First time driving review Lamborghini Urus Performante: Lambo SUV with extra Lambo
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – If you’ve followed the auto industry long enough, you might remember when SUVs were made by companies known for their low ground clearances. sports car is the subject of controversial headlines. Fast forward to 2023 and the controversial thing has become commonplace. Massive movers with supercar-like prowess are the status quo in the luxury segment, they often outsell their more poster-friendly stable rivals by a wide margin and many companies haven’t joined yet. join this group looking for a place to jump in.
Launched in 2017, lamborghini urus has amassed a significant following (it’s Italian The brand’s best seller) and a growing list of competitors including Aston MartinDBX. While it’s no longer the newest kid on the block, it has recently received a flurry of updates and acquired a top performante variant.
“We have a lot of new customers with urine,” said Luca Pacini, lamborghiniHead of R&D Strategy and Project Coordinator. “We were delighted that people recognized the Lamborghini brand in it, and we decided to further characterize it by offering a broader range that spans from comfort to performance — after all, Performance is Lamborghini’s DNA. This caters to the needs of our customers.”
Launching a sportier Urus makes perfect sense since the sister company Bentley and opponents Aston Martin both offer higher-end variants of their SUVs. However, calling it “Performante” is a bold move because Lamborghini has dedicated this sign to hardcore evolution of the Its V10 support models. It’s more than just a marketing plan: Set Pikes Peak record Urus Performante stands out from Urus S with its own design tights including a redesigned front splitter and a rather subtle roof-mounted spoiler. Lamborghini claims these updates contribute to a significant 8% increase in downforce.
The carbon fiber parts (like the vented hood) and the titanium exhaust system are designed by Akrapovic helps make the Performante about 104 pounds lighter than the Urus S, although it’s still about 4,740 pounds heavier. Light? Well… yes, that sort of thing. Although uber-Urus weighs twice as much a new Mazda MX-5 Miatanone of the models it competes with qualify for the “lightweight” label. Aston’s DBX 707 sign up at £4,940 and each Bentayga variant weighs more than 5,000.
Chassis changes are also part of the Performante handling. Lamborghini has replaced the adaptive, height-adjustable wind struts it placed in the Urus S with simpler steel springs, although it retains the electric propulsion system. roll stable system and retuned it. These updates give the Performante a lower ride height (20 mm) and Lamborghini also widened the front and rear grooves (16 mm) to make room for the larger tyres.
What Performante doesn’t get is additional power. It ships with the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 found in the Urus S. The eight-cylinder makes 657 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 627 pound-feet of torque from 2,300 to 4,500 rpm and it sends this power to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and a Torsen center differential. Lamborghini quotes a 0 to 62 mph time of 3.3 seconds (down from 3.5 seconds for the S) and a top speed of 190 mph (several tenths higher than the S).
More power might be hard to argue with, but Lamborghini’s rationale is that the Performante doesn’t need to do all the racking at the horsepower counter. Its mission is to deliver the best possible handling, not the best possible acceleration or the highest possible top speed. This is the Urus you want to take on your trip across the Rockies, not the Urus you want to bring to the closest towing range.
Not that I’m going to drive in the Rockies. The highest point in Denmark is at 561 feet above sea level, which results in rounding errors in Colorado, so I didn’t really have a chance to pass the Performante on mountain roads, but drove it. it continues with the Urus S highlighting the changes that have set the two bulls apart.
Inside, both variants of the Urus look like driver cars. Do not share any important parts with the huracan but the basic layout of the cabin is similar: seated in a beautifully reinforced sports chair, the driver faces a sturdy three-spoke steering wheel with 12-hour markers, gearshift paddles and a digital instrument cluster. digital. Fit and the finish is excellent, which you would really expect from a car that costs as much as a house.
My tester featured Alcantara upholstery, matching orange stitching to the paint color, and approx carbon fiber. If that’s not your thing, there are thousands of ways to configure either Urus variant.
Lift the fighter-inspired red cap to press the ignition button (or, if your little finger is thin enough, try pushing the button through the hole in the lid) and the difference between the S and the performante can be heard. The titanium exhaust system saves weight and also helps bring more of the engine’s symphony into the cabin, especially when the “Sport” mode is selected. It’s not overkill, we’re not talking about a 25 year old thrift box with a 4-inch exhaust and it doesn’t drone when you’re on the go. It sounds good and it’s an immediate reminder of why so many enthusiasts are fascinated by the engine and the slimes in it.
Around town, the S and Performante aren’t too different. That’s when traffic clears and speeds increase, the latter feels significantly harder than the former. While it’s not a perfect race car, the throttle response is clearer and the steering feel is better connected to the wheels. The suspension changes also make a big difference: while the Performante’s steel springs provide a slightly harsher ride than the air setting in the S, they also open up the possibility of sharp handling. sharper and more predictable. You don’t have to run straight on a track in Italy to tell the difference between the two.
The brake the same: 10-piston front brake calipers grip the 17.3-inch carbon-ceramic rotors (more than 2 inches larger than the Miura’s wheels!) and rotor-mounted single-piston rear single-piston brake calipers 14.5 inches. This hardware doesn’t just accomplish the task of confidently slowing down a 4,700-pound brute.
Not pumping more power into the powertrain isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For example, will 40 more horses be injured? No, the idea of a 700hp Lamborghini SUV is exciting, but the twin-turbo V8 is as smooth and responsive as it should be in part thanks to its wide torque range. Peak torque is never far away, and the transmission delivers quick gear changes whether you use the paddle shifters or let the transmission do its thing. Besides, the numbers don’t tell the whole story: the two Urus variants look similar on paper but along the way, Performante is clearly the enthusiast’s choice — it’s focused on people. drive more and it behaves like a bunker car. , a family-friendly five-seater sports car.
Trying out the performer-only Rally mode on the Danish public road network doesn’t sound wise; it basically allows the driver to kick the rear end of the car out to float on loose surfaces. I bet it’s a prank, but I know the price of parking tickets in Denmark (here’s a hint: it’s not cheap) and I don’t want to find out what it costs to be guilty of reckless driving . However, the snow and ice I encountered in the more rural parts of the country allowed me to try my hand at it. Despite all the carbon fiber details, special suspension and roaring exhaust, the Urus behaves a lot like a regular all-wheel-drive SUV on frozen roads, especially when it’s on the move. on a top-of-the-line chassis. Tires for traveling on snow. I used common sense and didn’t worry about road conditions; I trust that the various electronic driver aids will do their job to keep the sharp front end on the right track and that they don’t scare or fail me.
Price is one of the main differentiators between the two versions of the Urus. Lamborghini charges around $230,000 for the S and around $261,000 for the Performante – you could theoretically buy the Urus S and New Subaru BRZ and a few thousand dollars left to buy a set of car tires. Whether or not this premium is worth it depends on where and how you drive. If you need a vehicle, chances are you won’t benefit from the bittersweet combination of fixed steel suspension and additional aerodynamics. If you need a commuter and a weekender to cross the canyon, even if the aforementioned canyon isn’t paved, performante ticks both boxes in a way that almost makes it feel (and sound) !) Like an overgrown hot hatch with supercar-like powers.
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