Some would say it is 'highly-anticipated' while 'sacrilege' would be another term used by purists to describe it. Regardless though, what's important is that
Lamborghini has entered the sport utility vehicle market after 25 years since it stopped producing the LM002 in 1993 by finally revealing the
Lamborghini Urus, though the Italian carmaker calls it the
'first Super SUV.'
The Urus is Autmobili Lamborghini's
third production model after the Aventador and the Huracan and is "a new niche in the luxury segment with benchmarking power, performance and driving dynamics, unparalleled design, luxury and daily usability."
"The Lamborghini Urus is a visionary approach based on the infusion of Lamborghini DNA into the most versatile vehicle, the SUV. The Urus elevates the SUV to a level not previously possible, the Super SUV. It is a true Lamborghini in terms of design, performance, driving dynamics and emotion as well as drivable every day in a range of environments," said
Stefano Domenicali, Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The Urus fits perfectly within the Lamborghini family as a high performance car. It is the culmination of intensive development and passionate skill to create a new breed of bull: a Super SUV that transcends the boundaries of expectations and opens the door to new possibilities, for both our brand and our customers."
The Lamborghini Urus has a
coupe-like styling yet it has a
commanding road position and a
high ground clearance, qualities that are expected of an SUV, but with a luxurious cabin fitted with the latest technologies. It also bears some styling cues from previous Lamborghini models, like
diagonal hood lines which haven't been seen on a Lamborghini since the Countach and
Y-shaped front air intakes which can be found in the LM002. It even has
hexagonal front and rear wheel arches like the LM002 and Countach that can house up to
23-inch wheels, supposedly the largest in its segment.
Powering the Urus is a
front-mounted, 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that, mated to an
eight-speed automatic gearbox, produces
650 hp and
850 Nm of torque, and with a claimed
162.7 hp/L and
3.38 kg/hp, has both one of the highest specific power outputs and the best weight-to-power ratio in its class, respectively. In the end, Lamborghini claims the Urus can accelerate to 100 kph from a standing start in
3.6 seconds, with 200 kph reached in
12.8 seconds before the vehicle tops out at
305 kph. Its braking distance is also equally impressive at
33.7 m from 100 kph to 0.
As befitting its super SUV nature, the Lamborghini Urus has a
four-wheel drive system that "delivers safe, highly-responsive driving dynamics on every road and surface, in all weather." It also comes with a
Torsen central self-locking differential that provides maximum control and agility in all driving conditions, particularly off-road, with the
torque split 40/60 to the independent front/rear axle as standard, with a dynamic maximum torque of
70 percent to the front or
87 percent to the rear to enhance traction to the axle with the most grip.
The Urus also has a a
drive mode selector it calls as
Tamburo which controls all dynamic vehicle systems and allows the selection of driving dynamics based on the surface conditions or the drivers' preference using the following modes: Strada, Sport, and Corsa for the road, and Neve (Snow), Terra (Off-Road), and Sabbia (Sand) for going off-road.
The Urus also adopted something from the Aventador S: its
rear-wheel steering that's available over the entire speed range. At low speeds, the rear axle's steering angle is opposite to that of the front wheels, effectively shortening the wheelbase up to 600 mm for increased agility and a reduced turning circle for increased maneuverability, while at high speeds, the rear axle's steering angle is in the same direction as the front wheels, elongating the wheelbase up to 600 mm for increased stability and ride comfort as well as optimum driving dynamics.
Delivery of the first units of the Lamborghini Urus to its owners will begin in the
first half of 2018, with its prices starting at
$200,000 (over P10 million) excluding taxes and duties.
