Lamborghini Urus SE (2026) Review

SOMETHING is awry.

You know the drill; flip the cool red lacquered starter button guard, press and wait for the spine-tingling roar from the 4.0 litre twin turbo V8.

The shout should be louder than ever as I notice the four tailpipes sticking from the valance of this particular Lamborghini Urus sport the moniker Akrapovic, a rather tasty optional extra.

But what’s happening? The dash springs to life and there’s a buzz of anticipation but nothing else, even though it’s ready to drive. Now that just won’t do.

Of course, this Urus is the new SE and it’s a hybrid. Crazy, eh? Tell you what else is crazy, the miles per gallon display is reading 36.7, from an engine that offers close to 800hp – what? Look at the CO2 figures as well – 51g/km – that’s virtually fresh with a hint of lilac.

Still, back to the noise, or at least the lack of it. I call over the Lamborghini man and ask him if there’s a way round the deafening silence. He smiles a knowing smile and changes something on the transmission tunnel, you know the thing that alters the car from normal to sport, to track to snow and even sand, that thingy. An ROAR! That’s more like it, that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout.

And that’s why Urus remains my favourite car, holding the crown since the last time I drove one in 2019.

I know there are other Lamborghinis but this one suits my decrepitude. I’m not as young as I was nor as bendy and the thought of lowering myself down to mere inches above the tarmac, risking my coccyx on rigid sports seats side bolsters, is about as appealing as going to the gym.

That’s the strength of the Urus, it’s sportswear dressed up in a lounge suit, complete with elasticated waist. You climb up into its imperious cabin not fall to your death.

But when you do it becomes full-on supercar featuring glorious Lambo detailing, swathes of Alcantara, carbon fibre and anodized aluminium trim, a tactile fighter-plane cockpit with fantastic digital instruments, buttons and levers, a top-notch B&O hi-fi and the all-important charging bull badge on the integral headrests, – bellissimo, or should that be wunderschon as the company is after all owned by Audi.

A ‘tamburo’ selector unit is there for different driving modes. There are six Urus driving modes and four new Electric Performance Strategies, making 11 options in all. The Strada, Sport, and Corsa modes are for road and track use. The Neve, Sabbia, and Terra modes are for surfaces with lower grip than asphalt. Then there is now EV Drive, Hybrid, Performance and Recharge options.

They all ensure Urus has full-blooded Italian running through its veins. That twin turbo V8 is simply awesome, peerless and for me so much better than a normally aspirated V12. Power is instantaneous because it has the help of the electric hybrid system to get it moving off the mark, at which point its guttural lustiness stimulates the senses. It not only sounds amazing, it feels amazing and the torque could rip a hole in the space-time continuum.

But its genteel side is so amenable. It will trundle along for close to 40 miles without even igniting the combustion engine thanks to a 141 kW electric motor. Pootle along on your toes like a ballerina and you’ll see the MPG flick the right side of 36. Last time I drove non-hybrid Urus all I could manage was 27, and I thought that was impressive.

So how you marry figures like almost 800hp, 950Nm torque, 0-60mpg sprint time of three seconds and a top speed of 194mph with that level of economy is the stuff of alchemy.

If the performance is magnifico then the ride and handling is stupenda. That’s because under updated muscular and athletic lines, the beautifully sculpted sophisticated skin, lies multi-link suspension with semi-active dampers, pneumatic springs and a nifty car height adjustment system.

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Razor sharp steering gives what is a sizable car the agility of an Olympic gymnast and supreme handling is ably aided by a double steering rear axle. When you need to scrub off speed, then that comes easily and readily courtesy of gargantuan carbon ceramic brakes with a diameter of more than 17in on the front and 16in on the rear, grabbed by enormous callipers which peak out from behind the stunning 22in alloy wheels.

What’s not to like? A supercar clothed as an SUV, with all the everyday practicality to boot. Peerless performance with the ridiculous economy and emissions of a plug-in hybrid, which will snarl like the rampaging bull on the badge or trundle along with a whisper. So when I think about it nothing is awry at all, Urus SE is just my perfect car.

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