The Lamborghini SUV: The Urus

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For well-informed petrol heads, the Lamborghini Urus was a concept unveiled in Beijing back in 2012. Fans of the marque were eager about coming to terms with the materialisation of a production car – a bona fide Lamborghini SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle). Fast forward to 2018, this dream has seen the light of day.

The company is calling the Urus the first Super Sport Utility Vehicle, leaving its competitors a little dumfounded by this new vehicle category. Lamborghini purists might bemoan the arrival of the Urus, but in reality, that’s the strategy for most marques these days. You cannot deny the revenues and metrics of what the Cayenne did for Porsche: it made a polarising debut in 2003 and fast forward 2017, it reported selling 237,778 cars and just 32,409 were 911s while 70,000 were Cayenne SUVs.

Porsche’s move into the SUV market was met with success and it forced competing brands such as Maserati and Bentley to create SUVs; even Aston Martin DBX is in the works and Land Rover – a solely SUV brand – was forced to shake up and relook into their model lines to stay ahead of the competition. So, is it the right time for a SUV from Lamborghini? We certainly think so!

Truth be told: the Urus isn’t the Italian marque’s first SUV. The LM002 was in fact the brand’s first “real” SUV, however, it cannot be compared to its much-faster automobile modern-day brethren. The LM002’s blocky aesthetics cannot be compared to the Urus’ car-like agility, speed, hyper-speed performance (i.e. Century sprint in 3.8 seconds) and edgy body styling, tempered with off-road worthiness. In a press release, Lamborghini claims the Urus to own a “dual personality” and is “multi-dimensional” in what it can execute or achieve. But where does it stand in a market already rife with luxury SUVs? However, Lamborghini has some nifty plans up its sleeves.

As with any super car churned out from Lamborghini, the engine stats are going to be phenomenal. In fact, it is because below the hood lies a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol producing 640bhp and around 627lb-ft of torque. The power is channelled via an eight-speed auto and this All-Wheel-Drive with 40/60 torque-split front/rear (i.e. producing a maximum 87 per cent to the rear and 70 per cent to the front) is a force to be reckoned with. Undoubtedly, Lamborghini touted the Urus as a Super Sport Utility Vehicle and we can understand why.

The Urus features adaptive air suspension and active anti-roll bars powered by a 48V system. It is also fitted with carbon-ceramic brake discs, apparently, the largest of its kind for a production car (i.e. 440mm front and 370mm rear). Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini’s R&D director, is responsible for the DNA of this Super SUV, where such ground-breaking stats are a fundamental criterion for a car to be considered a bona fide Lamborghini.

The Urus, viewed from any angle, is a strong contender for being edgy and over the top. It offers a fusion of two styles – a jacked-up offroader design marrying razor-sharp lines of the Huracan or Aventador. While it is 5.1m long and 2m wide, it has a dominating mass. Even though it stands just over 10cm lower than the Bentley Bentayga and Audi Q7, its aggressive stance gives new meaning to the adage, “if looks could kill”. Ultimately, the Urus is a blend of off-roader abilities fused with traditional supercar cues. While it may have disparate ideas, its final union still channels Lamborghini’s DNA right down to the nth degree.

The Urus is definitely a showstopper from any angle. The geometric bumper and rakish fascia elements (i.e. hexagonal intakes and Naca cooling bit) allow it to have a low-line coupe body style fused with a taller stance and more ground clearance. This translates to “two-thirds body, one-third window ratio” for the exterior – the same proportion for its super cars. Other aesthetics include Y-shaped intake dividers and slim front lights sitting high on fender lines. It also takes some design cues from Miura and Aventador – a bulging hood line behind the headlights. There is also an element taken from the Countach, too – diagonal hood lines. The Urus looks like a mish-mesh of past Lamborghini’s greats; marrying retro elements into a modern, stylised design that commands presence.

Stepping into the Urus, one is happily inundated with the Lamborghini blueprint for design: the heavy use of hexagons, hand-stitched leather details, metallic finishes, and plentiful use of carbon fibre. The hard-to-ignore wing-like centre console certainly draws the eye. Here, you’ll find two touchscreens, settings for audio/vehicle, navigation system, climate control, to name a few. Sitting below that are three levers and a start/stop button which are below the flip-up fighter jet cover.

The driver is pampered with controls for handling: Strada, Sport and Corsa, plus additional options for Sabbia (sand), Terra (dirt) and Neve (snow). The wheels on the Urus come in two staggering sizes; 21 and 23 inches. Other exterior touches include aero blades on the outside rear window, floating rear wing, integrated rear spoiler and rear spoiler lip. For boot space, the rear cargo room offers 616 litres and flipping down the rear seats will provide up to 1,596 litres. However, SUV purists will lay claim that “If maximum practicality is high on your priorities, then this SUV isn’t for you. It is a car that offers speed and many facets of luxury.”

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