Used 2019 Lamborghini Urus

Does Lamborghini need an SUV? A fair question. But since the Cayenne and Macan have helped Porsche continue to sell 911s and Caymans, we’re not going to complain that Lamborghini’s lineup of exotics is getting diluted. Heck, Lamborghini tractors are still being made. And we’d rather appreciate the Urus for what is: the fastest and sportiest SUV on the market. A supercar SUV, if you will.

While the chassis is shared by its Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne corporate cousins, the Urus is assembled in Sant’ Agata, Italy, Lamborghini’s spiritual home, and its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 is tuned by the company to produce a staggering 641 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. This enables the 2019 Lamborghini Urus to hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and blast to a top speed of 190 mph. We can’t think of a more potent SUV on the market.

All that power goes through an 8-speed paddle-shift gearbox to a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system with a locking center differential, and air suspension gives this potent SUV excellent everyday composure. But when you get aggressive with the throttle, this Italian SUV morphs into a supercar. And even though this Lambo has a higher center of gravity than its supercar siblings, the Urus feels like it defies physics as it carves through the turns with more speed than you ever thought possible.

At the same time, the Lamborghini Urus SUV is a fairly practical SUV. Sure, the sleek roofline cuts into rear headroom and cargo capacity a bit, but this 4- or 5-seat SUV is still totally at home while taking the kids to school or making your biweekly runs to Costco. It’s also the only Lamborghini that taller people can drive without feeling cramped.

Forget the notion that SUVs are high-riding family haulers that handle like heavy trucks. The 2019 Lamborghini Urus is a totally different beast, the first SUV with true supercar performance. Driven gently around town, the Urus essentially is a refined SUV with a firm ride, a rumbly exhaust and a decent size cargo area. Fed a bit more throttle, the Urus becomes the Lamborghini supercar it is, an agile machine that plants you in your seat as it screams through the gears while climbing to a top speed of 190 mph.

Indeed, the Urus has a dual personality, and several different ride modes allow the driver to tailor the vehicle for the available conditions. While the low-profile tires on large 21-, 22- or 23-inch wheels don’t protect the rims well in off-road situations, the Urus is quite capable on smooth dirt roads, where the rear-biased all-wheel-drive system, aided by a torque-vectoring rear differential, allows for some tail-out fun. A maximum of 87 percent of the power goes to the rear wheels, and a rear-wheel-steering system helps provide the agile feel of a smaller vehicle.

SUVs and supercars used to be separate types of vehicles. With the Lamborghini Urus, that has changed.

Lamborghini wants the Urus driver to feel like a pilot, and we feel the Italian company has succeeded. In this luxuriously sporty environment with a prominent hexagonal theme, you’ll find three TFT (thin-film transistor) information screens, well-bolstered sport seats covered in attractive black or gray leather, an Alcantara headliner and an ignition switch located under a red flip-up cover on the center console.

Also on the center console is the Tamburo driving mode selector. It lets the driver choose among Strada (street), Sport and Corsa (race) driving models, as well as Neve (snow). If you order the off-road package, there are two additional modes: Terra (dirt) and Sabbia (sand). In Neve, Terra and Sabbia, the air suspension automatically lifts the Urus a bit for added ground clearance.

Folks familiar with the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne may recognize the dash architecture, and even the steering wheel, but the Urus does manage to feel like a Lamborghini inside. And despite the low coupe-like roofline, the Urus boasts good headroom in front, along with enough in back for a 5-foot 10-inch passenger. You can order your Urus with either a folding 3-seat rear bench or a pair of rear captain’s chairs.

Piano-black and brushed-aluminum dash trims are standard, while open-pore wood, aluminum and carbon fiber are optional. Lastly, there’s 21.8 cubic feet of cargo room behind this Lambo’s rear seats. For comparison, the BMW X6, another SUV with a coupe-like roofline, has 26.5 cubic feet of cargo room behind its rear seat.

We think the Urus is a big styling success, looking very much like how we’d expect a Lamborghini SUV to appear. Which is to say it’s a muscular-looking SUV with a clear stylistic link to its Huracan and Aventador siblings.

When the Urus is viewed from the side, its coupe-like roofline, hexagonal wheel arches, short overhangs and excellent proportions are easy to appreciate. Also noticeable: how the Urus has the same two-thirds body/one-third window ratio shared by its supercar siblings. Moreover, an angled side character line descends as it goes forward, giving the impression that the nose of the Urus is lower than the rear for an improved visual stance.

The front of the Urus is bold, aided by thin Y-shaped LED headlights, large air intakes and a low front spoiler. In back, substantial rear shoulders and a prominent diffuser contribute to the planted look, while Y-shaped taillights complement the headlights. Prominent script on the power hatch (in classic typeface) leaves no doubt that this SUV is a Lamborghini.

ACTIVE ROLL STABILIZATION
This electromechanical system dramatically reduces body roll in cornering. It also improves the ride quality of the Urus in a straight line by actively decoupling the halves of each stabilizer bar.

CARBON-CERAMIC BRAKES
The Urus’ carbon-ceramic brakes are the largest we know of, featuring massive 17.3-inch front rotors and 14.6-inch rears. Brake fade is a thing of the past, even in aggressive track driving. The aluminum front calipers feature six pistons.

Besides its direct-injected twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and 8-speed paddle-shift automatic gearbox, the 2019 Lamborghini Urus has some outstanding other standard features. Among them: a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system with a locking center differential and a torque-vectoring rear diff, massive carbon-ceramic brakes with 17.3-inch front rotors, air suspension with roll stabilization, a power tailgate, 4-zone climate control and LED headlights.

Additionally, the 2019 Urus has up to six different driving modes and a luxurious but sporty interior trimmed with fine leather, Alcantara, aluminum, wood and carbon fiber.

Options abound on the 2019 Lamborghini Urus, and the Full ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance System) package is among the most expensive. Priced at $6,313, it includes active cruise control, lane-keep assist, a top-view camera, a blind-spot alert and rear cross-traffic assist. Oddly enough, a Surround Sound audio system from Bang & Olufsen also costs $6,313. An Off-Road Package — with Terra (dirt) and Sabbia (sand) modes along with reinforced bumpers and underfloor skidplates — is a bargain at $637.

Other Urus options include shiny-finish 22-inch aluminum-alloy wheels ($3,788), a panoramic sunroof ($2,788), heated and cooled massaging front seats ($3,157), black roof rails ($1,010) and black-painted front brake calipers ($1,137).

The 2019 Lamborghini Urus is powered by a direct-injected 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 641 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 627 lb-ft of torque at 2,250 rpm. The aluminum-block powerplant, closely related to the V8 used in the Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Panamera, features a pair of turbos nestled in the vee of the engine for immediate response. Mounted low in the chassis for good handling, this longitudinally mounted powerplant mates to a paddle-shift 8-speed automatic transmission. Of note, this is the first turbo engine ever used in a Lamborghini.

4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8
641 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
627 lb-ft of torque @ 2,250 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 12 mpg/17 mpg