DUBAI: It’s confession time: I’ve always been a bit scared of Lamborghini.
The flashy super-sports cars in shocking colors that you see on Dubai streets and on the forecourts of five-star hotels look so downright aggressive and fast that I’ve always had a sneaky feeling that a man of my advancing years would look slightly ridiculous getting in and out of a Huracan or Aventador.
But the lure of the magical Lambo name was too much, and when the opportunity arose I was excited to step into the rather more sedate Urus, Lamborghini’s move into the super-SUV segment.
This section of the luxury car market is smoking hot at the moment, especially in the Middle East, which just loves its SUVs. Rolls Royce, Bentley, Porsche, and Maserati have all produced fantastic multi-terrain vehicles recently, and even Ferrari is working on its own thoroughbred.
But the Urus is the sportiest and sexist of the elite SUVs so far and Lamborghini says it is the most powerful. Gulf drivers have taken to it with relish, judging by the numbers on the roads, many of which are being driven by Arab women. Interesting phenomenon.
FASTFACT
Urus
The name of a type of bull, similar to Spanish fighting bulls, maintaining Lamborghini’s link with the powerful animal.
I said “sedate,” but that is not really the appropriate term for a vehicle that will get you from 0-100kph in 3.6 seconds with a top speed of just over 300kph. This is all thanks to a four-liter V-8 twin-turbo engine that gets all that power to a 4WD system the techies say is among the most advanced around at the moment.
If you want to emulate the archetypal Lambo-head by popping and cracking the engine at the signal, you can do that, but during normal driving the engine thunders rather than screams. You can hear yourself think and have a decent conversation in the cockpit, though you may have to shout for the benefit of rear-seat passengers — not a problem Lamborghini encounters in its sports cars, of course.
I had been told to expect superior road handling, and was not disappointed. This is a two-ton car that can take the kids to school in style and safety, or do some dune-bashing at the weekend, but the way it hurls itself out of sharp corners, or sticks flat to the road on hairpin bends, is a marvel to behold.
A lot of that is down to the ultra-sophisticated four-wheel steering that has the effect of elongating and shortening the wheelbase depending on speed and road orientation.
With such handling, it really is hard to believe you’re driving an SUV.
FASTFACT
Tractors
The original Mr Lamborghini also produced farm machines, and you can still buy a Lambo tractor — although that company no longer has anything to do with the sports-car manufacturer.
The interior screams “Italia,” and not just because of the driving modes — including Strada, Corsa, and Terra — that are flagged up on the center console. The others are Sport, and — a nice touch for the Middle East — Sabba (sand). I doubt the Neve (snow) mode will get much use in the region.
And of course you can personalize your own driving experience, in the Ego mode — again, how very Italian.
The cockpit technology is extremely sophisticated, with everything you’d expect from an Italian manufacturer now owned by a German company, VW. A lot of the hi-tech features seem heavily influenced by Audi, which is a good thing of course. Vorsprung Durch Technik, after all.
Lamborghini took a long time to design and unveil the Urus, perhaps while pondering whether it was really possible to mix a super-sports car with an SUV. But it has done it. At times you have to remind yourself that this is a multi-terrain vehicle, rather than something you want to throw around the F1 track on Yas Island.
The 2021 version will cost you around $272,257 for starters, but options can raise that significantly. To get the super-sport SUV of your dreams, you’d better start $354,000 and be prepared to go higher.
The car I drove was in a reassuringly traditional shade of British racing green, but now that I’ve overcome my Lambo-phobia with the Urus, look out for me on the roads of Dubai in a bright lime-and-day-glo-orange Huracan.
