Go bullish or get ignored is the driving force in the so-called super SUV segment. It’s about power, presence and price with equal parts prestige, pampering and privilege.
There are serious players in this group, which includes the 626-horsepower Bentley Bentayga Speed ($235,000-plus), 557-hp Range Rover SV Coupe (two-door; $295,000), 577-hp Mercedes-AMG G63 G-wagen ($148,000), 590-hp Maserati Levante Trofeo AWD ($170,000) and the 541-hp Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe, a $131,000 four-door.
And then there’s today’s tester, the Lamborghini Urus with 650-hp and a starting price of $203,995 that came to almost $260,000 with options.
The competition
The Bentley Bentayga Speed will blaze into the segment with a 626-hp, 12-cylinder engine (0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds) and enough billet metal trim to galvanize a locomotive. Due to go on sale later this year as the top Bentayga model, pricing will be close to the outgoing W12 version, which debuted at $235,525. Range Rover’s SV Coupe is a hand-assembled two-door with a 557-hp V-8 (0-60 in 5 seconds) and a starting price of $295,000. The 577-hp, V8-powered Mercedes-AMG G63 G-wagen starts at $148,000 and will launch to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. The Maserati Levante Trofeo, $170,000, is an all-wheel-drive ingot of wealth with a 590-hp V-8 launching it to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. And Porsche’s new 541-hp Cayenne Turbo Coupe (a $131,000 four-door) gets to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
For Lamborghini, it is about having one of its Urus SUVs in the garage with one of the brand’s sports cars, and not next to an SUV by any other maker.
The Urus is Lamborghini’s second run at an SUV. It’s first was the V-12 powered LM002 short-box pickup, aka “Rambo Lambo,” sold in the U.S. between 1986 and 1993.
The Urus shares nothing material with that truck and as a division of the global Volkswagen Group (including Bentley, Bugatti, Audi, Porsche and Ducati motorcycles) it takes a rib from the Audi Q7 SUV. It is an exemplary starting point with an advanced 4.0-liter V-8, eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive and a calm and functional cabin. And from there, the Lamborghini DNA takes hold to create an animal for the track, trail or town.
The tester’s sticker of $259,284 includes 25 packages or accessories, including the $3,995 freight charge from Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy.
The add-ons ranged from a trailer hitch ($1,168) to ambient interior lighting ($3,036) to full leather upholstery ($3,157) with heated and cooled front seats ($631). The advanced driver assist system and Bang & Olufsen sound system were each $6,313.
Standard equipment includes permanent four-wheel drive with limited-slip rear differential and active torque vectoring, air suspension, full LED adaptive headlights and taillights, smart key locking and push-button ignition.
Flip up the red bracket over the start-stop button on the center console and the engine fires with an open-pipe report then settles into a rumbling idle. But that gutsy V8 belts fire and brimstone with little provocation. And there are drive modes of Strada, Sport, Corsa, Sabbia, Terra and Neve (street, sport, track, sand, dirt and snow).
Despite a hefty curb weight of 4,850 pounds, the twin-turbocharged, 650-horsepower V-8 with 627 foot-pounds of torque at 2,250 rpm will launch the Urus to 62 mph in a blaring 3.6 seconds.
It isn’t so much about how fast it will go, but how fast it gets to 30 mph, 60 mph, 90 mph. Be ready for the head-jerking jolt when the driver nails the throttle, even a little bit. The Urus jumps and kicks like a shock-rod to the flank of a rodeo bull. And unlike its rider trying to hold on, the controllability of the Urus makes its rider want to do it again, respectfully, of course.
Fuel economy is not embarrassing at 12 mpg city, 17 highway and 14 mpg combined on the required fuel. I worked up to 20 mpg on a highway run while resisting Sport mode. But with a 19.8-gallon tank, there is much full-on Sport mode to be enjoyed.
It might not be much of a rock climber and I would cringe to throw bags of landscape materials in the back, but it is the only five-seat Lamborghini with cargo room for luxury-class golf bags.
To handle stopping power from a top speed of 190 mph, Lamborghini says it built the world’s largest set of ventilated carbon ceramic disc brakes for the Urus: 10-piston front calipers grip 17.3-inch rotors at the front and single-piston calipers for the rear 14.5-inch rotors.
Rear-wheel steering helps crimp the turning circle to 38.7 feet, making the Urus very urban friendly. The 360-degree camera system overcomes rear visibility issues at the small window.
The air suspension system can provide up to 9.8 inches of ground clearance for off-road use or drop the height for enger loading. But this is the only Lambo that you will never have to to raise the nose when crossing a speed bump.
The 22-inch ZR-rated (street and competition) Pirelli P Zero tires are staggered, in sizes of 285/40 front and 325/35 rear. The rear rubber is nearly 13 inches wide, which benefits braking from 62 mph to zero in about 111 feet. That’s about 11 feet farther than Lamborghini’s Aventador.
Despite the competition-grade hardware, it is a streamliner on the highway with no nervous twitching and it soars through cornering maneuvers. The cabin is well soundproofed, the steering is quick with good communication through the wheel. The only driver element that I would change would be for steering-column-mounted shifters, rather than mounted on the steering wheel. Like other Lambos, Drive is engaged by flipping the right-side paddle shifter. And when the wheel is turned, as when backing out of a driveway, the paddle is upside down on the wrong side.
The driver area presents as a space-wars themed cockpit with full electronic displays that are reasonably configured for touch-screen adjustment. The optional 18-way power adjustable front seats that massage and are heated and cooled.
Back seat space is quite comfortable with long legroom and full climate controls. But the huge center tunnel detracts from center-seat footroom. A two-seat “executive” option would be smart, but it’s easier to sell a spouse on the utility of five seats for a car that costs as much as a guest house.
Lamborghini doesn’t give interior dimensions but says there is front seat room to accommodate someone up to 6-feet-8 inches and someone 6-feet-2 inches should be comfortable in the back seat.
A loaded Audi Q7 will run $90,000, is the Lamborghini treatment worth nearly 2 1/2 times that much?
In this super-SUV segment, it isn’t so much a matter of cost but of value. And the Urus brings an easy quarter-million in value for its exclusivity, the heritage and prestige.
2019 Lamborghini Urus
- Body style: Full-size 5-seat, AWD SUV
- Engine: 650-hp, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8; 627 lb.-ft. torque at 2,250 rpm
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic with six drive modes
- Fuel economy: 12/17/14 mpg city/hwy/combined; fuel
- 0-62 mph: 3.6 seconds
SPECIFICATIONS
- Fuel tank: 19.8 gal.
- Cargo space: 21.7 cu. ft.
- Front head/leg room: NA
- Rear head/leg room: NA
- Length/wheelbase: 201.2/118.2 in.
- Width/height: 85.8/64.5 in. *width includes mirrors
- Curb weight: 4,850 lbs.
- Turning circle: 38.7 ft.
PRICING
- Base price: $203,995, including $3,995 freight charge; price as tested $259,184
- Where assembled: Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy
- Warranty: 3-years/36,000-miles including powertrain and roadside assistance
