Lamborghini Urus Performante India Road Test Review: Fastest SUV!

The Urus Perfomante is simply the most hardcore super SUV that you can buy and it is basically a supercar that also happens to be an SUV.

Lamborghini Urus Performante ( Image Source :Somnath Chatterjee )

India is a country that loves SUVs and we are not alone as SUVs are the most popular choice in all of the global markets as well. The reasons for that are pretty clear in terms of being more practical and also the appeal that it brings with it. However, is it possible to get a super SUV? Basically a supercar mixed with an SUV? Lamborghini did it with the Urus and that has gone on to become a segment leader while also breaking sales records. Then recently it introduced the Urus Performante. What does Performante mean? It means less weight, more power and being made to demolish a racetrack along with being a hardcore drivers car.

All that in an SUV seems very difficult to achieve unless you happen to drive it.

The Urus Perfomante is simply the most hardcore super SUV that you can buy and it is basically a supercar that also happens to be an SUV. It is an Urus with many changes that are done to increase performance and lower weight. The front-end looks meaner too and a closer look reveals a lot more carbon fibre being added onto the car.

There is a carbon fibre bonnet with vents, a different bumper, better cooling with larger intakes, greater downforce and you can even get a carbon fiber roof. Then you spot those huge 23-inch wheels and bespoke tyres made for Lamborghini while the rear has a larger spoiler along with a huge diffuser. It looks angry and mean, the Urus Performante.

Inside, you get Alcantara everywhere and red trim along with red door-handles while there is also carbon fiber. It is a well equipped cabin though with dual screens on the centre console plus all of the gadgets. That said, the Anima or the drive mode switch is a bit like the one on a fighter jet and just makes you feel special. A huge surprise is the rear seat space being ample in terms of legroom or headroom along with a huge boot. You can actually be chauffeured in it — I kid you not!

However, the driver's seat is where you should be. Visibility is quite good and you are seated in a comfortable position-not very high but not very low as well. The new titanium exhausts are loud from the word go and this tells you the Urus Performante is way more aggressive along with being as loud as any supercar. Start driving though and you immediately get the advantage of having an SUV as you do not need to crawl over speed-breakers!

Despite huge 23-inch wheels, the Urus Performante is surprisingly practical and managed to cope with some of the broken roads enroute our test drive. You can drive this everyday and even the ride despite being firm is not uncomfortable.

However, the real deal is when you get to an empty road and then the sheer speed just shocks you. Lamborghini has increased the power and reduced weight by 47kgs which immediately shows. It pulls harder and the tweaked steering along with the sports suspension makes it feel connected to the road. The engine is loud and the sheer speed hits you- 0-100 km/h is just 3.3 seconds and that's very much possible given an empty road. Plus, the exhaust brings in loud pops and crackles which just makes you smile.

Honestly, I did not even listen to the audio system once. Not just the power though as mentioned before, the air suspension has been changed to steel springs on the Performante and that brings in egen sharper dynamics with no roll at all. You basically drive it like some supercar in terms of aggressively putting it into a corner and it responds.

That fact that the Urus Performante is 20mm lower also brings in handling which you just cannot believe from an SUV as big as this. You can even drift it on dirt tracks with the new Rally mode!

The Urus Performante costs Rs 4.2 cr and that's a  lot but you also get two cars into one! It brings a supercar experience which is authentic while also being practical enough for our roads- a Lamborghini which you can enjoy every single day!