What is it?

The Lamborghini Urus has been a successful model for the brand not just in India but across the globe. In India alone, the Italian marquee has managed to retail more than 200 units since its introduction. The Urus was then due for a lifecycle update, and this updated model was first teased when it broke the Pikes Peak hill climb record in August. Following a debut shortly after at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the Urus Performante has now made its way to Indian shores. Let’s find out what’s in store from the house of the raging bull in the form of this updated SUV.

How is it on the outside?

The Lamborghini Urus Performante, although a facelift in general terms, is much more than just that. Starting with the exterior design, the ‘SSUV’ as the brand likes to call it, is bathed in carbon-fibre elements all around.

These include the front bumper and splitter, hood with integrated vents, wheel arches, body cladding, rear diffuser, and mirror caps. Also on offer is an optional carbon-fibre roof. All these elements add up to a weight saving of 47kg over its predecessor. Lamborghini says that this is a car with the highest number of carbon-fibre elements in its segment, a claim which we don’t have an iota of doubt on!

Coming to the cosmetic updates, the Urus Performante features tweaked front and rear bumpers, a blacked-out air dam, a range of 22-inch alloy wheels to choose from, and air curtains. It also gets a new spoiler with carbon-fibre fins that claim to improve downforce by 38 per cent at the rear, with the overall downforce increasing to eight per cent.

The bi-colour scheme seen here on this unit includes blacked-out parts such as the door handles, lip spoiler, air vents on the bonnet, and window line. The Urus has always had a love-it or hate-it design and as seen here in the signature Rosso Mars paint scheme with carbon fibre dripping from all ends, it managed to soar the temperatures even on a cool evening in Delhi.

How is it on the inside?

Step inside the Lamborghini Urus Performante and you will be quick to notice the contrast-coloured inserts that are in sync with the exterior paint option. The red inserts here are visible not just on the seats, floor mats, and stitching, but are also adorned in the form of the Lamborghini logo on the front seats.

Then, the Alcantara upholstery feels premium all around. Now, holding that flat-bottom steering wheel with a subtle red insert at the top and the Italian flag at the bottom certainly reminds you that you are driving something special from the house of Sant'agata Bolognese.

The carbon-fibre details are carried over to the interior too, where it dominates half of the dashboard and centre console as well as the AC vents. The large touchscreen infotainment system gets updates in the form of new graphics, while the secondary touch unit below continues to display ventilation controls.

The drama of the Urus Performante, or the Urus line-up in general, begins with the red engine start-stop button cover that needs to be lifted before you can listen to all eight cylinders firing up. Located on either side of this button are ‘Tamburo’ levers that allow the driver to play around with the drive modes. Speaking of which, the Urus Performante features a revised setup of drive modes that includes Strada, Sport, Corsa, and a new Rally version.

What’s under the hood?

At the heart of Lamborghini’s best-selling model is the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that has now been massaged to put out a total of 666bhp, while the 850Nm of torque remains unchanged. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the SUV can sprint from 0-100kmph in a mere 3.3 seconds, all the way up to an electronically-controlled speed limit of 306kmph.

Apart from the upgrade in the power department, Lamborghini has also equipped the Urus Performante with new steel springs that lower the chassis by 20mm. A previously optional offering that is now standard across the range is the V8 symphony coming out through the Titanium Akrapovic sports exhaust, which leaves you wanting more of that exhaust note and burble as it returns to idle.

What about pricing and rivals?

The Lamborghini Urus Performante is priced from Rs 4.22 crore (ex-showroom) onwards, before taxes and customisation. Rivals to the model include the Aston Martin DBX, Bentley Bentayga Speed, and the new BMW XM. The Urus Performante is focused on outright performance and sportiness, and in case you are someone who likes a little more luxury to take on the likes of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, there’s also the Urus S, which could arrive in India in the coming months.