Lamborghini unveils 800hp plug-in hybrid Urus SE

Eco-friendly, 2.5-tonne super SUV slashes emissions, ruins trousers

All this talk of a cost of living crisis doesn’t appear to be troubling Lamborghini customers, after the company reported earlier this year that it shifted over 10,000 cars in 2023 - its best year since, well, ever. Obviously the Urus was by far the biggest seller, with Sant’Agata finding over 6,000 buyers for its ‘super SUV’, spurred on by last year’s launch of the 666hp Urus S and the track-honed Performante. Expect that figure to be eclipsed this time next year in the wake of the newly revealed Urus SE plug-in hybrid.

It was only a matter of time before a Urus PHEV arrived, given that its Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga, Audi Q8 and Volkswagen Touareg platform buddies all have plug-in variants. That said, what Lamborghini has come up with blows most of its stablemates out of the water. By bolting a 25.9kWh battery and 192hp electric motor to the existing 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, the Urus SE delivers a monstrous 800hp and 700lb ft of torque when the system is fully charged. Not only does that represent a sizeable 134hp leap over the S and Performante, it’s also 61hp up on the new Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid. By Lamborghini’s estimates, that makes the Urus SE the ‘fastest production car in the segment’.

Not just in terms of brute force, either. With the battery brimmed, the Urus SE can hit 62mph from stationary in 3.4 seconds, while a 0-124mph sprint takes just 11.2 seconds. That’s a few tenths shy of the Ferrari Purosangue, but still enough to rearrange the faces of you and four other passengers. Both axles benefit from electrical assistance, with the e-motor located inside the eight-speed automatic gearbox; the battery is located under the boot floor, just above the e-diff. Running on EV power alone gets you up to 37 miles into your journey before the combustion engine takes over. Without the hybrid assistance, you’re ‘only’ getting 620hp, though that’s still only a smidgen shy of what the piston-powered Urus models are capable of. When all is singing and dancing, Lambo claims the Urus SE lowers emissions by up to 80 per cent over the standard cars. Make of that what you will.

Big numbers aside, the Urus SE introduces a new electric torque vectoring system that uses an electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch to manage torque between the two axles. It also works in tandem with the e-diff to deliver “on demand” oversteer, says Lamborghini, which sounds both tantalising and terrifying in equal measures. Additionally, there are four new driving modes, or ‘Electric Performance Strategies’ as Lambo calls them, which are: hybrid, EV, performance and recharge. These work in tandem with the existing seven driving modes (bringing the total to 11!) to adjust how the battery is used. EV and recharge are pretty self-explanatory, while hybrid is what most will use for everyday driving. For the full 800hp, you’ll want performance mode.

So staggering are the Urus SE’s numbers that it’s easy to look past the rejigged styling. It’s just as in-your-face as before, only some of the sharp edges have been smoothed down and the headlights are slimmer. Elegant, even. Curiously there’s a fake, body-wide vent below the rear lights that would likely serve no purpose whatsoever if it were real. That said, Lamborghini claims that tweaks to the underbody aero, plus a reworked rear diffuser and new wing, have upped downforce at the back by 35 per cent and improved cooling by 30 per cent. Meanwhile, the interior now gains an even bigger central screen at 12.3 inches, which incorporates a new telemetry system so you can monitor your energy usage and show your friends just how efficient your Urus SE is. Maybe.

“The underlying mission of the project was clear: to offer state-of-the-art performance combined with the uncompromising character typical of Lamborghini’s DNA”, said Lambo technical chief Rouven Mohr. “The Urus SE is positioned at the top of its class in terms of being fun to drive and for its driving dynamics. It’s a vehicle that harmoniously combines different qualities: absolute comfort and at the same time performance and fun-to-drive, ensuring an experience like no other.” Just how much that experience will set you back hasn’t been revealed, although if a Urus S is already at £182,000 there's every chance the PHEV's price will start with a '2'. And that’s before you take into account the 100 different bodywork and colour variants on the options list. At least it'll be cheaper to tax, right?