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Lamborghini Urus Is The World's Fastest SUV, Nurburgring Record Teased at Launch

More than five years have passed since Lamborghini tempted the SUV clientele with the Urus Concept. Then again, if we consider that the LM002 predecessor of the high-riding Bull went out production in 1993, the wait for the production Urus seems even longer.
2019 Lamborghini Urus 13 photos
Photo: Lamborghini
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With brands such as Porsche and Bentley having educated consumers in terms of such logos being places on SUVs, the newcomer is no longer a source of controversy, with the only such aspect being tied to its interior (more on this below).

What meets the eye

The road to the showroom hasn't seen the Urus losing any of its Lamborghini charm. Nevertheless, the front end has become a bit more complicated, as the concept simply appeared to be a high-riding supercar when viewed from this angle.

Overall, the car is slightly larger and rounder, while its rear end appears to be a tad more generous.

The posterior of the Urus seems even more Sant'Agata Bolognese than the otherwise spectacular front end, with the aggressive compact rear window being mixed with full-width taillights.

And if you think that the 2019 Porsche Cayenne, which shares its platform with the Urus, the second-generation Audi Q7 and the Bentley Bentayga, looks sporty, the Lambo is here to change that.

On the inside

The Urus promises to mix its coupe-ish roofline with the kind of rear passenger headroom that could make machines such as the BMW X6 M or the Mercedes-AMG GLE63 Coupe jealous.

Generous cabin and visibility (at least for a Raging Bull) aside, the Audi bits are obvious inside the Urus. Nevertheless, when you have a melange involving the new A8's all-intelligent infotainment system and a center console packing Lamborghini's usual visual drama, there's not that much to complain about.

As for the seating, the driver and front passenger enjoy 12-way adjustable power seats, with 18-way adjustable seats as an option. The Italians went all the way in their quest for practicality, so the rear passengers don't have to stick to the pair of seats shown on the flashy press car - a three-seat bench is also available.

Got stuff to haul? The Urus doesn't share the wealthy-people-only-travel-with-their-credit-cards attitude displayed by its range mates. Instead, its luggage compartment can swallow 616 liters of your goodies.

Tech goodies and go-fast numbers

As announced, the engine compartment of the Lamborghini Urus is occupied by the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 we've met on various Audi, Bentley and Porsche models.

Packing 650 hp at 6,800 rpm and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of twist between 2,240 and 4,500 rpm, the Urus delivers the kind of effortless torque required for offroading.

The scale footprint of the Urus might not be fit for a vicious animal, but this Lamborghini must stop like one. And it does. Thanks to carbon ceramic brakes measuring 440x40mm up front and 370x30mm at the rear, this Lamborghini can play the 62-0 mph game in 33.7 meters.

Lamborghini's go-anywhere machine packs adaptive air suspension, which allows the ride height to go from 158 to 248 mm. While adaptive dampers and electromechanical roll stabilization are also on the menu, the wheel lineup goes from 21 to 23 inches. The rims are shod in Pirelli rubber that thas been tailored to this application.

Of course, everybody wants to know about its on-road numbers, so here we go: channeled though an eight-speed automatic, the said output allows the 2.2-ton Urus to play the 0 to 62 mph/100 kph game in 3.6 seconds. And yes, that does sit above the sprinting number of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (the Hellcat-ized SUV needs 3.6s for the 0 to 60 mph/96 kph sprint). The hierarchy is also maintained when it comes to the top speed. In fact, the 190 mph/306 kph maximum velocity (180 mph/290 kph for the $86,995 Jeep) makes the Urus the world's fastest SUV.

Oh, and we can also expect Lamborghini to grab the Nurburgring SUV record, which currently sits with the 510 hp Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q, which needs 7:51.7 for the job (two of the press photos seems to portray the Urus attacking the Carousel). For one thing, Lamborghini R&D boss Maurizio Reggiani has talked about the planned Ring dominance of the Italian SUV.

For now, all the handling chat we can engage in has to do with the four-wheel-drive system of the Urus. The standard torque split sits at 40/60 (front:rear), but the system can send up to 70 percent of the torque to the front wheels and 87 percent to the rear. Note that the rear diff involves active torque vectoring.

And, as is the case with the Aventador Superveloce and the Aventador S, the Urus packs rear-wheel steering.

Financial figures

The first Lamborghini Urus customers will take delivery of their all-wheel-drive behemoths in spring next year. Speaking of which, the SUV will see Lamborghini doubling its annual sales volume to 7,000 cars by 2019.

When it comes to the financial side, the Urus comes with a starting price of $200,000 (taxes excluded) or EUR 171,429 (plus taxes). So yes, justifying that Huracan purchase, which requires a heftier budget, has just become even more difficult.

However, there's no need to worry about coming across an Urus just like yours while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green. And that's because, not least thanks to the Ad Personam customisation program, configuring one of these SUVs will be quite an adventure. In fact, as you can notice in the press images, the carmaker shows two faces of the Urus - the yellow car is here for the extroverts, while the grey machine packs more black-out elements, catering to the needs of those who aren't all that in love with attention.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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