Lamborghini unleashes Urus Performante as new king of SUVs

Lamborghini has officially taken the wraps off its Urus Performante, a disguised version of which recently claimed a course record for production SUVs at the world famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Its time of 10:32 beat the 10:49 record set in 2018 by the Bentley Bentayga.

With the car’s disguise removed, Lamborghini has revealed that its super-SUV is lighter and more powerful than the standard Urus, and comes with aerodynamic tweaks.

Power in the twin-turbo V8 engine is bumped up from 478kW to 490kW, while torque is unchanged at 850Nm. With the extra grunt, along with a 47kg weight reduction, the Urus Performante scorches the 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 3.3 seconds, trimming 0.3 seconds off the standard Urus, while top speed is 306km/h.

A recalibration of the front-wheel steering enhances connection with the road with precise inputs and direct feedback. The rear-wheel steering’s faster intervention increases turn-in agility complemented by torque vectoring of the rear differential both on-road and in off-road mode.

The re-engineered drive modes (Strada, Sport and Corsa) allow the driver to select the ideal setup for every driving condition. Alongside the standard drive modes, the Urus Performante introduces a new Rally mode to enhance driving thrills on dirt tracks.

Distinctive styling sees the Urus Performance designed with a bicolour livery. There are deep cuts in the bonnet lines down to the new front bumper, and the bonnet is forged from lightweight carbon fibre in body colour, or partially visible carbon fibre as an option. The roof is also optionally available in carbon fibre.

The front bumper and splitter in carbon fibre boast assertive new lines. New black front air intakes deliver increased engine cooling and a new air curtain draws airflow over the front wheels to reduce drag. A newly-designed rear spoiler with carbon fibre fins increases rear downforce by 38%.

New steel springs lower the Performante’s chassis by 20mm and the wheel track is widened by 16mm. Wider carbon fibre wheel arches house new optional 23-inch or forged 22-inch lightweight wheels with titanium bolts and specially developed Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick tyres measuring 285/40 R22 and 325/35 R22 at the front and rear respectively. 

The lower rear bumper and diffuser are also in carbon fibre with a lightweight titanium Akrapovič sports exhaust as standard. 

Inside, the cockpit features Nero Cosmus black Alcantara as standard with a new hexagonal seat-stitching design, along with bespoke Performante trim. With the optional “Dark Package”, the matt black treatment can be extended to other interior details.

“The Urus Performante takes the supreme performance and distinctive looks of Lamborghini’s groundbreaking Super SUV to the next level, retaining its luxurious versatility and delivering the most engaging driving experience,” says Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini chair and CEO.