experience, with rear seats, cargo space, and AWD. Browse your favourite backroad briskly after a fresh snowfall, and the heavy rear bias of the AWD system combined with the precise throttle response, fast steering, and very permissive stability control system make it a real joy. The best winter driving moments in this machine come not with your boot to the mat, but rather, feeling the machine respond to quickly and accurately to just minute inputs to the steering wheel, pedals, and shift paddles.

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It’s road-trip ready: drivers control the Trofeo’s driveline and response from console-mounted buttons that call up various drive modes and suspension calibrations that match the situation at hand, on the fly. Though sportier drive modes rile things up considerably, this feels like a confident and laid-back touring machine with just a tap on a button.

You’re in charge of this wild beast: switch from rear-biased tail-out, revs-up fun; to locked-down blizzard-cruiser at the touch of a button. It’s a lovely split personality: Levante Trofeo’s wild side doesn’t unbalance the equation, meaning drivers get extreme firepower, but something absolutely comfortable enough for daily use in virtually any weather. Think of this one as a high-performance tourer with a rocket-thruster engine, more than a hardcore racing machine, and you’re in the right ballpark.

While you can definitely find a more awe-inspiring interior or a more spacious cabin for the roughly $172,000 asking price of my tester, the right enthusiast will find having access to such a gorgeous powerplant on any drive, in any weather, to be worth every penny.