As if the world hasn’t had enough of crazy fast SUVs yet, Lamborghini has just unveiled a hot Performante derivative of its wildly-popular Urus super SUV, promising to raise the bar on its high-riding supremacy.
The lunacy starts off with the powertrain, with the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine gaining 13 hp in this configuration, now making a devilish 666 hp and 850 Nm. Power is sent to the ground via an upgraded differential and an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and all of that means the super-super SUV can now reach 100 km/h from a standstill in just 3.3 seconds, 200 km/h in 11.5 seconds, and a top speed of 306 km/h.
But power alone isn’t what helped the Lamborghini Urus Performante smash the Pikes Peak SUV hill climb record. It’s now got a new set of steel springs, which also lowers the SUV by 20 mm, a new set of 23-inch wheels wrapped in Urus Performante-specific Pirelli Trofeo R rubber, and a serious weight-loss regime which saw the Urus drop as much as 47 kg of fat.
The weight reduction is achieved by generous usage of carbon fibre, most noticeably on the bonnet and (optionally) roof, both of which can be optioned without paint to show off its shiny new bodywork. In fact, Lamborghini says that the Urus Performante utilises more carbon fibre in its construction than any other vehicle in its class.
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Carbon fibre is also used on basically all aerodynamic appendages on the outside, including the rear diffuser and aggressive roof spoiler at the back – the latter provides 38% more downforce than the basic spoiler on the regular-spec Urus. Overall, downforce on the Lamborghini Urus Performante has increased by 8%.
New vents and air inlets all around the exterior help improve the Super SUV’s cooling and airflow efficiency, and thanks to the new splitters on the bumpers both front and back, the length of the Urus Performante has actually also grown by 25 mm.
Inside, the new performance-focused super SUV gets a slightly revamped interior that mirrors that of the Huracan Performante, with items like the door cards, roof-lining, seats, and rear wall all finished in the marque’s Performante trim with microfibre upholstery. As usual, however, customers can also opt for leather if they so choose, utilising Lamborghini’s Ad Personam service.
Most aluminium trims have been replaced by a black anodised finishing, and customers can also take it a step further with the optional “Dark Package”, which further extends the matte black treatment onto more parts on the interior, including the Urus’ central ‘Tamburo’ control stack which hosts the start-stop button (hidden underneath a fighter jet-esque flip cover) and the drive mode selector.
Speaking of drive modes, The new Lamborghini Urus Performante also now comes with a ‘Rally’ drive mode for use on the dirt tracks, although we doubt many of its buyers will actually take it off-road…
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