The new Lamborghini Urus Performante super SUV adds more power, more downforce, a Rally mode and less weight
The Lamborghini Urus Performante – a hardcore take on Lambo’s super-quick, but practical offroader – has been revealed at Monterey Car Week in California, following the car’s record-breaking sortie at the gruelling Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. The Performante is priced from £170,260 and on sale now.
As part of the upgrades for the Urus Performante Lamborghini has tuned the standard car’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 to produce 657bhp – 16bhp more than the standard car – while torque remains the same at a healthy 850Nm. It’s enough to get Lambo’s super-SUV from 0-62mph in just 3.3 seconds, three-tenths quicker than the standard car, and on to a top speed of 190mph.
The new car’s handling has also been fine-tuned to make the Lambo sharper to drive and more fun. The steering rack and rear-wheel steering system have been recalibrated to be more aggressive, while the drive select system now features a Rally mode, adjusting the car’s parameters for use on gravel tracks.
Lamborghini has given the Urus Performante a subtle exterior makeover, which features more carbon fibre to help reduce weight. Up front, the Performante’s bonnet is made from carbon fibre and features aggressive vents providing increased engine cooling, while the newly designed bumper draws air from around the front wheels reducing drag.
The Performante’s suspension means the car sits 20mm lower (on steel springs, not the standard car’s air suspension), while the carbon fibre wheel-arch extensions are needed to accommodate the 16mm increased track and 22, or optional 23-inch, forged alloy wheels. Both wheel sets feature titanium bolts and are wrapped in track-ready Pirelli Trofeo R rubber.
At the rear the Performante boasts a carbon fibre bumper, a light-weight titanium Akrapovic exhaust and a new rear spoiler with carbon fibre fins inspired by the Aventador SVJ. It produces 38 per cent more downforce than the standard spoiler – in fact, downforce has increased by eight per cent overall, along with an improvement to aerodynamic efficiency.
Thanks to its redesigned bumpers, the Performante is 25mm longer than the standard Urus, but those liberal sprinklings of carbon fibre mean weight is down by 47kg, to a still-not insubstantial 2,150kg.
It’s no surprise, then, to find it is far from a stripped-out racer on the inside. The Urus Perfoemante comes trimmed with a Nero Cosmus black Alcantara interior featuring hexagonal stitching, with the option to have the headlining, door cards, back seats and boot lined in Alcantara, too.
The steering wheel is also trimmed Alcantara and there’s black anodized aluminium trim pieces. Even the infotainment screens get unique Performante graphics.
If you want to personalise your Performante further then Lamborghini’s Ad Personam personalisation programme caters for bespoke requests, offering options such as matt carbon fibre trim pieces, red interior door handles and custom kick plates. Or you can go for the Dark Package, which finishes much of the centre console in matt black. Want yet more carbon fibre? Fill your boots with the optional carbon fibre roof, which mirrors those found on the Huracan Performante and Super Trofeo.
Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s Chairman and CEO, said: “The Urus Performante takes the supreme performance and distinctive looks of Lamborghini’s ground-breaking super SUV to the next level, retaining its luxurious versatility and delivering the most engaging driving experience: not only on road but in every environment, distinguished through an alluring design that denotes new benchmarks for driving dynamism in what is already a remarkable car.”
And if you like the sound of that, get your money down quick because first deliveries of the Performante are expected before the year is out.
Keyword: New hot Lamborghini Urus Performante unveiled with 657bhp