2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante

In an effort to one-up its competitors in the high-performance midsize SUV segment, the new Lamborghini Urus Performante is the most focused iteration of the Urus yet. With the Aston Martin DBX707 here and the Ferrari Purosangue on the way - not to mention lesser German rivals like the BMW X5 M - the Performante aims to be the driver's choice in this crop of high-power, extravagant SUVs. Like the Urus S, the Performante gets a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that has been tuned to deliver 657 horsepower, but because the Performante is lighter, it's even quicker. The 0-62 mph sprint is down to just 3.3 seconds, and it'll top out at over 190 mph. Sitting lower to the ground on a stiffened suspension, and with numerous aerodynamic tweaks and a new Rally mode, the Urus Performante handles and entertains in a manner that is more akin to a well-sorted sports car - whether on the track or on the dirt. At over $260,000 before options, it is a privilege that few can afford, and it's not as comfortable as a base Urus, but these flaws tend to melt into oblivion from the moment you fire up that V8.

The new Lamborghini Urus Performante SUV is a fresh arrival for the 2023 model year, slotting in above the Urus and Urus S. Like the Urus S, the Performante's 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 has been uprated to produce 657 hp. It's the most track-focused Urus of all, though, thanks to a reduction in ride height, less weight, increased downforce thanks to a new spoiler, and recalibrated steering. It even has a Rally mode for enhanced performance on looser surfaces.

Even though the basic design of the Urus has been around for a few years, seeing the exterior of the Lamborghini Urus Performante up close is still quite an occasion. Lower by 20 mm and with wider carbon fiber wheel arches that barely contain the 22-inch forged wheels, it screams for attention in a way few rivals do. Those wheels, by the way, are wrapped in Pirelli tires that have been uniquely designed for the Performante.

In front, you'll find LED headlights and deep cuts in the hood, which is forged from carbon fiber to save weight. Aerodynamics have been carefully considered, with a new hood air outlet and a new air curtain that draws airflow over the front wheels. The eye-catching rear spoiler has carbon fiber fins and is said to draw inspiration from the Aventador SVJ. This element alone boosts rear downforce by an impressive 38%.

The quad tailpipes form part of a standard Akrapovic titanium exhaust system that saves weight and elicits a delicious growl from the potent V8. More carbon fiber adorns the lower rear bumper and diffuser.

Besides the many colors on offer, the shiny-effect carbon fiber can be replaced with matt carbon fiber, while a carbon fiber roof can also be specified. With one of the 2023 Urus Performante's flashy colors, this is an SUV that is nothing if not an attention-grabber.

A reprofiled front bumper and wider carbon fiber wheel arches have slightly changed the size and specific dimensions of the Lamborghini Urus Performante, as have the new steel springs that have lowered the body by 20 mm. The wheel track itself is now over half an inch wider than on the standard Urus.

The Performante has a length of 202.2 inches, a width of 79.8 inches with the mirrors, and a height of 63.7 inches. This all conceals a wheelbase measuring 118.3 inches.

Numerous weight-saving measures on the Lambo Urus Performante, like the increased use of carbon fiber, have resulted in a curb weight of 4,740 pounds. This works out to 104 lbs less than the Urus S, which makes precisely the same amount of power as the Performante.

There are more Lamborghini Urus Performante colors available than we can reasonably list here. The standard palette ranges from low-key hues like Bianco Monocerus (white) to Grigio Nimbus (gray) and Nero Helene (black), but also includes flashy colors such as Rosso Anteros (red), Verde Mantis (green), and Giallo Inti (yellow). Yellow is one of the signature Lambo shades, and it continues to do justice to the Urus, especially with all the dark carbon fiber found dotted around the Performante's body.

Under the Ad Personum range of colors, there are even more options, like Blu Cepheus (blue), Bronzo Hypnos (bronze), and Viola Pasifae (violet). A matt selection of colors includes options like Grigio China (gray), Bianco Phanes (white), Blu Arione (a teal-like blue), and Verde Gea (an almost army-type brown).

There are no less than six brake caliper colors - green, yellow, red, orange, and black - to further customize the Performante.

This is the quickest Urus yet. The same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 sends power to all four wheels but it produces 657 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, the same as that of the heavier Urus S. The 0-62 mph sprint takes only 3.3 seconds, two tenths less than the Urus S; the 0-60 time of the Lamborghini Urus Performante will be even quicker. By the time the Performante hits 124 mph, just 11.5 seconds have elapsed, which is a full second quicker than the Urus S. The top speed is almost exactly the same at 306 km/h (190.14 mph).

