► New plug-in hybrid Urus tested in UK
► 37-mile EV range, 51g/km CO2
► But don’t worry, it’s still got 800bhp
The Lamborghini Urus is unquestionably the wildest of all the SUVs. The one that resembles excess in every area, from its looks to its size to its performance. So how very strange it seems that it’s now been given an eco-conscious plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Yes, in a bizarre twist of fate that would have been hard to imagine a decade ago, every new Lamborghini is now a PHEV, but the Urus is the most ‘sensible’ one, if you can call it that. The one with low (claimed) CO2 and a usable electric range that’s ideal for pottering around town.
But don’t worry, Lamborghini hasn’t lost its way as its new Urus SE now packs a wild 800bhp – in a car that is suitable for family SUV duties. Following our first test in Italy last year, we’ve now driven it in the UK, but does it impress?
At a glance
Pros: Monstrous performance, extraordinary handling, clever hybrid system
Cons: Still not exactly pretty, few ergonomic grumbles, hugely expensive
What’s new?
Don’t underestimate the Urus’s importance. Seven years on from its introduction, it’s trebled Lamborghini’s annual sales, and accounts for the vast majority of the cars Sant’Agata makes. Some 70% of Urus owners are new to the brand and 41% of owners are less than 40 years. It’s the very symbol of ‘new money’.
The new SE is now the only Urus you can buy, with the S and Performante retired in favour of this new PHEV. But this is not an all-new car. Rather, think of the Lamborghini Urus SE as the major mid-life facelift. So you have a buffing-up of the wardrobe, designed to enhance the elegance of the car and dilute those premiership footballer connotations that’ve blighted the Urus since launch in 2018.
Check out the revised front end: there’s a newly reprofiled bonnet, with a more conventional design and fewer shutlines visible, fresh headlamps graphics and some detailed changes to the cooling apertures needed to chill an 800-horsepower SUV. Overall airflow to the mechanicals has increased by 30%.
The rear refresh is a questionable improvement, with redesigned rear lamps sitting in a patterned horizontal strip of trim, a new ‘centre-peak’ crease to keep the Lambo papercut-sharp lines intact and the repositioning of the rear registration plate lower down in the rear valance. It looks a little less aggressive from behind; a calmer, marginally more elegant look slightly at odds with the Urus’s general excess all areas.
But it’s the PHEV setup that is the main change. Following in the tyre tracks of the Lamborghini Revuelto and Temerario hybridised sports cars to complete the trio of plug-in Lamborghinis. It’s a remarkable switch at scale to cut the group’s carbon footprint and Sant’Agata should be applauded for moving at such speed.
They’ve done it by adding a hang-on electric rear axle to provide all-wheel drive on the Urus SE, fed by a substantial 25.9kWh lithium-ion battery nestled in the under-floor compartment of the boot. It has similarities to a Porsche Cayenne Turbo e-Hybrid, but Lamborghini has put its own twist on it. A clever algorithm is used to determine how and when to deploy the e-motor, juggling combustion traction with electric drive depending on the road conditions and which combination of 11 driving modes is selected.
This is a sophisticated full hybrid that can drive silently with zero exhaust pipe emissions around town – and at speeds of up to 84mph – or to glide in combined petrol-electric mode and indeed turn into a rip-snorting lunatic SUV at the push of a button.
What are the specs?
To understand the character of the Urus SE it’s useful to study the specs in detail. Engineers admit they couldn’t countenance downsizing a Lambo’s engine to a four- or six-cylinder motor – so the beating heart of this plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is very much the group’s familiar 3996cc 90deg V8 twin-turbo petrol (as used by Bentley and others). It’s hardly a shrinking violet, producing a stout 612bhp at 6000rpm and 590lb ft of torque all the way from 2250-4500rpm. This is the entry-level Urus, remember!
A punchy 141kW electric motor at the rear wheels adds the equivalent of 189bhp and 356lb ft when operating solo. Combined, the two powertrains have a system output of an extraordinary 789bhp and 700lb ft (a nice round metric 800hp and 950Nm). Compare that to the old Urus Performante and its 657bhp and 627lb ft of torque and you’ll see this is a serious bit of kit, alright…
These dizzying outputs explain why this ‘base’ model can scamper from 0-62mph in a stomach-wrenching 3.4 seconds and it’ll spear on to 194mph top speed if you can find a road long and empty enough. It’s hard to believe there will be further, go-faster Urus models in the pipeline.
It’s noticeably more frugal than the old V8 on its own, too. A 130-mile journey with a fully charged battery when setting off resulted in a respectable 30mpg, while 25mpg can achieved on a motorway run with no charge. But if you drive it enthusiastically, you’ll be lucky to get much more than 15mpg.
What’s it like you to drive?
As you can detect from the specs above, the SE is a violently quick car. It’s to the Urus’s credit that it’s far more sophisticated than the raw figures suggest. The hybrid system is one of the best for working out and when not to use that electric range. On the motorway, unless you select ‘EV’ it is the engine taking the work, with the electric motor only serving as the main power source at speeds below 50mph, meaning the EV range lasts for longer.
