Introduction

Frankly, the Urus needs no introduction. Why, you ask? Well, for the simple reason that it was born as the fastest production SUV in the world. While the terms, fastest and SUV’s don’t really go together, the world has suddenly seen a massive demand for sport utility vehicles and while they are made for practicality and space, the manufacturers decided to throw in big performance as well. You already have the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, the BMW X5 and X6M’s, the Mercedes G-AMG’s and then some, and while they are ridiculously fast, none of them have been able to balance out the virtues of a supercar and an SUV, which was the basis of their existence.

Lamborghini, who have only been into the supercar stuff, decided they should try a hand at marrying these two virtues together and lo behold, the result was the Urus. It’s been making waves all over the world and now we at Carwale, were called to try it on Indian soil for the first time. While we have extensively covered the car in detail and you can read about it here, let’s concentrate on how it feels from behind the wheel.

First Impression is the last impression...

And the Urus will leave you with impressions that will last for a very long time. It was important for the Urus to look like a Lamborghini and that it does, combining the jacked up stance of an SUV with razor- sharp lines of the Aventador or the Huracan. It boasts of a coupe silhouette along with short overhangs combined with a tall stance and more ground clearance than one is used to seeing on a Raging Bull. The front is dominated by the gaping bumper which has massive intakes in a bid to keep those wheel-sized brake rotors cool. The slim headlights are mounted high up on the fender lines behind which you have a bulging hood.

The sides highlight the coupe profile even more thanks to the high shoulder line, but making it look butch are those massive wheel arches and even more massive 21-inch wheels. At the rear, there are Y-shaped taillights and a race-car-like diffuser complemented by a quartet of integrated rounded exhaust tips. The Urus looks like nothing else on the road and looks unmistakably Lamborghini.

A Lambo seating five and taking their luggage...

If you have sat in a Lamborghini before, this one will surprise you. No scissor door opening (although we’d like that) and no yoga exercises of any kind to get in. You pretty much just walk in and out. Take your place and you are welcomed by a fighter-jet-like layout. Like the outside, you have almost no rounded elements and instead you get plenty of geometric design elements all over. The dash is dominated by two massive screens; one handles the air-con and seat functions while the other takes care of the infotainment system. And just so you know, it gets a bucket load of features and connectivity options like voice command, wireless charging, Bluetooth media streaming, DVD player along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The sound system is an eight-speaker Bang & Olufsen and it’s a real banger.

What is impressive though is the amount of space inside. The Urus will comfortably seat four and take in a fifth as well, but the middle passenger gets lesser under-thigh and knee room. And even with the coupe-like roof-line, tall passengers get plenty of room. And it’s not just passengers, but with 616 litres of boot space it will carry their luggage too. In simple words, not only are the interiors spacious and practical but supremely luxurious too.

Power, more power and then some...

Starting the Urus is an exciting procedure in itself. Flick the red switch cover and press the starter button as the massive four-litre petrol V8 barks to life. You get the Tamburo which is Lamborghini speak for the driving dynamics control. You get aircraft style levers to change modes. The Anima lever controls the drive modes while the Ego mode helps further customise the driving modes. Strada is the auto mode where the height adapts according to speed and is the most comfortable of all. Sport as the name suggests, lowers the Urus and gets things going quickly and then there is Corsa which ignites the afterburners and makes the Urus angry and ready to demolish the tarmac.

But the Urus is not just about good tarmac. Should you decide to head to your luxurious campsite, the Urus also gets a Neve which is snow mode, Terra for off-road conditions and finally Sabbia for sand. These modes also raise the ground clearance substantially which makes it perfect for the lovely potholes and speed-breakers that India has to offer.

Now our drive was a pretty short one with a route which had a few corners till we hit the city and then a city drive all the way till a short burst on the expressway. In Strada, everything is about being smooth and the Urus just purrs along, even in bumper to bumper traffic. What blew us away was the ride quality. Even with 22-inch wheels and a sporty set-up, the Urus simply glides on our imperfect highways. Heck, it even takes the potholes without complaints. Lamborghini has pulled a rabbit out of its hat as far as the ride quality is concerned and we were genuinely surprised. Move the lever to Sport and things start getting tighter. The exhaust valves open and it starts crackling and popping. But since we were going to get extremely limited time on the expressway, we decided to shift to Corsa mode and make the best of it.

Corsa means race and the Urus completely changes character. The steering weighs up and suddenly you start to feel every ripple on the road and when you finally mash the smiley pedal, all hell breaks loose. Well, it made my co-passenger yelp and pushed me firmly into the seat. All 650bhp and 800Nm come into play and acceleration is just surreal. What is also impressive is how Lamborghini has made a turbo-charged engine sound like the way the Urus does. Its sounds pretty much like the Huracan with that intoxicating wail every time you let the rev limiter climb till 7000 rpm. Just to give some figures, the Urus can hit 100kmph in 3.6 seconds, 200kmph in 12.8 seconds and go on to hit a top speed of 305kmph. The eight-speed gearbox is very precise and should you need, it also helps with engine braking.

Attacking corners is another fantastic experience. Slotted in Sport or Corsa, there is no roll. There is literally no roll and the Urus corners flat with leech-like grip. Well it does get permanent four-wheel drive which is assisted by torque vectoring and rear-wheel steering but while that reads great in the spec sheet, it’s unbelievable how it translates on to the road. Supercar performance, supercar handling and yet as comfortable as any other luxury SUV out there.

We want one and so does everyone else...

Even at Rs. 3.10 crores, ex-showroom, the Urus is in great demand all over the world and in fact the Indian lot for this year is already sold out and frankly, we aren’t surprised. With supercar looks and presence, all the luxury one needs, performance to shame most supercars and still manage to go off-road while at it, the Urus does it all. And most importantly, it’s a Lamborghini that will carry five passengers in comfort and their luggage without any of the teeth chattering ride quality expected out of most performance oriented cars. The age of Super SUVs is here. And as Lamborghini says #wemadeitpossible, we say #theymadeitpossible!