Lamborghini’s popular Urus SUV grows a plug — and goes hybrid

Lamborghini’s mission to produce gas-electric hybrid versions of all of its models continues with today’s release of the plug-in hybrid Urus SE. The SUV is the top selling vehicle in Lamborghini’s lineup, and a hybrid version is sure to draw a lot of interest from the Italian automaker’s customer base of luxury-minded one-percenters.

The electrified luxury SUV’s hybrid powertrain can put out a total of 800 CV (a metric unit of horsepower that translates to 789 hp), or 588 kW, thanks to its 25 kWh battery. It can also travel as far as 60 km (37 miles) on battery power alone, which is certainly a healthy step up over the hybrid Revuelto’s 10 km of electric-only driving.

And, as befitting its Lambo-ness, the Urus SE will also be extremely expensive, starting at an eye-watering $258,000. That’s more expensive than the just-announced electric Mercedes G-Wagen, which will also start north of $205,000.

But for Lamborghini CTO Rouven Mohr, the real story isn’t the numbers or the price — it’s the drive quality. For the first time, Lamborghini has switched from a pure mechanical torque-based four-wheel drive system to one that is more flexible and allows for more differentiation between driving modes, he said. That includes an electric torque vectoring system between the two axles, as well as an electronic rear differential.

“The driving fun is much much more than the current Urus,” Mohr told The Verge.

The twin-turbo V8 can produce 620 CV of power (611 hp or 456 kW) and 800 Nm of driving torque, while the electric motor adds 192 CV (189 hp or 141 kW) and 483 Nm of torque. Lamborghini insists that the SUV, its least sporty sports car, will still feel like driving any of its more performance-oriented models.

The Urus SE can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in just 11.4 seconds, reaching a top speed of 312 km/h (194 mph). Lamborghini says the SE will be “the most powerful Urus ever, as well as the new benchmark in the Super SUV category.”

“The basic concept of the car is a performance hybrid,” Mohr said. “So it’s not a downsizing hybrid concept that some of the competitors are also doing.”

The new hybrid Urus is more aerodynamic than the gas version, with a 15 percent increase in efficiency due to a redesigned front end, plus a more aerodynamic underbody to improve the airflow through and around the vehicle.

Depending on the driving mode, the Urus’s air springs adjust for ground clearance, with travel ranging from 15 mm to up to 75 mm when the lifting system is activated. The hybrid’s steering, drivability, and the sound of the twin-turbo V8 are also adjustable.

When it comes out, the Urus SE will compete against a number of fancy, off-road oriented hybrids and EVs, including the Mercedes G-Wagen, Audi E-tron Q8, Cadillac Escalade IQ, and Porsche Cayenne. Hybrids are selling better than pure EVs, so the Lamborghini SUV may have an advantage over some of its competitors.

Lamborghini is two years into a €1.9 billion ($2 billion) electrification strategy, in which it will first roll out gas-electric hybrid versions of its entire lineup before introducing, in 2028, a brand-new all-electric fourth model. We’ve already seen one plug-in hybrid, the 2024 Revuelto, which will ultimately replace the Aventador. And the all-electric concept Lanzador.