Unlike the Ruvuelto and Temerario, which have PHEV systems for performance above all else, the Urus has a usable real-world EV range of around 30 miles (37 miles claimed) and is made all the better for being plugged in. You can set off on or morning without waking the neighbours and drive around a town or city without feeling like a massive chav, unlikely to be a worry for a Urus owner, admittedly.
Flick the controller on the centre console to choose your motive power: EV mode to engage electric drive, Hybrid, Performance or Recharge (useful if you’re driving on a low state of charge and want to top up so you can glide silently around town later on).
We suspect that if you buy a Lamborghini Urus SE, you’ll want some snap, crackle and pop to be on offer, too – and the SE’s party trick is how it turns from hushed eco-SUV (of sorts) into a raging hotrod at the flick of a few switches. That V8 is a smooth operator. You can hear it kick in on a motorway, but it’s when you head off onto a country lane or race track where it really comes to life.
Flick the Anima drive mode controller into Sport and the V8 fires into life, opening te exhaust backbox and creating a true sound sensation. It’s raucuous, anti-social and oh-so addictive. Acceleration is mind-blowing and you can really feel the shove from the electric motor once charged.
With the motor on the rear axle, you can really feel the car rotate as you accelerate out of a corner, with even the mid-level ‘Sport’ mode winding back the stability assists. It’s great fun to exploit and it’ll hoon like an oversteer hero with ease. The steering is surprisingly light for a big SUV like this but it’s so easy to place through a fast corner. Point, choose your line and the Urus will stick.
Four-wheel-steering and active anti-roll bars do a remarkable job of keeping the bulk in check, though you are always aware of its weight and size – the latter proving more of a concern on British B-roads, as at more than 2m in width, it’s about as wide as a large van.
It’s also not the most refined, with lots of road noise generated from its huge 22-inch alloy wheels. The ride also never fully settles down unless at higher speeds, though the damping is remarkable – practically ironing out bumps in the road and dealing impressively well with ruts in a road.
What’s it like inside?
Lamborghini hasn’t changed too much with the Urus’s interior, bar a new touchscreen and slightly redesigned dashboard to accommodate the new infotainment. It’s an improvement on the old system but has a slightly confusing hexagonal theme to it, and isn’t the most intuitive. The Urus has a Lamborghini interpretation on Audi’s second climate screen, positioned lower down the cabin. It looks the part but this screen perfectly catches the sun and is hard to read while on the move. How very Lamborghini.
There’s genuine theatre to the Urus’s interior, rare among SUVs. From the start button that requires unfolding a lever for to the fighter jet-style drive mode selectors, it’s special, if not always all that easy to use. Our test car was adorned in a mix of Alcantara, leather, carbon and bright orange details. Undoubtedly an acquired taste but one befitting of a Lamborghini. The quality is also exceptional throughout.
But this is a properly usable SUV. There is plenty of space for four adults, with an occasional fifth seat that’ll be fine for kids or short journeys. Those extended dimensions make it roomy and comfortable inside – despite the plunging roofline taller adults can sit back there with ease.
You do lose a bit of boot space owing to the large battery pack gobbling up the underfloor compartment – but the main luggage compartment volume is unchanged from the previous car’s at 616 litres. The boot floor doesn’t lift any more and the toolkit and tyre puncture repair spray are located under the back seats in case of emergency.
Before you buy (trims and rivals)
Prices have bloomed since the Urus first debuted in 2018. It costed £168,000 back then but today it comes in at £208,000. That’s the starting price, too, and it can quickly blossom via the options list.
Paint colours can cost as much as £40,000, and when you add all the carbon elements, the badge deletes (and we could go on), it quickly becomes very expensive. Our test car cost an eye-watering £310,000, within touching distance of a ‘base’ Ferrari Purosangue.
Other excess SUVs worth having on the radar? The Aston Martin DBX707 is fabulous to drive but not merely as special inside as the Urus, while the Mercedes-AMG G63 is just as TikTok-approved as this Lamborghini.
Want a similar package for much cheaper? An Audi RSQ8 Performance and Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid seem a snippet at £137,000 and £141,000 respectively.
Verdict
We have to applaud Lamborghini for committing to electrify its range so quickly. This is perhaps the brashest, baddest car brand on the planet, but the combination of the Urus’s softer, more elegant design as part of this mid-life facelift and the arrival of long-distance electric range with PHEV tech has removed the sting out of ownership. It seems they are moving with the times and though we can’t help but roll our eyes at Lamborghini’s claimed 80% drop in carbon emissions, it’s undoubtedly not quite as terrible for the planet and your pocket now it’s a hybrid.
But it’s the fact Lamborghini is managing to electrify its range without sabotaging any of the drama and theatre of its cars that is so impressive. As before, the Urus is a mightily impressive tool that, for all its excess, is incredibly well-rounded and easy to live with.
It feels like Lamborghini is managing its transition to EVs sensibly. It knows customers want fun and theatrics – and the SE can deliver those in spades. It’s now more like an iron fist in a velvet glove: a well judged stepping stone towards 2030’s Lamborghini Lanzardor full EV, as the brand takes a stepping stone approach to plugging in. Bravo, Lambo!