The Lamborghini Urus, that most unlikely of creations when it debuted, is also by no means the first SUV of the storied Sant’Agata Bolognese luxury and sportscar brand. That distinction belongs to the LM002 – first produced, believe it or not, in 1986.
There was obviously some sentimentality as Lamborghini Philippines General Sales Manager Enrique “Erick” Jarlego II pointed to an image of the LM0002 right next to the present-day Urus (an S variant) on display at the Rockwell Power Plant Mall recently. “This Urus is one of the last few units that is exclusively internal-combustion-engine-powered,” he shared. The Italian marque is expected to roll out a hybrid model by next year, effectively ending the ICE age for the SUV.
And while the Urus was indeed unlikely for Lamborghini, traditionally known as a supercar (read: not an SUV) maker, it surely continues to resonate for an SUV-crazy global market which finds the raging bull equally irresistible in “utility” guise. Jarlego revealed to a handful of media in attendance during the Urus S presentation at the mall that some 20,000 units of the nameplate have been produced since its introduction at the close of 2017.
The S variant of the Urus slots just beneath the Performante, which remains most beastly of the lot. The S is your daily drivable Urus, he maintained, which now rocks an improved infotainment system – with Apple CarPlay, to boot. It has adaptive air suspension, soft-close doors, double-glazed glass, and more horses (now at 650hp) versus the garden-variety Urus. A new front bumper dispenses with the traditional honeycomb design in favor of horizontal slats. Matte-black, stainless-steel skid plates are standard, along with a black front grille. The Urus S sheds some weight through a carbon fiber hood with vents that can come in optional gloss black, body, color, or carbon fiber. A carbon fiber roof can be opted for as well.
The rear bumper has also been recast, with the lower portion painted in matte black. The new twin-tailpipe exhaust is finished in brushed steel, but can be had in matte or gloss black – or even bright chrome.
Under the hood resides the familiar 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8, mated with an eight-speed automatic tranny for a brisk zero-to-100kph time of 3.5 ticks – on the way to a top speed of 305kph. Even the blat of the exhaust system has been tweaked, said Jarlego. Corralling the heightened performance are huge 10-cylinder monobloc calipers in front and floating calipers in the rear. The carbon ceramic brake discs are huge – even bigger than the ones on the Porsche GT2 RS. Aside from the standard 21-inch wheels, buyers can opt for 22-inch Nath wheels in matte titanium and diamond polish finish, or huge 23-inch Taigete rollers in bronze or diamond polish. The wheels are shod in Lamborghini-specific Pirellis.
The display unit was swathed in Arancio Borealis paint, a color shared with the Huracan. The Urus embarrassment of riches continues with six drive modes, plus an Ego mode, to “deliver the most versatile, comfortable, and sporty super SUV experience in every environment.”
The clock is ticking loudly for vehicle browsers with an ICE-powered super SUV on their wish list, and the Lamborghini Urus S certainly ticks all the boxes to make that purchase more memorable and worth it.