Heavy Hitter Delivers Plug-In Hybrid Punch
At the beginning of the electric vehicle era, Lamborghini long ago promised that the company’s future hybridization strategy aimed to improve not just efficiency but, much more importantly, performance gains as a priority. Now, with the entire lineup currently made up of hybrids that combine batteries and electric motors with stunningly powerful internal combustion engines, the Revuelto and Temerario supercars proved beyond a doubt that Lambo achieved what so many other automakers struggled with: engaging driving dynamics despite inevitable weight gains.
Still, selling the Urus as a plug-in hybrid SUV makes the most sense on paper, offering improved fuel economy, silent driving, and better range in full EV mode, plus only modest weight gains that make less of a difference in a 5,000-pound five-seater than for a low-slung supercar. To find out whether Lambo truly built the perfect daily driver super SUV with the Urus SE hybrid, I recently took a loaner in Los Angeles for city streets, highway cruising, plenty of hard canyon charging – and even a few forays off the asphalt entirely.
First, it’s critical to understand how much the Urus SE’s hybrid system differs from the Revuelto and Temerario. Think of this setup as a more traditional plug-in that employs a much larger 25.9-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery below the trunk. The twin-turbo V8 carries over from ICE-only Urus models, albeit detuned to “just” 612 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s because the electric motor mounted within the eight-speed transmission can contribute 189 horsepower and a beefy 356 lb-ft of torque. All of which results in combined totals of 789 horsepower and 701 lb-ft at full throttle, the latter way down in the rev range at just 1,750 rpm.
The Urus SE can also manage far more electric range thanks to the larger battery, at around 37 miles versus single digits for both the Revuelto and Temerario. Fuel economy improves to 20 miles per gallon in gas mode, and an impressive 48 MPGe in full hybrid mode, versus just 16 MPG for the ICE-only Urus S. Throw in a claimed 80% drop in emissions, plus unbelievably quick throttle response as the electric motor and gas engine work together for hard launches and freeway passing.
Sounds like the best of both worlds, right? Well, equally as important as improving performance and efficiency at the same time, Lambo also faced the challenge of how to keep the Urus SE thrilling and engaging to drive other than in a straight line. All that hybrid componentry does add about 15% onto the mass of the lightest Urus Performante, for a total curb weight of 5,520 pounds. Even the full carbon-fiber roof (a $7,507 option) can’t combat the sheer physics of how much the electric powertrain components weigh.
And in truth, I noticed the additional poundage almost immediately, while just driving normally on city streets. The SE uses the same suspension components with different electric calibrations, which means a supple air ride but also the ability to lower and raise the ride height, plus firm up the dampers to bolster handling dynamics while driving aggressively. Though the suspension tuning works quite impressively, all things considered, it’s not quite as sublime as either the base air suspension Urus and S, nor the steel-sprung Performante.
My loaner’s small wheels and taller Pirelli Scorpion Zero all-season tires probably helped a little, too, to smooth out some road imperfections by reducing the rest of the suspension’s responsibility to absorb impacts. Instead, the added weight creates more of a rafting sensation, as the whole body moves around more over road undulations, speed bumps, and rough sections of pavement – though never necessarily uncomfortable, this occasionally borders on disconcerting, especially once I started to drive harder in the hills of Malibu.
Pushing any SUV hard through curving canyon roads might seem silly, but the Urus SE is still a Lambo after all. And the previous Urus, S, and Performante all exceeded expectations. The SE, meanwhile, struggled to reach the same level of glory, which I suspect partially comes down to the all-season tires spec-ed on this loaner rather than performance-oriented rubber. Lightweight steering purposefully helps to counteract the impression of overall heaviness, while imparting a sense of playfulness into the handling. But the SE tended to push into corners with some understeer, then drift wide unless I paid extra attention to modulating my brake and throttle inputs impeccably.
The adaptive sway bars and rear steering also worked hard, but luckily Lambo’s suite of electronic traction aids allows for plenty of fun – leaning into throttle earlier through corners like a true rally car brought on healthy slip angle and countersteering, though trusting the all-wheel-drive system quite that much admittedly requires a firm hand and plenty of confidence.
Throughout, the SE sure sounded spectacular as the twin-turbo V8’s exhaust burbled and banged, echoing off the canyon walls. Especially in Sport and Corsa mode, the soundtrack borders on the depth of a muscle car, effectively masking any semblance of hippy hybrid vibes. Plus, the Terra and Neve modes (for dirt and snow) can lift up the body high enough that I felt comfortable playing around on a secret dirt track in the middle of Malibu. The air suspension there simply gobbled up the bumps, as I slid around with almost too much ease under either power, braking, or turning. Overall weight matters a little less in an SUV like this once the going gets slippery, and SE’s centrally distributed mass creates very predictable behavior. I just wished for even more ground clearance and true knobby tires while kicking up dust.
Actually, figuring out how to activate the Urus SE’s various drive modes admittedly took me a while to figure out – an adjustment period equal to, if not longer than, learning how to properly push this super SUV up to the limit and not beyond despite the weight gains. The typical fighter jet-style controls already looked awesome on previous models, effectively conveying that familiar cockpit aesthetic so prevalent in Lambo’s other supercars.
But throwing in full EV mode via the toggle on the right of the console, then three additional hybrid settings via push buttons below, plus a much more convoluted gauge cluster that needs to show all the electric and internal-combustion systems working together, occasionally goes overboard in the sense of paralysis by analysis. I needed to test every mode, too!
The Urus SE always comes to life in full EV mode to keep the neighbors happy. Sometimes the silence led me to push the start button again, which then turned off the car. Whoops! Then I usually popped the left lever into Strada to wake up the full hybrid system, though the gas engine doesn’t always fire up immediately. Using the hybrid buttons, I typically kept the Urus SE in full hybrid mode to explore how nice the electric motor and gas engine play together. The stop-start and changeovers as the gas engine turned on and off actually worked surprisingly seamlessly, given the sheer heft of the twin-turbo V8.
I also tried recharge mode to keep the battery topped up, and in fact, purposefully ran the gas tank to almost dry to truly force full EV operation as a range test. I then ran well over 15 miles in total silence, using around five-eighths of the claimed capacity. Not bad, and full EV mode also puts out more pep than expected, rather than simply enough motivation for light city traffic. However, at super slow speeds, I occasionally noticed some awkward tendencies as the handover between regen and friction brakes caused occasional lurching.
As much as the ICE Urus nails a very specific type of super SUV, I struggle to argue against the SE hybrid despite these few minor foibles. Choosing the SE adds only about $30,000 to the base price of the current Urus S, which seems entirely reasonable even if the hybrid only added the extra 130 horsepower or so. This heavily optioned loaner stretched up to more like $352,000 as tested, so I’d pick a bolder exterior paint job, a more restrained interior with matte carbon fiber trim, and skip the all-weather floor mats.
Still, with improved styling that also lends a more sophisticated, futuristic look to the angular design, plus the ability to drive in full EV and hybrid modes, the SE takes the cake. And every single time I punched that throttle, killing my fuel economy in the name of fun, the absurd amount of instantaneous acceleration when that twin-turbo V8 unleashed full fury in tandem with modern electric power left an enormous grin on my face. And if Lamborghini can manage to bring up those old childlike joys in a heavy hybrid SUV, the future of electrification looks very bright after all.
Images: Michael Van Runkle
