It’s named after a large, extinct European wild ox; it looks, feels and drives like an SUV of the distant future. This is Lamborghini Urus, the world’s first super sport utility vehicle. Like all Lamborghini cars, it’s shaped like a wind, and unlike all, it’s very spacious. It’s now available in India. We drive it near Pune.

What is the Urus?
Globally launched last year, the Urus reflects the growing global taste for SUVs even in the ultra-luxury segment—which has, of late, seen SUVs such as Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Bentley Bentayga. Its extreme proportions, the pure Lamborghini design and outstanding performance make it unique. But it’s not the first Lamborghini SUV; in the 1980s, the company made the LM002, of which about 300 units were produced.

What defines its design?
Even though it’s an SUV, it adopts the two-thirds body and one-third window ratio of sports cars. It gets all Lamborghini design elements—sleek horizontal lights, frameless doors and windows, Y-shaped front air intakes, and even the Italian flag detailing. Like sports cars, it has short overhangs (the lengths of a car that extend beyond the wheelbase at the front and rear).
And yet it’s different. The doors of Lamborghini cars go up; the doors of the Urus go out, like real doors, and it has twice as many.

How spacious is it?
Unlike any Lamborghini car, it’s very easy to get in and out of the Urus. There is luxurious space for five people, even if all are 6-feet 3-inches tall. The front seats are fully electric, heated (not cooled) and are 12-way adjustable. The boot space is massive (616 litres). Luxury Italian style and craftsmanship resonate—the interior is made of the finest leather, Alcantara (a microfibre material), aluminium, carbon fibre and wood. It can be customised in a million ways.

What is that drum-shaped thing?
It’s called the Tamburo—a drive controller that looks straight out of an aircraft cockpit. It controls all vehicle settings and driving modes—these are Strada (daily driving mode), Sport (power), Corsa (for a racetrack), Neve (snow), Terra (off-road) and Sabbia (sand). In the latter three modes, the ground clearance is automatically raised.

Which engine powers it?
Lamborghini has developed a new 4.0-litre petrol V8 twin-turbo aluminium engine, which generates peak power of 478kW (650bhp) and torque of 850Nm. With a weight less than 2,200-kg, the Urus has the best weight-to-power ratio among similar SUVs (3.38-kg per horsepower). For its size and power, the engine is surprisingly fuel-efficient, at a claimed 8.13kpl (we got about 7kpl in a mix of driving conditions). It’s mated to an automatic eight-speed gearbox.

How does it drive?
It’s the world’s fastest production SUV; it’s even faster than most sports cars. The Urus goes from 0-100kph in just 3.6 seconds, and touches 200kph in 12.8 seconds, before hitting a claimed top speed of 305kph. However, it’s not the outright acceleration where the Urus excels, it’s the braking—the SUV stops from 100kph to 0 in just 33.7 metres.

The ride, as expected, is very comfortable and the cabin is literally noise-free, especially in the Strada mode. Talking of modes, the six driving modes mentioned above are so different, you’ll feel you are driving an entirely different car in each mode.

How much is it priced?
The Urus is priced Rs 3.1 crore (ex-showroom). If you want to customise it, you’ll have to pay lakhs of rupees more, depending on the elements you choose. And once you place an order, you’ll have to wait 6-9 months for the car to get delivered. This car is entertainment; it’s sport, not transport.