Lamborghini Urus review

As we’ve noted, the Urus SE is a car with a formidable bandwidth. Lamborghini’s publicity materials make much of the idea of having two hearts. You might also consider the idea of having four legs and arms, except that that’s not a very attractive image.

It’s also all rather complicated. Climb in, settle into the fabulous seats, and then check out the chunky central drive controller (‘tamburo’ in Italian), which has the start/stop button at its centre partially hidden behind a red Top Gun-style flap. We suspect Maverick himself might be left scratching his head at what follows. Either side of the start button are triggers that unlock the secrets of the Urus SE’s hybrid drivetrain (perhaps Indiana Jones is a better cinematic analogy).

On the left is the controller with three road and three off-road modes, cycling through Strada, Sport, Corsa, Sabbia, Terra and Neve, with an EV one on the other side with Hybrid, Performance and Recharge buttons beneath that. Annoyingly, you do have to cycle through the modes to get back to the one you want rather than being able to flick back and forwards. As there’s so many of them, this can take some time.

EV mode is amusing and useful around town, and also good for speeds up to 84mph. Strada is the default setting, though, in which the SE operates as a hybrid. As usual with these things, it’s a bit discombobulating to begin with, and the driver risks feeling like they’re not totally in charge of their own destiny. The engine kicks in unexpectedly early at times, even when there are still plenty of electrons knocking about.

The electric assistance only nudges the SE 0.1 seconds quicker to 62mph than the previous S model – in 3.4 seconds – so it’s clear that this is more about improving the overall response of the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 than banzai acceleration. Still, 789bhp and 946lb ft of torque is quite something, and it sounds as delirious as ever.

But there’s more. Or should that be Mohr? Lamborghini’s mischievous and gifted technical boss is determined that the company’s embrace of electrification should mean excitement as much as it does efficiency. Select Sport mode and things get even more amusing. The old Torsen diff delivered a fixed torque split but the new variable clutch sends power forwards and backwards depending on the context. Turn the ESC off and give it loads out of a corner and the algorithms think, ‘ah, drift time’, and away you go.

The ‘hang on’ clutch works proactively, opening and closing in milliseconds, giving you lots of scope to carve out big angles. We tried it both on a skid pan and on a gravel stage at the Nardo test track, where the Urus SE did its best impression of a Group B rally car. Ridiculous really. It takes a while to get on its wavelength, possibly because your brain is telling you that lobbing it around like an idiot can only end in tears while the car’s ECU is saying the opposite. It’s possible to set it up for a corner with a Scandi flick, and then transition the other way.

We repeat: 2.5 tonnes.

Back on normal roads, albeit the rather narrow and disappointing ones close to Nardo, and the SE is harder to pin down. It’s perfectly civilised in Strada mode, obviously livelier in Sport mode where the drivetrain, 48v anti-roll system and four-wheel steering contrive to make everything feel wieldy. Perhaps the steering could have more weight but it’s linear, and some of the upshifts on the ’box are a bit blunt.

It’s deliberate. Like the latest Bentley Continental, the Urus SE’s suspension gains new dual-valve dampers to give more space between set-ups, but it always feels tightly coiled, especially on those whopping 23in wheels. Pirelli was on hand to talk us through the bespoke rubber developed for the car, the compound of which varies from regular P Zero to Trofeo R. They look too good to bonfire, whichever ones you’re on.

The regen braking is tied in with driving mode and battery charge level; the braking itself is better than on many hybrids if not totally feelsome. The system uses carbon ceramic discs as standard, 440mm on the front, 310mm on the rear. There are many different personalities going on here, and they’re all compelling. But for some reason, none feels absolutely on the money.