Lamborghini Urus

Lamborghini Urus at a glance

The Urus is Lamborghini's only current SUV and, by volume, its most important car. With a front-mounted engine, permanent all-wheel drive, five doors and a large boot, it is the most practical model in the Lamborghini range.

The Urus concept, styled under Filippo Perini, appeared at the Beijing motor show on 23 April 2012 with a 5.2-litre V10 derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo, usually quoted at 600 PS. The production car, designed under Mitja Borkert, was unveiled at Sant'Agata Bolognese on 4 December 2017, and first deliveries are reported from March 2018. The name refers to the urus, or aurochs, the wild ancestor of modern cattle.

The Urus was not Lamborghini's first off-roader: the Lamborghini LM002 of the late 1980s is usually seen as its spiritual predecessor.

Underneath, the Urus uses the MLB Evo platform that also serves the Audi Q7 and Q8, Bentley Bentayga, third-generation Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. It was also the first turbocharged Lamborghini, a notable step given the history of Lamborghini and its large naturally aspirated engines.

Lamborghini planned about 3,500 cars a year at launch; the 20,000th Urus was built by June 2022, about four years after its debut. In 2023 the brand passed 10,000 deliveries in a year for the first time, and the Urus accounted for 6,087 of them.

Versions and model history

The Urus has been sold in four main road-going forms, all built around the same twin-turbo V8.

The Urus S and Performante arrived within weeks of each other in 2022. Goodwood described the S as "effectively the replacement of the pre-facelift model"; the Performante is the harder-edged version with the same 490 kW (666 PS).

The Urus SE followed on 24 April 2024 as the first electrified Urus and the new top of the range.

Special versions include the Urus ST-X racing car of 2018. In May 2023 Lamborghini announced the Urus Performante Essenza SCV12, a 40-car edition named after the Essenza SCV12 track car. The Italian State Police took delivery of a Urus Performante in December 2023.

Engines, hybrid system and transmission

Every Urus is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, usually described as a modified Audi 4.0 V8 built in Hungary. Drive goes to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic, usually quoted as a ZF unit.

In the original Urus the V8 develops 478 kW (650 PS) at 6,000 rpm and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) from 2,250 to 4,500 rpm. The S and Performante have 490 kW (666 PS) with the same torque.

The all-wheel-drive system normally splits torque 40:60 front to rear and is usually quoted as able to send up to 70% to the front or 87% to the rear.

How the Urus SE plug-in hybrid works

The Urus SE combines a retuned V8 with an electric motor. The V8 produces 456 kW (620 PS) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft), the electric motor adds 141 kW (192 PS), and the combined system output is 588 kW (800 PS) with 950 Nm (701 lb-ft).

A 25.9 kWh battery gives about 60 km (37 miles) of electric range. Ten drive modes include new EV Drive, Hybrid, Recharge and Performance settings. Wikipedia gives different figures (596 kW system, 462 kW V8); the numbers above match several independent launch reports.

Performance, brakes and chassis

The original Urus reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds and 305 km/h (190 mph). According to German sources, it was the fastest series-production SUV at launch, until the Bentley Bentayga Speed took that title in spring 2019. The later versions are quicker: 3.5 seconds for the Urus S, 3.4 seconds for the SE and 3.3 seconds for the Performante. The SE is the fastest flat out, at 312 km/h (194 mph).

The Performante replaces the adjustable air springs with steel springs that lower the body by 20 mm (0.8 in), widens the track by 16 mm (0.6 in) and saves 47 kg (104 lb), helped by a carbon-fibre bonnet. Rear downforce rises by 38%. Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick tyres are optional, and the quoted braking distance from 100 km/h to rest is 32.9 m (108 ft).

Carbon-ceramic brakes use 440 mm (17.3 in) front discs with 10-piston callipers and 370 mm (14.6 in) rear discs. Wheels range from 21 to 23 inches.

The Pikes Peak record

Before its premiere, a Urus Performante driven by Simone Faggioli set a production-SUV record of 10:32.064 at Pikes Peak, beating the 10:49.902 of a Bentley Bentayga in 2018. The car had a roll cage, a racing seat and Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres, and the run took place outside the main race day.

Dimensions, interior space and weight

The Urus is just over 5.1 m (16.8 ft) long, weighs about 2,200 kg (4,850 lb) and has a 616 L (21.8 cu ft) boot, rising to 1,596 L (56.4 cu ft) with the rear seats folded. Sources give the width as 2,016 to 2,018 mm.

Lamborghini Urus key specifications (Urus S)

Fuel economy and running costs

The Urus S is listed at 14.1 L/100 km (16.7 mpg US) on the WLTP combined cycle, with 320 g/km of CO2. The original Urus is usually quoted at 14 mpg US combined (16.8 L/100 km) on the US EPA cycle, which is not directly comparable. We found no WLTP figure for the Urus SE, and no independent Urus-specific data on servicing costs. For context, Lamborghini's Italian launch price in December 2017 was usually quoted as 168,852 euros before taxes.

Safety, recalls and warranty

We found no published Euro NCAP, IIHS or ANCAP crash-test result for the Urus, so the most useful public safety data are US recall records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

• NHTSA 20V-713 (November 2020): 2,831 Urus of model years 2019–2020. Engine-bay heat could soften a fuel-line quick connector, risking a leak and fire; dealers fitted a redesigned part free of charge.
• NHTSA 24V-348 (May 2024): 2,133 Urus Performante and Urus S of model years 2023–2024. Badly formed rivets on the carbon bonnet's latch strikers could let the bonnet come loose above about 151 km/h (94 mph); dealers inspect and fit a support plate where needed.

New Lamborghinis come with a three-year, unlimited-mileage factory warranty, although conditions can vary by country. For used cars, Lamborghini's Selezione Approved programme accepts the Urus up to 10 years old and 100,000 km (62,000 miles), compared with 70,000 km for the brand's other models. We found no large independent reliability survey for the Urus, so for a used car the practical checks are recall completion, a full dealer service history and, ideally, Selezione Approved cover.

Urus vs rivals

Several Urus rivals share its platform: the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, Audi RS Q8 and Bentley Bentayga all use MLB Evo, so the differences lie mainly in tuning, design and image.

Outside the Volkswagen Group, the most common comparisons are the Ferrari Purosangue and the Aston Martin DBX. Buyers also compare it with the Mercedes-AMG G63 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Among high-performance SUVs, it is the one from a maker best known for mid-engined supercars.