The 2021 Lamborghini Urus laughed off snow, ice and slush as it powered through the wintery Rocky Mountains.
Think of the 2021 Lamborghini Urus as the best of German engineering, mixed in with the passion of Italian motoring, and a hint of utility, and you have something unique. I like to phrase it like this: take the uplifting flourish of Rossini (Italian), the precision and beauty of Beethoven (German), mix in some Van Halen (Badass), and you get the Urus. Underneath, the Lamborghini’s super-SUV is more or less the same as an Audi RS Q8…that’s injected with Redbull. That’s not even remotely a bad thing, unless you’re thinking price.
This tester, was (nearly) fully loaded, and costs a stonking $270,000. Mind you, you can get it for about $33 – $40K less without major options. That’s about the value of a new Audi A3 in options alone. Also, it’s pretty much twice the price of the aforementioned Audi RS Q8. Still, it is one of the least expensive Lamborghinis you can get.
Inside and outside of the 2021 Lamborghini Urus
I was hoping for a little more pizazz with the exterior design. You know, totally outrageous – like other Lamborghinis. It’s kind like it’s saying, “see, I sort of look like a Lamborghini” – you know what I mean? It needs more outlandish, obnoxious exterior design in my book.
Give me audacious flourish – with a hint of punk rock… that would help.
The interior is a mix of Audi and Italian – and I like it a lot more than many. Sure, the infotainment is not very intuitive to use, and much of the switchgear is from Audi’s parts-bin. So what? At least everything works. The climate control system is wonderful, the seats sporty, yet comfortable. Other than rearward visibly compromised by the fastback design, forward and side vision are similar to a Range Rover Evoque.
Back seat space is ample, and you can hold three across if you opt for the bench. You can get up 22 cubic feet in its cargo area but, you’ll lose two cubic feet if you get the optional rear bucket seats. I wouldn’t bother. Why bother getting a four-door Lambo if you’re not going to use those seats from time-to-time. Having an option for three in the back is a smart bet.
Driving the 2021 Lamborghini Urus
Pull the mini-lever to the STRADA (street) mode, and you have a smooth, yet powerful crossover. Its ride is fantastic, and the driving response is (surprise-surprise) very Audi-like. If you want the full experience, and you enjoy terrifying passengers, leave it on CORSA mode – like I did. That selection is basically a track mode, and it instantly changes the character of the Urus from smoky jazz to thrash-metal.
Seriously, the change is instantaneous, and the noise… addictive.
Baffles open up in the exhaust, suspension and steering sharpen, and the full force of the twin-turbocharged V8 kicks in. Traction control is limited, allowing some sliding and rubber to be burnt. Punch it hard and the civil/playful nature of the STRADA and SPORT modes turns into a wall of speed and anger. At high elevation, on Pirelli snow tires, old man Roman was getting about 3.6 seconds in the 0 to 60 mph sprint. At sea level, on performance rubber, that time is supposed to drop to about 3.2 seconds.
I believe it.
The steering feel is about as good as it gets for a crossover. It’s far better than any Mercedes-Benz equivalent crossover I’ve sampled, and on par with Porsche’s Cayenne.
I did put in in NEVA mode for a while – which is the Urus’ snow mode. Being that it was already sporting snow tires, the extra caution used in this mode felt like overkill to me. Still, if you’re an overpaid celebrity from So-Cal that has no idea what snow is, this model could help. It changes the shifting and power deployment to match the conditions perfectly. In this mode, despite my best efforts, I could not misbehave.
… back to CORSA mode!
Regrettably, the only mode that I couldn’t effectively test was TERRA. That’s the off-road mode and, according to reports, it make the Urus remarkably able to tackle challenging terrain. It lifts the suspension, changes the traction control system and alters the power output. So I have read.
Lamborghini did not want us to bounce their $270,000 machine off-road. Odd.
The Verict: Oh yeah!
All jokes aside, I found the overall drivability of the 2021 Lamborghini Urus an absolute treat. Now, is it worth over a quarter of a million dollars considering how many bits come off the Audi RS Q8? If my name was Big-Poppa-Bear Nathan “Pop-Star,” and I had millions in the bank, with a few rug-rats – why not? It has presence, stupid power, it’s fun and (for a Lamborghini) it is reliable.
I liked it a lot more than Roman and Tommy – because I’m a fun (handsome) man…
