A blazingly quick plug-in hybrid
If the mention of “plug-in hybrid” conjures images of Toyota Priuses and family SUVs in your mind, Lamborghini’s Urus SE should be like a powerful magnet wiping your mental hard drive clean. In fact, there are magnets in it, because it has an electric motor. It just happens to be hitched to a twin-turbo V8.
The Urus, as a reminder, has been with us for nearly seven years. Time sure flies when exotic cars keep adding horsepower with seemingly every change of season. Bigger changes are under the hood of every current Lamborghini. While the Urus SE joins gas-only stablemates on the SUV side of the family, the new Temerario and Revuelto supercars are plug-in hybrid only.
Lamborghini’s Best-Seller Gets A Battery and Plug
As had been planned, the Urus became Lamborghini’s best-selling vehicle. This model shares much with its VW Group cousin SUVs from Audi, Bentley, and Porsche. But rest assured that the Urus has a distinctly different personality, one infused with the DNA of Lamborghini’s wild-child Countach and LM002 “Rambo Lambo” SUV from the 1980s.
The Urus SE takes the middle slot in the SUV line, between the standard model (now called S) and the top gas-only version, the Performante. At about $263,000 the Urus SE is priced $19,000 more than the S and $10,000 under the track-tuned Performante. But just to be clear, the SE is top dog when it comes to power.
The twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 as used in the Urus SE gives 612 horsepower, which on paper is 45 less than essentially the same engine in the S and Performante. However, in the SE, it is teamed to an electric motor that kicks in another 189 horses and 356 lb-ft. of torque. Combined output is rated at 789 horsepower and 701 lb-ft. of torque.
The Urus SE blends output from the gas engine and electric motor through an eight-speed automatic transmission and sends it to the wheels via the all-wheel-drive system. The SE gets tweaks to the center differential and electronic locking rear differential to match the hybrid powertrain’s characteristics.
Those numbers are just the start of the Urus SE’s story. There are more.
Urus SE By the Numbers
We’re at that point in supercar history where, within a segment or even within a model family, the performance numbers can seem closer than expected for the differences in price and market position. Lamborghini’s own Temerario makes that point by being just a few fractions off the acceleration of the Revuelto, which costs about double the Temerario’s $300,000 price. Of course, there are other reasons to covet the more expensive car that do not dilute the impact of the “entry” model.
In the Urus family, it’s again a question of fractions of seconds’ difference in acceleration performance among the three members. The S and Performante have the same powertrain, with the latter adding more track-focused handling capability. Both can jet from 0-60 in about 3 seconds and down the quarter-mile in just over 11 seconds at 122 mph.
That is staggeringly quick by anyone’s measure. The Urus SE, with its hybrid powertrain all-in, will likely take 1-3 tenths off each of those numbers. You probably won’t feel the difference, but you may feel the added torque of the electric motor in saner driving situations.
Since the Urus SE is a hybrid, we’d be remiss if we did not mention fuel economy, but don’t get too excited. While the gas-plus-battery figure of 47 MPGe looks somewhat impressive, that assumes a set amount of driving in battery mode. Running in Hybrid drive mode, the EPA ratings are 18 combined /17 city /19 highway mpg. A Prius this is not.
Blinded by Science … and Silence
Then come two more numbers that may seem shocking at first in a high-powered sporting Italian SUV. The first is an estimated 30 miles of electric-only driving range from the 25.9-kWh lithium-ion battery at speeds up to 81 mph. For all the sound and fury the twin-turbo V8 can dish out (and it can dish out a lot!), you could really blow passengers’ minds by taking them for rides in near-silent EV mode. A silent Lambo? Crazy, right?
The other number is weight, and the Urus SE has a lot of it. The hybrid powertrain and battery add about 700 pounds to the already hefty 5,000 of the gas-only Urus models. Yet, early drive previews suggest that the sophisticated chassis with electronic air suspension and good balance will let the electrified Urus shrug off that poundage as easily as its gas-only siblings do. That chassis sophistication also includes rear-wheel steering, computer-controlled active suspension dampers (shock absorbers) and active anti-roll bars.
Modes to Suit Your Mood
The Urus SE might be the ideal exotic for control freaks, err … we mean “control enthusiasts.” There are also six driving modes for different road surfaces, including Strada, Sport, Corsa, Neve, Sabbia and Terra (that’s for Road, Sport, Race, Snow, Sand, and Earth). The latter two are for light trail work.
The various modes adjust vehicle road clearance via the air springs and also tweak, steering, and powertrain responsiveness and even the twin-turbo V8’s exhaust sound. So, yes, you can go from EV mode’s near silence to all-out rip-roaring racecar sound by twisting some knobs on the console.
Then, there are four powertrain modes governing how the hybrid system behaves: Hybrid, Recharge, Performance, and EV Drive. You can blend some of these. We already noted EV mode as battery-only operation. “Hybrid” lets the computer optimize the balance between the gas V8 engine and the electric motor; “Recharge” recharges the battery as you drive (up to 80 percent) while maintaining good performance. And then there’s “Performance” mode, which basically unleashes the full V8 and electric motor combo.
Whichever modes you choose, and however you drive the Urus SE, when you get back to your garage, simply plug it in and the 11.0-kW onboard charger refills the battery.
The Lap of Luxury
You could probably spend weeks playing around with those driving and powertrain modes, but we’re guessing you’ll settle on a few favorite combos. You’ll be in the lap of luxury when you do. As a reminder, the Urus is a big vehicle, 201.7 inches long on a 118.2-inch wheelbase. Four- and five-seat configurations are available, and everyone onboard is coddled in soft leather or faux suede or combinations thereof. A new 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and 12.3-inch central infotainment display and control panels promise updated graphics and better usability.
The bottom line? Try to test-drive each of the Urus variants before you decide. The plug-in hybrid SE is likely to surprise you.
