Levante Trofeo

The most beautiful Sardinia often begins where the asphalt runs out. The coves of Capo Coda Cavallo, certain beaches in Gallura, the old stazzi turned restaurants among the granite outcrops of San Pantaleo: the final kilometres are almost always hard-packed white gravel, and a two-seat coupé surrenders right there. The Levante Trofeo does not. Air suspension that rises at the touch of a button, Q4 all-wheel drive and 580 hp ready to sweep you back onto the main road as if nothing happened — it is the most direct way to experience the entire island, not just its convenient half.

Then there is the practical side, which matters more than anyone admits on holiday: five genuine seats, a boot that swallows full-size cases and beach bags, and the ability to do Olbia to Chia in a day without a single passenger stepping out weary. In our guide to luxury SUVs in Sardinia we explain how to weigh space against character; the Levante Trofeo is that rare case where you are not asked to choose.

Press the starter and the 3.8-litre twin-turbo wakes with a sharp bark, then settles into a deep grumble you feel in your chest before it ever reaches your ears. This is a V8 assembled in Maranello, in the same halls as Ferrari's engines, and in Corsa mode it makes no secret of it: exhaust valves open, the revs building into a furious crescendo past six thousand, crackles on the overrun ricocheting off the rock walls as you thread the gorges of Gallura.

The eight-speed automatic has two faces: soft and invisible in Comfort, snapping off ruthless paddle shifts in Corsa. The air suspension drops, the body stays flat under load, and the Q4 system sends its torque rearwards, so the Levante drives out of corners like a front-engined sports car. For an SUV of more than two tonnes, the precision it returns through the steering surprises everyone who drives it for the first time.

Trofeo is the absolute summit of the Levante range: 580 hp, 0–100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, a 300 km/h top speed and launch control for those rare stretches where the road is entirely yours. Carbon-fibre detailing, more supportive seats and the three fender vents picked out in Trofeo red complete the picture; our car, finished in Blu Nettuno, wears a livery that might have been drawn for the reflections of the Gallura sea.

It is the choice of those who want a single car for the entire holiday: beach tracks in the morning, the hotel forecourts of the Costa Smeralda by evening — no surprise that luxury car rental in Porto Cervo is among the most frequent requests for this model. And if you would like to weigh it against the alternatives, our luxury SUVs for rent in Sardinia belong to a fleet of more than 100 models and 150+ versions. Requirements and conditions are provided at the quotation stage.