This SUV isn't only monstrously quick in a straight line, as evidence by its Pikes Peak time of 10:32.064, easily trouncing the Bentley Bentayga's previous production SUV record of 10:49.902.

Despite how quick it is, the Urus Performante is not the fastest SUV in the world: the Aston Martin DBX707 can reach 193 mph, and has similar acceleration. When it arrives, the V12-powered Ferrari Purosangue is claimed to shave almost a second off the Performante's 0-124 time, which is phenomenal.

Although a specific tow rating was not supplied by Lamborghini for the Performante, we do know that the standard Urus can tow up to 7,000 lbs.

The 4.0L eight-cylinder engine in the Lamborghini Urus Performante produces 657 hp at 6,000 rpm and 627 lb-ft of torque between 2,300 and 4,500 rpm. That's 16 hp up on the regular Urus. All-wheel drive is standard, and the eight-speed automatic transmission is shared with other Urus variants.

Unique to the Performante is an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system. It's not only lighter, but it unleashes an even more emotive soundtrack from the V8 when you switch into Sport or Corsa mode. Acceleration from the traffic lights is monstrous, but you need to be going pretty quickly to pick up the differences between the Performante and the Urus S. Throttle response is excellent, and overtaking power is addictive. Thanks to the wide torque band, the Performante can also be driven rapidly in even the more docile Strada mode, where it isn't too noisy or boisterous to make daily commuting a chore.

The eight-speed transmission is both smooth and quick, and you can flick through the paddle shifters yourself when you crave more interaction with the vehicle. At times, however, the auto 'box downshifts more slowly than desired in an apparent attempt to prevent the V8 from creeping too close to its limiter.

Overall, the Urus Performante is a thoroughly engrossing vehicle to drive, and its engine and transmission do a superb job of keeping up with the sharper chassis of this model.

It's here that the Urus Performante really begins to distance itself from the Urus S. Its new steel springs have lowered the chassis by 20 mm, and that rear spoiler has increased downforce by 38%. The wheel track is wider, there are specially developed semi-slick Pirelli tires, the steel springs are stiffer, and the steering has been recalibrated to deliver more precision. The rear-wheel steering, meanwhile, intervenes faster than before and works together with the torque vectoring system, while the driving modes have been re-engineered.

To drive, you immediately notice the weighty yet direct steering that communicates in a manner that's uncanny for a large SUV. Although the AWD Performante can't conceal its size and mass fully, the ability to accurately ascertain grip levels at each corner gives the driver confidence to press on. The air suspension for the Urus S does provide a more comfortable ride, with the Performante's firmer steel springs proving to be harsher, but the improvement in body control is noticeable, and the ride hasn't deteriorated to a point where the Performante is unbearable to live with.

Switch to Sport mode, and the V8's voice awakens and the Performante becomes more prone to oversteer. It's remarkable how quick, agile, and involving it is, and you quickly forget that this vehicle shares a platform with the more luxury-focused Bentley Bentayga and Audi Q8. Corsa mode further inhibits the traction control, and the active anti-roll bars do a stupendous job of keeping the body flat.

New to the Performante is a Rally mode that amplifies oversteer across looser, off-road surfaces. More torque is sent to the back, and on dirt tracks, the Performante will execute controllable power slides in a fashion that would flummox most other SUVs of this size. While we don't foresee the big Lambo being used in this way often, the fact that you can is undeniably impressive.

According to EPA ratings, the Urus Performante burns through gas at exactly the same rate as the Urus S, returning 14/19/16 mpg city/highway/combined. Running costs will be high, but it's nothing out of the ordinary for this level of performance. The Aston Martin DBX707 is a little more economical at 17 mpg combined, while the Bentley Bentayga Speed is even worse at a dire 14 mpg combined. These Urus Performante mpg and gas mileage ratings are not the specs that the average buyer will be paying much attention to, though.

The fuel tank capacity of the Lambo is 22.45 gallons, giving it a range of almost 360 miles.

