The Maserati Levante Trofeo has a big old Ferrari V8 under the hood and sounds brilliant. But is that enough? 🤔

It's a very attractive SUV, with muscular fenders, a sharply creased hood and the corporate grille that looks better here than on either of Maserati's sedans. This SUV looks especially menacing in my tester's Rosso Magma paint (a $17,000 option!), which plays the aggression note well, alongside blacked-out trim and 22-inch anthracite-finished alloy wheels. Hints of carbon fiber peek through on the lower bumper but the car is generally devoid of the stuff. The rear end keeps things interesting with a sloping roofline that gives this ute a hatchback-ish look, and you'll never hear me complain about a big set of tailpipes.

This twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 puts out 580 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque, enough to shoot this ute to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. It is also a work of art (see 01:38). The sounds coming from the tailpipes are simply excellent, whether it's in the standard Strada or the new balls-to-the-wall Corsa mode. Even when I'm not being kind to it, the V8 is smooth and free of any unwanted harshness. The eight-speed automatic transmission swaps gears with the same degree of silkiness, to the point where I never feel the need to take matters into my own hands via those fixed-position paddles.

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