2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante Molto Caldo! 10 Details

As if the Lamborghini Urus wasn’t already a super ute, the newly revealed 2023 Urus Performante aims to take its street cred up another notch or two. Now, before anyone gets overexcited about its adopting the Aventador’s V-12 or the Huracán‘s V-10, pump the brakes. The new Performante variant isn’t a radical transformation, but rather an enhanced version of an already incredible machine, as we learned firsthand during a prototype drive. With that said, let’s take a peek at the parts that separate the ultra Urus from the regular one.

Let Me See Your Grille

Okay, so there’s still no mistaking the new Performante for anything other than a Lamborghini Urus. However, it has a restyled mug that remains dedicated to ingesting as much atmosphere as possible. Just look at how much surface area is occupied by its air intakes. It looks like a monster’s mouth. Lamborghini says the new bumper design provides increased engine cooling, and there’s now an air curtain that directs airflow over the front wheels. The hood has also been redesigned, not only to look cooler with deeper cut lines but also to be more aerodynamic and lighter. The latter comes from its new carbon-fiber construction.

Updated Booty

The aero improvements don’t stop at the cowl, either, as the Performante has a specially designed rear spoiler that Lamborghini claims increases downforce by 38 percent. Its rear bumper and diffuser are made of carbon fiber, too, and they surround a set of standard titanium exhaust tips. The front and rear exterior revisions make it almost 1 inch longer than the regular Urus.

Horsepower Bump

The Performante uses the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 as the regular Urus. While both versions produce the same 627 pound-feet of torque, the racier model has an extra 16 horsepower, giving it 657 ponies versus 641. That power continues to run to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Lamborghini claims the Performante is quicker from zero to 62 mph than the regular Urus, beating it by 0.3 second. Plus, its zero-to-124-mph time is said to be 1.3 ticks quicker, taking 11.5 seconds.

Enter Rally Mode

The Urus’s eight-speed gearbox has been recalibrated for Performante duty, and the all-wheel-drive system gets a different center differential that sends more torque rearward. Likewise, the drivetrain has a new calibration that works in conjunction with the addition of a Rally drive mode, which we were more than happy to try out during the prototype drive. While we indulged in a lot of power oversteer on a gravel-covered off-road handling course, we have to admit it would be less enticing if it were our own six-figure SUV.

Steel Suspenders

When it comes to performance vehicles, the chassis is just as important as the powertrain, if not more so. This is arguably the area where the Performante is most different from the regular Urus, which rides on an air suspension. Thanks to a set of steel springs, the Performante sits 0.8 inch lower, and its dampers have been retuned, too. Its track width also grows by about 0.6 inch, and the standard rear-axle steering is said to intervene quicker and improve turn-in response. We got to experience the Performante’s impressive high-speed performance on a racetrack during the prototype drive, but our impressions of its real-world ride quality were limited.

Stickier Shoes

The Urus Performante comes standard with lightweight 22-inch forged wheels; a set of 23-inch rollers are also optional. What’s even more notable is the available set of super-sticky Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber, which Lamborghini says it helped develop and are the first semi-slick tires Pirelli has designed for an SUV. With the 22s, they measure 285/40 up front and 325/35 in back, with the rears being 10mm wider than on the regular Urus.

Weight-Loss Regimen

If we have any gripes about the Urus—and admittedly there are few—it’s that it would benefit from shedding some pounds. After all, how many supercars weigh more than 5000 pounds? We’ll wait. Thankfully, Lamborghini has trimmed some of the fat off the SUV with the Performante treatment. Sure, it’s only claimed to be 104 pounds, but it’s something. The Urus’s diet largely results from its new carbon-fiber hood, steel springs (saving 30 pounds alone), and reduced sound deadening.

Inside Job

There’s not a lot that separates the Performante’s interior from what’s inside the lesser version. Along with standard microsuede cabin materials, it introduces a new hexagonal design for the seat stitching. Other unique bits and pieces include color and trim options for places including the doors, headliner, and seatbacks. Of course, Lamborghini’s Ad Personam program allows customers to further personalize their Urus. Some neat options include matte carbon-fiber accents and red door handles.

Record Breaker

Before the 2023 Urus Performante was revealed to the world, a camouflaged version was busy breaking the production-SUV record at the famous Pikes Peak hill-climb course. Finishing with a time of 10:32.064, the Lambo was almost 18 seconds quicker than the 2018 Bentley Bentayga that previously held the title with a 10:49.902 score. The record-breaking performance wasn’t during this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event, but the feat was verified by the event’s official timekeepers.

What’s the Retail on One of Those?

The 2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante is set to go on sale by the end of the year, and it carries a significant starting price of $264,871. That’s almost $35K more than the 2022 Urus, which had a base price of $229,495. Still, the Italian automaker expects the Performante version to account for at least half of all sales. With its impressive improvements, we can see why, and it’s the version we’d want to park in our garage—if we could afford one.

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