Despite an unveiling lightly plagued by technical issues, Lamborghini has revealed its new Urus to the world. Well, we’ve been waiting five years, so what does another five minutes matter?
The Urus is a radical departure for the Sant’Agata brand. Famous for its brutal supercars, Lamborghini is the latest manufacturer to succumb to the SUV trend. Of course, it has form with the distinctly military “Rambo-Lambo” LM002 of the 1980s, but the Urus is the first proper crossover SUV to bear the Bull.
But don’t for a second think that this is anything but a proper, modern Lamborghini. The stats bear it out: this is nearly 5,000lb of car that will hit 60mph in under 3.5 seconds. Flat out, the Urus will hit 190mph, and Lamborghini fits 440mm carbon ceramic discs with 10-pot calipers at the front to bring it all back to rest again.
Power for the Urus comes from an all-new, four-liter, V8 twinturbo petrol. This engine provides 641hp at 6,000rpm, and 627lbft from 2,250rpm. It drives all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and Torsen center self-locking differential. This distributes torque at up to 70% to the front, or 87% to the rear, while a torque vectoring rear differential can distribute power across the rear axle.
In road, off-road and snow modes, the torque vectoring system reduces understeer, while in sport and track modes (yes, the 2-ton SUV has a track mode), it promotes more oversteer, managed by the stability control system.
Lamborghini also equips the Urus with the rear-wheel steering system from the Aventador S, across all speeds. At low speeds the rear wheels steer opposite to the front wheels, by up to three degrees, to enhance maneuverability. At higher speeds the rear wheels steer with the fronts to give improved straight line stability.
Lamborghini says that the Urus is styled to resemble both the earlier LM002 and the famous Countach — cars both made prior to the company’s Volkswagen ownership. The hexagonal wheel arches are perhaps the most notable nod, but the Urus also sports triangular vents behind the front wheels, as with the LM002.
It uses the same 2:1 ratio of body to window as Lamborghini’s supercars. A relatively low roofline for a car of this type is also intended to remind you of traditional Lamborghinis. It also helps with the aerodynamics, which in turn help lower the wind noise in the cabin and improve fuel economy. Not that you should be too bothered about the fuel economy; 22.2mpg (18.5mpg US) is nothing to shout about, and the Urus will drain its tanks in just about 300 miles.
The Urus is also intended to be a luxury SUV. It features 12-way adjustable memory sports seats, with heating, as standard. 18-way adjustable massaging seats are also available as an option. Standard trim is black or grey leather, with dual-color, and leather/Alcantara optional.
Also standard is the Lamborghini Infotainment system, with two screens for managing navigation, media, car status and telephone information. It also recognizes voice commands, features wireless charging and handwriting recognition. It supports Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Baidu-Carlife as standard.
Standard driver assist systems include high beam assist, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control and collision prevention and mitigation. Optional systems include a surround-view camera and trailer coupling mode. And yes, that means you can tow with your Urus, although Lamborghini hasn’t released a towing rating yet.
The Lamborghini Urus is set to hit the roads in Spring 2018, priced at $200,000 in the USA, around €170,000 in Europe and £131,500 in the UK.
See more articles on Lamborghini.