As with the driving experience, the interior of the Lamborghini Urus Performante is also much sportier than its platform-sharing SUV rivals. There is no practical reason for the start/stop button to be nestled beneath a fighter jet-style red flap, but it is. This detail, together with liberal use of Alcantara on the Lamborghini Urus Performante's seats, a 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel, and the ANIMA controller for the driving modes, make one feel excited about the mere prospect of dashing to the shops for some groceries. There are many Urus Performante interior colors to brighten up the predominantly dark standard cabin, too. There is a central touchscreen for the ventilation system, and another screen displays key driver information. You can choose from an extensive selection of interior colors, and more leather can replace the Alcantara-heavy cabin if desired. The quality of materials is generally excellent, and the Urus is still the only Lambo that can seat five in comfort.

The Lamborghini Urus Performante seats five occupants as standard, although a four-seat configuration with individual rear seating for two and more rear storage is available as an option. You can also replace the standard front seats with massaging 18-way full power seats.

The sporty seats are comfortable but could do with a little more side bolstering for track use. Legroom and headroom, and interior space generally, are sufficient for six footers, although the sloping roofline does slightly impinge on rear headroom for taller passengers. Unlike the typical Lamborghini supercar, ingress and egress don't require any acrobatics, and visibility from the driver's seat is mostly good, bar the rather high window line.

Nero Cosmus black Alcantara-upholstered seats are standard inside, and there is a new hexagonal seat stitching design for the Performante. This mostly dark standard environment continues with Aluminum black anodized interior trim and a sporty matt black steering wheel in a combination of Alcantara or leather.

If the standard black Alcantara interior is a bit too dungeon-like for your tastes, there are a surfeit of alternatives available. Unicolor leather with contrast stitching in colors like Giallo Taurus (yellow), Arancio Leonis (orange), and Verde Fauns (green) is available, but even more color can be injected into the cabin with Bicolor Sportivo Alcantara seats in Nero Cosmus with a contrast color - this contrast color adorns the seats, center console, and more, and choices include Arancio Leonis, Blu Cepheus (a light blue), Rosso Alala (red), and Verde Scandal (a green-tinged yellow).

More carbon fiber can be added to the interior trim elements, there are various door handle colors, and the seat belts can be customized.

The quality of materials is generally very good, although considering the vehicle's lofty price, you'll find richer materials in an equivalently priced Bentley.

At 21.75 cubic feet, the cargo space behind the Lamborghini Urus Performante's second row is not exemplary for an SUV of this size. Consider, for instance, that the BMW X5 M has well over 30 cubic feet of trunk volume behind its second row. But in the context of Lamborghinis, this is the most practical model you can buy, and the space that is there is enough for most daily needs. If you specify the four-seater configuration, cargo space decreases slightly to 20.27 cubes.

It's possible to fold the standard rear seats flat to increase cargo-hauling capabilities.

In the cabin, small-item storage is handled by a covered but rather small center console compartment, door pockets, two front cupholders, and a glovebox. There is space at the back of the center console to easily store a small handbag. With the four-seater configuration, rear passengers have access to more center storage space. These passengers also have access to their own cupholders.

As standard, the Urus Performante comes with power-adjustable and heated front seats, but more extensively adjustable 18-way power seats are available. If you tick this box, the front seats also receive ventilation and massaging functions. The cabin is also kitted out with a digital driver's display, push-button start, automatic climate control, the ANIMA driver mode controller, paddle shifters, a rearview camera, and blind-spot monitoring. It's not the most comprehensive array of standard kit for a vehicle at this price, but the focus here is on performance rather that outright luxury.

For an additional cost, there are more features available such as the full driver-assistance package with its head-up display, highway assistant with effective adaptive cruise control, and a top-view camera system. Night vision is a separate extra, and the parking assistant pack can automatically control the steering, throttle, and brake to park the Urus. Heated rear seats are also available.

The Performante introduces a new human machine interface (HMI) graphic for the center screen and the driver's display. The digital gauge cluster prioritizes the rev counter, as in many performance vehicles, but also displays plenty of other information like tire pressures, the selected drive mode, and fuel consumption.

A dual touchscreen interface is found in the center of the dashboard, with the upper screen controlling general infotainment functions. Lower down is a separate touch display for the ventilation system, and this can also be used to control the seat heaters. This second display is quite large but still lacks the intuitiveness of pressing a button or turning a switch. In general, the graphics on the displays are crisp and clear.

As standard, the big Lambo comes with Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and voice controls. Wireless device charging is also included.

