The Urus is Lamborghini’s long-awaited re-entrance into the SUV market. It’s also the perfect representation of its 55-year journey from seller of mad things with an allergy to ergonomics, to an ultra-modern supercar manufacturer with the quality, reliability and business sense of Audi.
Few would argue the latter is a bad thing when it spawns a family of supercars that you can actually see out of and start on the button every time… but the big fat question here is, is a spacious, high-riding, five-seater family SUV pushing the Germanic sensibleness too far?
Let’s start with the way it looks. No doubt you made your mind up within seconds of seeing it, but hopefully we can agree on one thing: of the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga and Audi Q7 bunch with which it shares its steel and aluminium MLB platform, it’s not pug-ugly like the Bentley, and has more presence than the other two put together.
In the interim five-and-a-half years since we saw the Urus concept, it’s become a little larger, rounder and wider of arse, but the overall shape is surprisingly faithful. There’s the same arrowhead bonnet shut line, but beneath that there’s a lot more going on.
Layer upon layer of mesh, intakes and splitters with a cycloptic sensor housing parked in the middle of it. You’ll notice the yellow car here is maximum jazzy – fortunately, more subdued specs, like the grey car with mostly blacked-out elements, are available. Around the back, the concept’s tailpipes have dropped, but the small rear windscreen and full-width tail-light have survived. From this angle, perhaps more so than the front, it’s instantly a Lamborghini.
But the Urus’s real trick is to combine a downward-sloping, BMW X6-esque roofline, which keeps things pinched and muscular around the rear wheelarch, with masses of interior space. We’re talking six-footer behind a six-footer with a good chunk of leg- and headroom to spare. It also has a 600-litre boot – enough for a grown man to climb in on all fours and do a convincing impression of a large dog. A point we prove right here, in our walkaround video.
Big wheels (21-inch as standard, up to 23-inch if you must) and edgier styling than its rivals isn’t enough to earn the Lamborghini badge. For that, it must possess a vicious turn of speed, which is where 641bhp, 627lb ft of torque (available from 2,250rpm), 0–62mph in 3.6 seconds and 190mph flat out come into play.
Before you start Googling furiously, the 707bhp Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk also takes 3.6secs, but that’s from 0-60mph, and it trails by 10mph at the top end. That makes the 2.2-tonne Urus officially the fastest SUV out there. Frankly, we’d be perturbed if it wasn’t.
Where mild perturbing might occur is under the bonnet. You won’t find a highly strung, naturally aspirated V10 or V12 on loan from the Huracán or Aventador, but a version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from the Bentley Continental GT and Audi RS6, connected to an eight-speed auto and redlining at 6,800rpm.
If you can get over the fact that it’s more likely to woofle and rumble than bark and shriek, it’s actually a far better fit for an off-roader – offering more torque at lower rpm. And yes, you can take your Urus off-road should you wish.
The V8’s other trick is being the most fuel-efficient engine ever in a Lamborghini (22.2mpg, 290g/km CO2) thanks in part to a cylinder-deactivation system that works below 3,000rpm and gives you 173lb ft to work with. That’s right, tickle the throttle and you’ll find yourself driving a four-cylinder Lamborghini with less torque than a diesel Ford Fiesta.
Few would argue the latter is a bad thing when it spawns a family of supercars that you can actually see out of and start on the button every time… but the big fat question here is, is a spacious, high-riding, five-seater family SUV pushing the Germanic sensibleness too far?
Let’s start with the way it looks. No doubt you made your mind up within seconds of seeing it, but hopefully we can agree on one thing: of the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga and Audi Q7 bunch with which it shares its steel and aluminium MLB platform, it’s not pug-ugly like the Bentley, and has more presence than the other two put together.
In the interim five-and-a-half years since we saw the Urus concept, it’s become a little larger, rounder and wider of arse, but the overall shape is surprisingly faithful. There’s the same arrowhead bonnet shut line, but beneath that there’s a lot more going on.
Layer upon layer of mesh, intakes and splitters with a cycloptic sensor housing parked in the middle of it. You’ll notice the yellow car here is maximum jazzy – fortunately, more subdued specs, like the grey car with mostly blacked-out elements, are available. Around the back, the concept’s tailpipes have dropped, but the small rear windscreen and full-width tail-light have survived. From this angle, perhaps more so than the front, it’s instantly a Lamborghini.
But the Urus’s real trick is to combine a downward-sloping, BMW X6-esque roofline, which keeps things pinched and muscular around the rear wheelarch, with masses of interior space. We’re talking six-footer behind a six-footer with a good chunk of leg- and headroom to spare. It also has a 600-litre boot – enough for a grown man to climb in on all fours and do a convincing impression of a large dog. A point we prove right here, in our walkaround video.
Big wheels (21-inch as standard, up to 23-inch if you must) and edgier styling than its rivals isn’t enough to earn the Lamborghini badge. For that, it must possess a vicious turn of speed, which is where 641bhp, 627lb ft of torque (available from 2,250rpm), 0–62mph in 3.6 seconds and 190mph flat out come into play.
Before you start Googling furiously, the 707bhp Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk also takes 3.6secs, but that’s from 0-60mph, and it trails by 10mph at the top end. That makes the 2.2-tonne Urus officially the fastest SUV out there. Frankly, we’d be perturbed if it wasn’t.
Where mild perturbing might occur is under the bonnet. You won’t find a highly strung, naturally aspirated V10 or V12 on loan from the Huracán or Aventador, but a version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from the Bentley Continental GT and Audi RS6, connected to an eight-speed auto and redlining at 6,800rpm.
If you can get over the fact that it’s more likely to woofle and rumble than bark and shriek, it’s actually a far better fit for an off-roader – offering more torque at lower rpm. And yes, you can take your Urus off-road should you wish.
The V8’s other trick is being the most fuel-efficient engine ever in a Lamborghini (22.2mpg, 290g/km CO2) thanks in part to a cylinder-deactivation system that works below 3,000rpm and gives you 173lb ft to work with. That’s right, tickle the throttle and you’ll find yourself driving a four-cylinder Lamborghini with less torque than a diesel Ford Fiesta.
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