Contrary to their expectations, Maserati’s first-ever SUV, the Levante, hasn’t exactly been a sales hit so far. Why, even CEO Sergio Marchionne admitted last month that they “sucked” at the model’s 2017 launch.
That’s why the Italian automaker added the Trofeo version earlier this year, in an attempt to boost the image (and sales) of its SUV. The Levante Trofeo packs 590 PS (581 HP) and 730 Nm (538 lb-ft) of torque, which are actually very comparable numbers to what you get from a BMW X5 M.
The former flagship of the Levante range, the S, on the other hand, is good for 430 PS (424 HP) and 580 Nm (427 lb-ft). Excellent numbers, if this was 2005 and you were racing the first generation Cayenne Turbo.
Unfortunately for the Levante S, in this video it finds itself racing a BMW X5 M from a roll. And it’s got its hands full, as the Bimmer is one of the fastest-accelerating SUVs in the world. Thanks to its 575 PS (567 HP) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque, it can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.2 seconds, a full second quicker than the Maserati.
In the end, while the Italian SUV got off to a good start and held its ground well for a brief couple of moments, the power deficit turned out to be too great. As for how convincing of a win this was for the BMW, you know what to do to find out.