It’s not the first thing you notice, but when you drive the 2021 Lamborghini Urus around town, you smile a lot. You grin at just how good it feels to drive, the ridiculousness of the thing itself, but mostly you find yourself greeting ogling strangers with a knowing smile.
The Urus is the Italian supercar-maker’s answer to our culture’s unwavering demand for sport utility vehicles. With room for five and a solid amount of cargo space, it’s certainly Lambo’s most utilitarian offering. But despite its “practicality,” the Urus still has the soul and fiery personality of a supercar that’ll give your facial muscles a nice workout every time you take it out for a spin.
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Staggering Power
The twin-turbo four-liter V8 cranks out a jaw-clenching 641 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough power to get the Urus from 0 to 60mph in just over three seconds, and the driver hauled off to jail in about six. Of course, when you put your foot down, the engine screams. But at lower RPMs, the V8 grunts and snarls, seemingly wondering why you’re not giving it more gas.
The eight-speed automatic transmission flicks through gears so quickly and efficiently most drivers won’t want to use the manual paddle shifters much, though we did. Through corners and twisty roads, the Urus feels poised and easy to control, especially in the firmer, more responsive “sport” and “corsa” driving modes.
In the more subdued “strada” mode, the air suspension lightens up and makes it a comfortable daily driver. Though for a grocery-getter it’s a bit thirsty, with an estimated fuel economy of 12 mpg in the city and 17 on the highway. It is a Lambo after all.
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On the Inside
The interior of the Urus is sleek with more than a few lux flourishes. Heated bucket seats with the option to add ventilation and massage up front make for a posh ride when you’re not carving corners. A digital instrument cluster for the driver provides a wealth of information that changes with the driving mode. Two other haptic-enabled touch screens control the infotainment system and the car’s settings respectively.
Generally most driver inputs in the Urus are easy and intuitive, but we did find a few things rather quirky. The red flip cover over the start-stop button is annoyingly pointless, as is having to cycle all the way through driving modes to engage the previous one. Another slight nitpick, the window switches are the same ones used in Volkswagen and Audi’s current lineups, which seems like an easy upgrade in a car that costs nearly a quarter of a million dollars. But most Lambo owners probably haven’t been inside of a common VW, so they likely won’t notice.
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In the Back
Buyers can configure the interior to either five seats or just four, which is certainly more comfortable for adult passengers. For those who need to do some hauling, the Urus offers 22 cubic feet of space in the five passenger setup and 20 with four seats—more than ample for a week’s worth of luggage or a few sets of golf clubs.
On the Outside
The aesthetic can be a bit polarizing, but the Urus looks like nothing else on the road. Loud and flamboyant is Lamborghini’s hallmark and the design takes the iconic Lambo lines and translates them into a look that suits the overall package. It’s not just Huracán with a lift kit. It’s a sophisticated interpretation and a work of art in its own right.
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Lambo to the Core
The Urus is an eye-catching, exhilarating, ear-shattering, blisteringly fast supercar. It’s also one of the best SUVs on the road—while rightfully ticking all of the boxes anyone in the market for a Lambo could want. Is it ostentatious? Absolutely! That’s another box checked off. Being over the top is baked into the Lamborghini DNA and the reason they can put a smile on even the most casual car lover’s face.
