Lamborghinis are supposed to be wild, unique and aggressive. They’re not speculated to be sensible or comfy – or a minimum of they weren’t till Lamborghini launched the Urus SUV.
My beef with the Urus (apart from its appears) has all the time been that it felt extra like a conventional German SUV than a Huracan or Aventador. So when the model introduced the extra hardcore Urus Performante, I had hopes that it could bridge this hole.
Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.
Full Disclosure: Lamborghini needed me to drive the 2023 Urus Performante so badly, they’d an organization drop one off at my home for a weekend with a full tank of gasoline.
The Urus Performante is an unimaginable machine with completely bonkers appears and stellar street manners. In some ways, it’s every part you’d need from a 657-hp ultra-SUV. However crucially, it nonetheless doesn’t really feel prefer it got here from Sant’Agata.
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Like the common Urus, the Performante relies on the Volkswagen Group MLB Evo platform which is shared with the Audi Q7/Q8, Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. Its engine can also be not distinctive to the Urus, however the Audi-derived twin-turbo V8 is such a sweetheart that it’s simple to let this slide. The Performante has a retuned model of Audi’s eight-speed computerized transmission, too. The spotlight of the powertrain is the Performante’s distinctive (and customary) titanium Akrapovic exhaust, which not solely lets the engine breathe, however makes for an epic roar. The Performante additionally comes with all-wheel drive, however has extra aggressive differentials than, say, an Audi Q8 with Quattro.
Whereas the Performante’s drivetrain is kind of similar to the Urus S, the chassis sees some sizable adjustments. The largest one is the transfer away from an air suspension to a steel-coil-spring setup. This will look like a step backwards on a costlier automobile, however along with making the journey top 0.86 inches decrease than the Urus S, the metal springs behave extra persistently, making the SUV simpler to drive on the restrict.
This transfer has the drawback of constructing the Performante barely much less plush than the Urus S on the street, however the journey remains to be shockingly good (pun supposed) for one thing this performance-focused. The Performante’s monitor can also be 0.6 inches wider than the bottom automobile which has the advantage of making the SUV extra steady in corners. Different chassis adjustments embody wheels which can be 14 kilos lighter than the these on the Urus S, in addition to huge carbon-ceramic brakes in any respect 4 corners. The entrance rotors are an nearly ridiculous 17.3 inches in diameter, and the rears measure 14.6 inches with 10-piston and single-piston calipers, respectively.
Lamborghini went a good distance to assist the comparatively porcine Urus shed weight for the Performante trim. Along with the aforementioned wheels, the whole 108-pound weight financial savings comes from the in depth use of carbon fiber in locations just like the hood, entrance fenders and an non-obligatory carbon roof. With out driving the 2 Urus fashions again to again, I can’t definitively say that this food regimen makes a distinction, however given the Performante’s 4,739-pound curb weight, I’m inclined to say no.
The place the reworked carbon physique panels do make a distinction is in the way in which the Performante appears. The decrease stance, mixed with the vented carbon hood and carbon overfenders, make the Urus look much less like a half-baked Mansory-derived nightmare and extra like a cohesive design effort. It’s not fairly or elegant by any means, however I personally discover it to be much less of an eyesore. Lamborghini claims that the brand new bodywork is nice for a 38-percent improve in downforce over the Urus S, however as with the load loss, it’s not one thing you’re prone to discover off-track.
Contained in the Performante, issues begin getting a bit extra promising. As you’d count on, this racy variant will get all types of added Alcantara in all places from the dashboard to the seats to the bizarre, paddle-like reverse gear selector lever. The impact is fairly “Lamborghini” in that that is the automobile’s greatest hyperlink to the Huracan and Aventador. The Performante-specific seats appear to be they’re going to be super-aggressive, supportive however finally uncomfortable, however fortunately, this isn’t the case, even after lengthy stints caught in visitors. Nonetheless, the very fact stays: Nothing within the Performante’s cabin feels prefer it belongs in a automobile that prices north of $300,000.
The remainder of the ergonomics are a little bit of a blended bag. Whereas the motive force’s seat affords loads of adjustment to maintain my head off the headliner (no imply feat with me being 6-foot-4), taller passengers aren’t so fortunate. Additional, even 5-foot-8 rear passengers discover themselves missing headroom. The cargo space is first rate, a minimum of, at 21.7 cubic-feet, particularly given the Urus’ aggressively sloping roofline.
Contemplating the Urus’ Audi-based roots, the electronics package deal is fairly good – one main benefit of this platform-sharing. The MMI-based infotainment system affords Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the Bowers & Wilkins stereo is fairly good, if not spectacular, and is principally the identical unit present in different high-end Audis like the RS 6 Avant. The infotainment system general in all fairness responsive, however the Lamborghini-designed pores and skin over Audi’s {hardware} doesn’t actually make issues higher in any approach.
Being so carefully tied to an Audi platform, the protection tech within the Urus Performante is best than what you’d usually discover in a Lamborghini. Issues like adaptive cruise management, computerized emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and energetic lane-keep help are customary.
So, whereas the Urus Performante is approach, approach higher on the street than I anticipated it could be, I can’t think about why you’d purchase one. Sadly for the Urus, autos just like the Audi RS Q8 and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid provide related efficiency for lots much less cash, and whereas these gained’t make you are feeling like a Lamborghini driver, neither will the Urus, particularly when you’ve pushed one thing like a Huracan.
My take a look at car is as near an excellent Performante spec as I may ask for, with its pearl white paint, darkish inside and upgraded wheels. However with a sticker value of $313,880 together with a $1,300 gasoline guzzler tax and a $3,995 vacation spot charge, it simply doesn’t do it for me, whilst somebody who loves Lamborghini. Should you completely should have a Raging Bull on the hood of your loved ones hauler, the Urus Performante is a blazingly quick and competent SUV that can work in all climate, and appears like nothing else on the street. Simply don’t count on it to really feel like a correct Italian unique.
