First Drive: 2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante

Power up 16 hp, weight down 47 kg
Extensive use of composite materials
New active chassis systems

Do Warren Buffett or Elon Musk need another billion bucks in their bank accounts? Do the New York Yankees need another pennant? Does Lamborghini’s mondo outrageous Urus “Super” SUV need another 16 horsepower? The answers, in order, are no, hell no, and hold that thought.

It’s hard to believe that four and a half years have passed since Lamborghini introduced its first consumer-intended sport-utility vehicle (excluding the quasi-military,1986-to-1993 LM002 “Rambo Lambo,” of which only 328 were built.) Given the popularity of the entire SUV segment, it’s no surprise the Urus immediately became the Italian automaker’s best-selling product, a title it continues to hold, the crossover responsible for 61 per cent of all Lambo sales for the first six months of the year.

But Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s CEO, has stated that this is the last year for new launches of internal-combustion-powered vehicles; next year will see the first car with hybrid technology, with hybridization of the company’s entire model range following in 2024. So, why not set a benchmark with a big ol’ high-performance farewell.

first drive: 2023 lamborghini urus performante

2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante Photo by Brian Harper

For the 2023 model year comes a mid-cycle refresh as well as the new Urus Performante, which “raises the bar on Super-SUV sportiness and performance with design emphases that reflect the new Urus’ prowess on street, track, and loose surfaces.” But, no, this last doesn’t mean it will be tackling the Rubicon with the gnarliest of Jeeps — at least not with the available super-sticky, semi-slick, 23-inch Pirelli P Zero rubber (more on this later).

The refresh might appear subtle to all but the cognoscenti, but it is a bumper-to-bumper upgrade inside, outside, and under the hood, starting with a power bump to the Performante’s twin-turbocharged 4.0L V8, up 16 hp to 657 hp. Along with a weight reduction of 47 kilograms, this Urus boasts a claimed best-in-class weight-to-power ratio of 3.2 kg/hp. (This might be open to a difference of opinion, or decimal places, as the new Aston Martin DBX707, 95 kg heavier but with its Mercedes-sourced, twin-turbo V8 pushing 697 hp, claims the same ratio. And, yes, it is a direct competitor to the Urus.)

The five-seat (optional four-seat) Performante ditches the air suspension for stiffer steel springs that lower its chassis by 20 mm, with a wheel track that is 16 mm wider, over which wider carbon-fibre wheel arches embrace new optional 23-inch or forged 22-inch lightweight wheels with specially developed Pirelli tires.

Lamborghini doesn’t do cute, so the Urus Performante is not for those with dainty sensibilities. It’s hyper-aggressive with a high bully factor. It appears in your rear-view mirror with a menace that suggests it will devour your puny ride.

In profile, the SSUV’s lowered stance is accented by a prominent front, rear wing, and bumper, increasing overall length by 25 mm. And look closely at the door line; notice the arrow shape? Don’t think that’s an accident.

The hood sports deep cutlines down to the new front bumper and the air outlet is forged from lightweight body-colour carbon-fibre or optional “partially visible” carbon-fibre. The roof can also be had in carbon-fibre, referencing the Huracán Performante and Super Trofeo. New black front air intakes deliver increased engine cooling. A new air curtain draws airflow over the front wheels, decreasing drag. And the rear spoiler increases downforce by 38 per cent.

With all the tweaks and upgrades, the Performante had better go like stink. And Dio mio, does it ever! With 627 pound-feet of torque available from 2,300 to 4,500 rpm, the stopwatch has the lightweight 2,150-kg SSUV clipping 100 km/h in a mere 3.3 seconds. Top speed, says Lamborghini, is a whopping 306 km/h. And stomping on the carbon-ceramic brakes will pull it down to a stop in 32.9 metres.

2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante Photo by Brian Harper

Those numbers might satisfy some pundits, but they do nothing to explain the Urus Performante’s primeval nature. Lamborghini decided the 4.1-km-long Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi, a race circuit outside the Eternal City that once hosted the Rome Grand Prix, was the appropriate venue to prove the Performante is a superior sort of SSUV. First off, once the engine explodes to life, the sound emanating from the titanium exhausts idles with a throaty burble. Yet, listening to the sport-ute blast down Vallelunga’s main straightaway at 200+ km/h will set your eardrums buzzing in a mix of aural pain/pleasure.

Behind the wheel, the Urus has the sort of grip and handling that would embarrass many sports cars. The new active chassis systems and the torque-vectoring system with rear-wheel steering have been calibrated to deliver greater agility and lightness, aided by the Performante’s wider track and stiffer suspension. The revised Torsen centre differential apportions more torque to the rear wheels during acceleration, improving track performance and more neutral handling. The 15-turn race circuit tested these improvements and the Performante proved easy to control, tracking through each corner with supreme confidence and not a trace of body roll thanks to active anti-roll bars and max damping — only displaying some understeer when I got on the gas too quickly coming out of the turn; backing off the throttle tucked in the front end.

2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante Photo by Brian Harper

The ANIMA (Adaptive Network Intelligent MAnagement) selector is brains of the Lamborghini’s driving dynamics. As with the “regular” Urus, the Performante presents three on-road modes: Strada for easy and comfortable day-to-day driving, Sport for increased responsiveness and Corsa for track-like maximum performance. And then there’s the new Rally mode, which is described as providing the best driving experience for low-grip surfaces, with more wheelspin and lower damping forces.

Which, in a sign of absolute confidence, Lamborghini encouraged, setting up a hilly off-road, dirt-strewn rally stage — after swapping the Pirelli semi-slicks for tires with a more aggressive tread pattern. Heavy braking into the turns was followed by a big dose of throttle to induce oversteer and slide the back end. It was silly fun albeit also educational; the Performante proved surprisingly nimble for its size on the narrow stage.

Leaving cabin hedonism to corporate cousin Bentley and its Bentayga sport-ute, the Performante’s cockpit exploits the SSUV’s high-performance persona. Nero Cosmus black Alcantara is standard with a new “Performante trim” hexagonal seat stitching design. A leather interior is optional, and dedicated colour and trim options include an extension of the Performante trim on doors, roof liner and seat backrest. A new HMI graphic, with a dedicated design for the Performante, features on both the centre console screen and in a large arc across the main display.

2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante Photo by Brian Harper

Speaking of Bentley’s über-luxe SUV, the Urus Performante set a new record in the production SUV category on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb road, crossing the finish line at 4,302 metres in 10:32.1 and beating by more than 17 seconds the previous record set by a Bentayga W12 in 2018. Can you sense a little corporate rivalry going on here? (It’s worth noting that the Urus shares its Volkswagen Group MLB evo platform with the Bentley Bentayga, Audi Q7, Porsche’s Cayenne and others.)

Distinctive, luxurious, versatile and endlessly engaging, the Urus Performante is a top-end sports car in family-friendly SUV garb, a faster example of something that was already plenty quick. And for those who appreciate a beast such as this, it is, with that big, bellowing, gas-swilling V8, the last of its type from Lambo. If you have to have it, prepare to write a big cheque; the Performante comes with an MSRP of $307,341, not including PDI or freight.

For those most ardent of gearheads, the anticipation will be worth it.

Keyword: First Drive: 2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante

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