Lamborghini hasn't said how many speakers the standard Performante has for its sound system, but it's probably the same eight as found on the regular Urus. Two sound system upgrades are available, the first being the Lamborghini Sensonum premium sound system with 17 speakers, including a subwoofer. The next level up introduces the advanced 3D Bang & Olufsen sound system which boasts 21 speakers.

A rear-seat entertainment system with dual screens on the front seatbacks is available too.

No J.D. Power ratings currently exist for the Urus Performante, but thankfully, the 2023 Urus has not been recalled either. The 2022 version was recalled for an inoperative rearview camera display, but hopefully, this issue has been resolved before it could affect the 2023 Urus Performante. The Italian has been recalled less often than the typical German SUV since its launch, so the reliability of the Lamborghini Urus Performante looks like it'll be quite good.

The limited and powertrain warranty of the 2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante isn't limited by miles driven, but it only runs for the first three years of ownership. There is also no complimentary scheduled maintenance. For more peace of mind, customers can extend the warranty to a fourth or fifth year, and there is an optional maintenance package that runs for five years.

No NHTSA or IIHS review exists for the Lamborghini Urus Performante, and it may never be formally submitted for a crash test due to its exclusivity and price. However, the Audi Q8 which shares the same platform returned an overall five-star crash rating from the NHTSA when the 2021 model was evaluated, and the 2022 Q8 that was partially evaluated retained its five-star front crash rating and four-star rollover score. This is an indication that the safety standards of the Lamborghini Urus Performante will be similarly high.

Although you can buy a much cheaper German luxury crossover with more driver-assist safety features, the Urus Performante acquits itself reasonably well - if you're willing to spend extra on options.

It comes with a total of eight airbags: dual front, dual front side, dual rear side, and curtain airbags. Electronic stability control is standard, as is tire pressure monitoring, and front/rear carbon-ceramic brake discs.

A rearview camera and parking sensors help with maneuvering the sizable SUV in tight spaces, but the available top-view camera and automatic parking assistant can make this task even less stressful. Blind-spot monitoring is standard, but the range of driver assists can be optionally expanded with night vision, highway assist with adaptive cruise control, active lane assist, traffic jam assist, pedestrian recognition with automatic emergency braking, turning assist, and vehicle exit warning.

As the ultimate expression of the Lamborghini Urus, the Performante is a winner. Although the Urus S is already a heck of a performance SUV, Lamborghini has been able to elevate the driving experience with the Performante. It handles with even greater precision, sounds even angrier, and can pull off some acrobatics on dirt roads that are as nonsensical as they are a joy to behold. And, despite some formidable competitors in the form of the Aston Martin DBX707 and Bentley Bentayga Speed, this is still the SUV that looks and feels closest to a sports car. If we had to nitpick, it's not as practical as some much smaller SUVs, the ride is less comfortable than in the Urus S, and there are too many essentials on the options list for something so expensive. This is about as much fun as you can have in an SUV, though, but the Ferrari Purosangue may have something to say about that when it arrives on the scene.

The price of the new 2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante is $260,676 in the USA, and that starting point doesn't include the Italian manufacturer's destination charge that'll cost another $3,995, nor the plethora of available options. In total, the MSRP of the Lamborghini Urus Performante can likely top $300,000 when fully loaded with options.

Lamborghini doesn't disclose pricing of the various Urus Performante options, but there are quite a few of them.

The Full ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) Package with the head-up display includes all the available driver-assists like adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, turning assist, pedestrian detection with safe vehicle exit, and a top-view camera system. This package added over $6,300 to the bill of a Urus a few years ago, so likely costs a bit more than that now.

The Highway Assistant package groups together fewer driver assists like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and traffic sign recognition, while the Urban Road Assistant package bundles together a blind-spot assistant, intersection assist, rear cross traffic alert, car exit warning, and precognition at the back. Automatic parking assistance is available by way of a package as well.

The head-up display can be specified as an individual option, as can night vision assist, wiper blades with integrated nozzles, heated rear seats, the 17-speaker Lamborghini Sensonum sound system, and the 21-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system.

There is only one trim so that makes the initial choice an easy one, but how you spec the rest of your Urus Performante is up to you. We would go for the more luxurious 18-way front seats with ventilation and massage, the Bang & Olufsen sound system, and the Full ADAS package with the heads-up display. As long as you don't go wild with any other options, this should keep the final price to below $300k. It's extremely expensive, but this is also a very special car.