Lamborghini Urus SE

Lambo's super-SUV gets a major mid-life overhaul, going hybrid in the process. Has it become any easier to like?

- STEPHEN DOBIE

WHATEVER YOU THINK OF THE URUS, IT W breeds loyalty. Many owners are on their second or third example, working their way through its various evolutions and almost infinite spec combinations. It's been an unbridled success story for Lamborghini, achieving the 'Cayenne effect' of exponentially raising sales and profits while also breeding a whole new generation of Lamboistas. It's carved out a following of its own, one containing way more under 40s and female buyers than the brand was previously accustomed to.

Continuing its success is this new Urus SE, already sold out until 2026. It presents a new chapter for the Urus, with a mid-life facelift and the introduction of hybrid tech. Its combination of 4-litre twin-turbo V8, rear e-motor and 25.9kWh battery is familiar from other heavy-hitting VW Group cars, chiefly the Cayenne Turbo and new Bentley Continental GT. Chief technical officer Rouven Mohr insists Lamborghini never considered a downsized hybrid and that a chunky eight-cylinder heart is essential to the Urus experience. Different engine mounts to Bentley and Porsche are designed to preserve a bit of NVH to boost involvement. "We are not looking to eliminate every piece of feedback from the car,' says Mohr. 'It must retain an emotional connection.'

Outputs are all slightly up on its cousins, a 612bhp tune of V8 pairing with a 189bhp motor for a 3.4sec sprint to 62mph. The added weight of the hybrid powertrain is notable, mind, tipping the Urus past the 2.5-ton mark for the first time. Lamborghini has seized an opportunity to overhaul the Urus's dynamic character, the e-motor running through the eight-speed gearbox to have its power distributed via a central differential and rear e-LSD; the full combined totals of 789bhp and 700lb ft are spread variably fore and aft and then controlled laterally on the back axle. The car is always fourwheel drive in regular use, though more extreme inputs can send every mite of power to the rear.