For decades, Lamborghinis have been the stuff of dreams. But if it is obvious that due to a question of price, the Italian brand has never been mainstream, it also suffered from a too limited range to grow. Indeed, apart from a few attempts at more practical cars to live in (Jarama, Espada, 4×4 LM002, etc.) to accommodate more than a couple of selfish people, its bulls have essentially always been ultra-exclusive machines equipped on top the lot of a damn character.
Everything changed around twenty years ago with the arrival of the Gallardo, the first “easy to drive” Lambo, and even more so with the one which has since become the absolute best-seller of the transalpine manufacturer, the Urus. Since its appearance in 2017, it’s quite simple, the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory has gone from 3,815 cars sold in the year to more than 10,000, a symbolic milestone, last year! I Needless to say, this bull looks like a goose that lays golden eggs and that its restyling has been careful. Expectations are high, with an order book already full until the end of 2025!
A restyling deeper than it seems
Hood, shields, optics and light signature: the Lamborghini design team rolled up its sleeves to make the Urus facelift visible. Enough to attract customers who tend to get bored. The result is certainly spectacular but a little less tortured than with the previous version. In any case, the machine still impresses just as much with a monstrous size: 5.12 m long, 2.02 m wide by 1.64 m high, this bull can accommodate a family and has a build more suited to large people. American spaces than the alleys of Old Europe. And for those who are not the shy type and who like to be seen from afar, Lamborghini offers as usual an infinite palette of customization with its Ad Personam program with bright colors outside and inside and choices of varied materials.
On this subject, the interior is also evolving, especially on the screen side. The one placed in the center now has the same format as the digital counter (12.3 inches) and adopts a revisited interface while being arranged in such a way as to evoke a family resemblance with the latest Revuelto. Unless this is a link to the aeronautical world reminiscent of the traditional Start button hidden under a red latch like a missile launcher, or even rocker controls reminiscent of the throttle levers of an airplane. But during this surgery, Lamborghini was not content to rejuvenate only what can be seen. Certain organs of the beast have also been remodeled to make the driving experience even stronger.
New features in addition to the plug-in hybrid engine
The hybrid is now Lamborghini’s workhorse. After the breathtaking Revuelto, the test of which you can find here, and while waiting for the promising Temerario which replaces the Huracan, the Urus is also converting to it. As usual, the Italian manufacturer has not done anything by half measures with an SUV here developing 800 hp and 950 Nm of cumulative torque drawn from the marriage between the 4.0 biturbo V8 and an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission. reports. The performance figures are of course dizzying with a top speed of 312 km/h and above all a 0 to 200 in just 11.4 seconds!
And thanks to the 25.9 kWh battery housed at the rear (under the trunk), this bull can also travel up to 135 km/h using electricity alone, without a sound, and according to Lamborghini during 60 km under the WLTP approval cycle. But the Italian manufacturer didn’t stop there. Torsen mechanical central differential replaced by a multi-plate clutch for all-wheel drive, revisited electronic rear differential with Torque Vectoring function to reinforce the rear-wheel steering, and optimized electronic settings are also included, all for even greater driving pleasure more present, not to say bluffing.
A real Lambo, for the whole family
Water wets, fire burns….a Lamborghini pushes very hard. We might as well get rid of the trivialities about this Urus SE right away. Obviously, with such power, the Italian SUV delivers top-notch performance which even gives the feeling behind the wheel that the car is rearing up when accelerating. And what a soundscape with, one wonders how, a level of decibels that would make you deaf like an approved sound level meter. But if some manufacturers, in particular those of electric vehicles, think that the exclusivity of a rolling object is solely linked to its ability to accelerate in a straight line, this is not the case here and that is what makes all the charm and exclusivity of the famous Italian label.
The first quality of its Urus is first of all, provided you have the compass in mind, to be very easy to drive. Direct steering but not too engaging, smooth automatic transmission when you stay on the most sensible of the driving programs (called Strada) which allows you to choose between 100% electric or hybrid driving, the Urus SE has all the makings of the ideal family car. silver with its welcoming rear seats and its large trunk. Especially since if we cannot speak of softness, the air suspension spares the defects of the road. But that is not its primary quality…
Fun at all levels for all levels!
SUVs are not every driver’s cup of tea, including yours truly. After testing this Urus, I must admit that even if I am fortunate, I will still not give in to temptation but that I would envy the driver (13% of customers are customers!) of the Urus. From the first turn, without even going fast, this colossus impresses with its agility and a weight, although colossal (2.5 tonnes dry), erased as if by magic. It’s very simple, at the wheel of this machine you have the impression of being at the wheel of a small, hyper-agile four-wheel drive GTI that just wants to play by sliding from the rear without ever intimidating.. There is of course no magic but technology behind this miracle. In addition to the technical improvements, it is mainly the electronics, with a new algorithm which manages the control of the car more finely which is in question, allowing for example to finely adjust the dosage of torque to be sent to the axles (the electric motor is used in this role) so that driving the car is instinctive and never artificial.
Torque Vectoring also works in concert with the rear wheel steering to push the laws of physics even further and thanks to communicative steering, the captain is connected to the machine without any filter. It’s simply crazy, especially since we also had the chance to experience this Urus on a typical sand rally track, with a dedicated driving program which allows you to feel like a driver, or even, without being afraid. the most seasoned, to drive for real by making big drifts with disconcerting ease. Obviously, few customers will put their Urus in such conditions. But this proves that exclusivity is keen to fine-tune its work down to the smallest detail and on this point, Lamborghini makes an almost perfect copy. The point is also valid for braking, provided by enormous carbon ceramic discs and which here escapes the disease of plug-in hybrids, the pedal offering consistency and constant bite.
The balance sheet
We’re not going to tell you about the price, there’s no point. But if it is obviously stratospheric – more than €200,000 not to mention the various and varied taxes in our “dear” country – it is also that of a machine that flirts with excellence. Well done Lambo!
