Lambo boosts Urus power, styling and price

LAMBORGHINI’S head-turning Urus SUV promises to get even more attention with the arrival of a new model that adds styling cues from the brand’s performance division and inherits more power for quicker acceleration.

The Urus S, which replaces the original Urus that launched here in March 2018, develops 485kW of power to result in a 0-100km/h time that is sliced by 0.2 seconds (to 3.5). Keep the pedal pinned and the Italian super SUV will reach an academic 305km/h top speed.

More power comes at the cost of a higher price tag, with the Urus S here in the second half of next year with a starting price of $409,744 (plus on-road costs), a steep $17,776 hike on the outgoing model.

Lamborghini’s upgrade to its top-selling model comes a year before the company is expected to announce a plug-in hybrid version that will mark a larger design change for the car.

Globally, the brand has sold more than 20,000 Urus models, with Australia accounting for 275 of those units since March 2018. 

Automobili Lamborghini chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said the Urus’ commercial success “was testament to its credentials as the first and enduring super SUV: the Urus S elevates that reputation.”

Externally, Lamborghini has identified the “S” with black features including a painted stainless steel front skid plate, air vents on the bonnet and rear bumper panel. The cabin design remains unchanged but the “S” features new trim and upholstery colours.

It comes with design enhancements that reflect its sports-oriented character but with a luxury focus to suit the family buyer.

The company said that it comes with “a significant increase in options in terms of colours, trim, wheels, style packages and special details that allows customisation across the spectrum, from understated style to maximum sportiness”.

A new front bumper design is claimed to be more refined, incorporating the matte black stainless steel skidplate as standard, complemented by the black lines of the front grille. 

“Five further style configuration options combine body colour, shiny black, and carbon-fibre components in shiny and matte finish, allowing markedly individual configurations for the Urus S,” said Lamborghini.

“A new lightweight carbon-fibre painted bonnet comes with matte black air vents, with optional finishes to the vents in gloss black, body colour or carbon-fibre in shiny or matte finish. An optional visible carbon-fibre roof lends an athletic elegance to the new Urus S.”

Lamborghini also said that the new rear bumper gives the car “a more streamlined and elegant appearance”.

A matte black-painted lower section has a new twin-pipe exhaust design in brushed steel as standard, with optional matte or shiny black, or an ‘Ad Personam’ option in bright chrome. 

The “S” comes with the standard 21-inch wheel with options of 22-inch Nath rims with titanium matte and diamond polish finish, and 23-inch Taigete wheels in bronze and diamond polish alternatives.

Revised colour and trim palettes for the interior include a new bi-colour Sportivo theme, and a new bi-colour Sophisticated option featuring the Urus Performante stitching pattern. 

“The bi-colour Sportivo delivers a more discrete and stylish use of the complementary colour; the Sophisticated black leather trim comes with new contrast colour options in conjunction with refined new Blu Leandro and Verde Aura alongside tan, cream and brown,” Lamborghini said in its release.

“Providing optimum opportunities for owners to specify their Urus S according to their lifestyle, the new colour and trim options underline the high-performance credentials of the Urus S while delivering understated and timeless luxury.”

Cabin systems in the Urus S include connected navigation, security features and in-car control services including “remote park” via the Lamborghini Unica App that can also be managed via smartphone integration, with the enhancement of smartwatch controls including the virtual car key function.

The 4.0-litre bi-turbo petrol V8, which has the same power calibration as the ongoing Performante variant, is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all wheels. Lamborghini claims an average fuel consumption of 14.1 litres per 100km.

Via the Performante upgrade, the Urus S has six drive modes plus EGO mode. The S carries over the chassis specifications with its adaptive air suspension and the drive modes, including three specific off-road modes.