L
Our fears were quickly allayed – the
The Italians were given access
to the VW warehouse, hence the
Urus runs on the Volkswagen
Group’sMLBevoplatform, which
meansitsharesits architecture
with the likes of Audi, Bentley,
Porsche and VolkswagenAMBORGHINI pre-
drive events seem to
trigger global political
upheaval. When we
laid hands on the
Centenario, Britain
voted for Brexit. The
election of President
Trump also coincided
with us getting behind
the wheel of the
Huracan Performante.
So, not surprisingly, we
expected something
big when sampling
the Lamborghini Urus prototypes at Nardo. However,
nothing happened. And just as the Urus has seemingly
broken this bizarre pattern of Lambo launches and
global political episodes, it has also broken from
expectation when it comes to the Sant'Agata brand.
While purists may gasp at traditional supercar
companies diving into the SUV cash grab, there’s real
cause for optimism here. After all, this is a Lamborghini.
That means it must look, feel and sound like a Lambo
- even if it is a belated successor to the brick-shaped
LM002. As this is a pre-production car, it’s covered
in myriad swirls and camouflage. However, as you
have already seen in News (p12-13), the body was
created with a low drag-coefficient target and loads of
downforce in mind. Despite being an SUV, it employs
spoilers, splitters and diffusers to wrap around the
Urus and plant it to the ground.
Taking advantage of this aero trickery is a twin-turbo
V8, which again is a break from tradition. We’re used
to howling V10s and sonorous V12s powering two-
door coupes. Utilising the 4.0-litre bent eight could be
seen as Lamborghini scraping the Volkswagen Group
parts bin. However, with 478kW and 850Nm, there
could be worse options – especially when it’s the unit
that will be powering the next RS6/RS7. It’s certainly
enough punch to drift the all-wheel drive Urus through
fast, fourth-gear corners. Plus, it’ll barrel down long
straights and nudge 250km/h around the Porsche-
owned 6.2km handling track at Nardo. And remember,
this is all from a car weighing in excess of 2.2 tonnes.
To put its performance into perspective, the Porsche
Cayenne Turbo does 0-100km/h in 3.9sec (Sport
Chrono Pack). Its top speed is also 288km/h. Impressive
numbers, yet the Urus shreds them. Just 3.6sec to
100km/h is the official line, but 3.35sec is what the
in-dash readout says. Yes, that’s with
launch control (and an eight-speed
ZF auto), perfect weather and what
seems like the grippiest piece of Roman
tarmac. Still, 3.35sec is quicker than a
Huracan. The top speed is also expected
to be in excess of 303km/h. That speaks
volumes for the aerodynamic efficiency
of the Urus, which was designed by Filippo Perini.
Essentially what we have here is a four-door, high-
roof sports car – one that can, impressively, lap this
handling circuit in a time similar to the Huracan. This
remarkable achievement required plenty of extra work
in the chassis department. The four-wheel drive system
uses a Torsen centre differential for a wide torque split
front to back and a mechanical rear-diff lock for a
subtle left-to-right distribution. In other words, there is
no brake-induced torque vectoring like in the Cayenne,
and no conventional self-locking centre diff.
Part of the package is a 48 volt system, which powers
the fully adjustable sway bars along with the air-
conditioning. Another item included in the list price,
which reportedly starts half a rung below the Huracan,
are huge 440mm carbon-ceramic brake discs with
10-piston calipers up front. Yes, 10 – certainly enough
to fill the 23-inch wheels. Completing the high-tech
DNA is the adaptive air suspension and the rear-wheel
steering. The maximum steering angle (three degrees)
reduces the turning circle by 0.6m while extending the
virtual wheelbase at speed by one foot.
However, while that all sounds very supercar and
Lamborghini, having dedicated off-road modes
doesn’t. The Urus gains Sabbia (sand), Terra (dirt) and
Neve (snow) modes to accompany the usual Strada
(street) and Corsa (track) settings. Ego allows you
to personalise the driveline, steering response and
suspension settings individually. It’s all part of new
switchgear named Tamburello – which translates to
tambourine. We’re confused, too.
The Urus has many talents, but somewhat
surprisingly for an SUV, the key assets are its totally
involving handling and car-like
performance all the way to the limit.
While sheer speed is one thing, to make
it accessible in a confidence-inspiring
fashion, is another. Especially when
you consider the fact that the Urus
comes with all the wrong ingredients
for going fast – considerable mass, high
centre of gravity and substantial weight. Despite these
genetic downfalls, it hugs the road, it juggles power
and torque and it decelerates ferociously. The eight-
speed automatic is correctly spaced, but it shifts more
leisurely than a rapid-fire dual-clutch and isn’t as eager
as the boosted V8.
Of course, we have to remember
that this is an SUV, so it should
be able to go off-road. And it can.
Nardo’s off-road test isn’t really
a test, however. The absence
of serious climbs and descents
matched with the fact that the
82 january 2018 motormag.com.au