Lamborghini continues testing the electrified replacement for the Urus S and Urus Performante. Pictured at the Nurburgring, the camouflaged Urus PHEV prototype got pulled over by the German police for – most likely – the lack of a front plate.
While it may appear similar to the outgoing Urus S and Urus Performante, the forthcoming hybrid features revised signature lighting both fore and aft. We can further see a slightly redesigned front bumper, and the rear unit appears to be different from the internal combustion-only models as well.
Being a Volkswagen Group vehicle based on a Volkswagen Group architecture, it should come as no surprise that the gas cap is on the right rear quarter panel. Being a plug-in hybrid, the charging port door is on the left rear quarter panel, mirroring the 729-pony Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.
Of the Porker's 729 horsepower, the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 is responsible for 591 of them. For reference, Urus S and Urus Performante crank out 657 ponies. The Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid's electric drive unit is rated at 174 horsepower, whereas total system torque is a whopping 700 pound-feet (950 Nm).
Quite a bit more than the Urus S and Urus Performante, and looking at the bigger picture, the near-instant peak torque of the aforementioned electric motor should make the Urus PHEV tremendously quick from a standstill. Considering that Lamborghini slots above Porsche in the Volkswagen Group's brand hierarchy, prospective customers should look forward to more power and torque from the punchiest and heaviest Urus yet.
Photo: Baldauf
Porsche claims an unladen weight (DIN) of 2,570 kilograms for the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid as opposed to 2,197 kilograms for the Urus S, meaning 5,666 and 4,844 pounds, respectively. If the Raging Bull of Sant'Agata Bolognese can bring it down to approximately 2,500 kilograms (5,512 pounds) by using more weight-saving materials than the Zuffenhausen-based automaker, the Urus PHEV will outaccelerate the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.
The German marque advertises the most powerful road-going sport utility vehicle it has ever produced with a 60-mph sprint of 3.5 seconds (or 3.7 seconds to 100 kilometers per hour/62 miles per hour), onto a top speed of 183 miles per hour (295 kilometers per hour). Impressive numbers, but alas, one cannot ignore the vehicle's sheer weight in the corners.
Because the Cayenne and Urus are based on the MLB Evo platform, we hope that Lamborghini will be allowed to use Porsche's two-chamber, two-valve air suspension. This design reduces body movements in dynamic situations, but also improves ride comfort during normal scenarios.
Teased in the 33rd issue of Lamborghini Magazine, the 2025 Lamborghini Urus PHEV should be revealed sometime this summer, with first deliveries expected in the third quarter of 2024. By the end of the year, the Huracan will also be replaced by the LB63x, a twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid that might be marketed as the Temerario.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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