Maserati erupts with Levante Vulcano special
BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 19th Mar 2019
MASERATI Australia has secured seven examples of the limited-edition Levante Vulcano large SUV from a combined European and Asian allocation of just 150 units.
Priced from $184,990 before on-road costs, the cosmetically enhanced Vulcano commands a $40,000 premium over the GranSport variant upon which it is based.
Aside from exclusivity, buyers are naturally compensated with a longer list of standard equipment, including Grigio Lava matte paintwork and Pieno Fiore leather upholstery, with the latter finished in either red with black stitching or vice-versa.
The Vulcano draws some exterior enhancements from the previous Nerissimo special, such as its smoked tail-lights, black-chrome front grille, gloss-black window trim, body-colour doorhandles and burnished exhaust tailpipes, plus privacy glass.
A matte finish is also applied to the Vulcano’s 21-inch Helios alloy wheels that sit in front of red-painted six-piston Brembo brake callipers up front.
Inside, the power-adjustable front sports seats feature memory functionality, heating, ventilation and an embroidered ‘Trident’ logo on their headrests.
Meanwhile, high-gloss carbon-fibre trims the centre console and power-adjustable sports steering wheel with paddle-shifters.
The interior makeover is completed by a chromed aluminium build plate on the centre console that features the ‘Vulcano’ and ‘Trident’ logos alongside the words ‘one of 150’.
Other features include six-level air springs, adjustable Skyhook shock absorbers, Matrix LED headlights, soft-close doors, an 8.4-inch touchscreen MTC infotainment system, satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, digital radio, a 7.0-inch multi-function display, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, and a Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
Advanced driver-assist systems extend to autonomous emergency braking, active lane-keep assist, active blind-spot monitoring, cruise control, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, traffic sign recognition, hill-descent control and tyre pressure monitoring.
The Vulcano is motivated by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 that is tuned to produce 257kW of power at 5750rpm and 500Nm of torque from 1750 to 4750rpm.
This Ferrari-built engine is mated to a ZF-sourced eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission and Maserati’s rear-biased Q4 all-wheel-drive system with a rear mechanical limited-slip differential.
As a result, the Vulcano can sprint from standstill to 100km/h in 6.0 seconds while on the way to its top speed of 251km/h.
Sales of the Levante have taken a significant hit this year, with 43 examples sold to the end of February – a 30.6 per cent decrease over the 62 deliveries made during the same period in 2018.
As a result, the Levante is the 11th best-selling large SUV in the $70,000-plus segment, trailing the BMW X5 (491 units), Range Rover Sport (423), Lexus RX (294), Porsche Cayenne (219) and Land Rover Discovery (213), among others.
