2025 Lamborghini Urus SE: From Stealthy to Extra Spicy

Bologna, Italy—With the brand new Urus SE joining the Revuelto and Temerario, all of them plug-in hybrids, the entire Lamborghini portfolio is now electrified.

This SUV is largely responsible for the fact that the exotic Italian automaker, which sold just 265 vehicles worldwide in 1999, posted record sales of more than 10,600 units last year. Demand for the Urus far exceeds that of every other Lamborghini. In fact, the Sant'Agata Bolognese plant assembles 40 Urus models every day, compared with just nine Temerarios.

• Also: All-New Lamborghini Urus SE Debuts in Toronto, Here’s How Much it Costs
• Also: Lamborghini Urus SE Gets Plug-in Hybrid Treatment With 789 Hp

German DNA, Italian Soul

As part of the Volkswagen AG family, Lamborghini shares a number of components with Audi and Porsche in order to achieve economies of scale. Most of the chassis, the engine and countless other parts have German DNA.

The Urus SE still manages to differentiate itself from its cousins in various ways. For example, the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 might be identical to that of the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid, but all the electronics, intake and exhaust systems, and turbocharger pressure are different. As a result, the big Lambo develops 789 hp compared with 730 hp for the Cayenne. Peak torque is similar at 701 lb-ft since the eight-speed automatic transmission can't handle much more than that without compromising reliability. Performance figures are impressive, with a 0-100 km/h time of 3.4 seconds and a top track speed of 312 km/h.

The chassis is the same that underpins the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q8 and Bentley Bentayga, but Lamborghini engineers have made special adjustments. The adaptive suspension uses active sway bars and air dampers with anywhere between 15-75 mm of travel, depending on the drive mode, resulting in either a stiff and stable ride or a smoother and more comfortable driving experience.

Speaking of which, the Urus SE offers 6 different drive modes. Strada (Italian for road) uses both power sources according to the driver's demands. It's also the most comfortable. Sport makes the engine scream louder, firms up the suspension and enhances steering response. If you’re looking for the biggest and most intense thrills, Corsa (race) takes all the settings to the extreme so that the vehicle can be pushed to the limit.

The other three drive modes, including Sabbia (sand), Terra (dirt) and Neve (snow), are designed for specific terrain. We didn’t get the chance to put them to the test on this particular occasion.

The Urus SE also features four-wheel steering, and the angle of the rear wheels varies according to the drive mode you select in order to gradually increase agility when cornering.

One more thing: drivers can engage EV mode to enjoy silent and fully electric operation for as long as the battery lasts. Hybrid mode uses the two power sources, while Recharge maximizes energy recuperation by turning the V8 into a generator.

Said battery has a capacity of 25.9 kWh, which Lamborghini claims will allow the Urus SE to travel just over 60 km without burning any fuel in the best-case scenario. We’ll have to take the company’s word for it, because the battery in our tester was almost completely empty from the start. The combination of the V8 and electric motors netted a fuel consumption as low as 14 L/100 km and as high as 20 L/100 km—a lot of the time at full throttle, mind you.

Leather and Carbon Fibre

The interior has that signature Lamborghini vibe and boasts superb materials. Fit and finish is excellent, as you’d expect from such a luxurious vehicle. The seats provide ample support without being excessively bolstered. They’re pretty comfortable, too. Rear-seat space is adequate. As for the trunk, cargo capacity fails to impress and the relatively high floor doesn’t help when loading gear. Going on a multi-day trip with three other people and their luggage will require a few compromises.

For the driver, some of the controls take a little getting used to, particularly the centre touchscreen with its numerous menus. The HVAC system is also screen-based, which isn’t ideal for keeping one’s attention on the road.

The gear selector, with its unusually arranged buttons, takes some more getting used to. For one thing, there’s no “D” button, so you have to press the right-hand paddle on the steering wheel to drive forward. It's annoying at first, especially when you want to quickly switch from Drive to Reverse with the steering wheel turned when making a U-turn. We eventually got the hang of it, though.

Stealthy?

Facing the driver, the instrument cluster packs a ton of information yet proves easy to read. The flat-bottom, thick-rimmed steering wheel offers a nice grip. In Strada mode, pressing the start button doesn't always fire up the V8 instantly. With the Urus SE operating as an EV, initial acceleration is hesitation-free and merging with traffic can be done quite effortlessly.

Thanks to fantastic noise isolation, the cabin is quiet and serene. There’s something positively amusing in driving such an exotic, racy-looking SUV in such a stealthy manner. The electric motor alone can get the Urus SE to speeds of up to 130 km/h as long as the battery charge allows it. Canadian drivers can look forward to more than 60 km of zero-emission driving in fair weather conditions, even on the highway.

Once the electric range is exhausted, the V8 keeps a low profile when Strada mode is selected—provided you don't push it too hard, of course. This mode is ideal for daily commutes and those times when you don't want to wake up the whole neighborhood with every acceleration.

That being said, don't be fooled into thinking that the Urus SE is sluggish. Even in its most laid-back disposition, the muscular Italian SUV has no trouble hitting mountain roads. The only thing that did surprise us was the lightness of the steering, which doesn't offer the same feedback as most competitors.

Extra Spicy

As you can imagine, we couldn't resist selecting Sport mode for long. With more responsive controls and a more expressive engine, driving excitement is taken up a notch, as the Urus SE swiftly and gracefully tackles one corner after another. Overall performance is astonishing, and the vehicle feels seriously lighter than its heavy weight of just under 2,500 kg would have you believe.

Now, Corsa mode is the closest thing to the experience of driving a supercar from Lamborghini. With everything dialled up to the max including a stiff suspension (probably too stiff for Canadian roads) and a screaming engine, all your senses are on alert.

Four-wheel steering operates with such aggressiveness that oversteer becomes a real concern. To wit, our tester encroached on the interior of the first corner we tackled in Corsa mode. At the same time, electronic torque vectoring further increases cornering performance. Once you take that into account, the Urus SE becomes a highly effective weapon and a tremendous treat for sporty driving enthusiasts, surpassing the agility of most direct competitors including the Porsche Cayenne.

With maximum torque available from 1,750 rpm, the Urus SE shoots forward and out of corners like a bullet. Formidable power in the upper rev range does the rest, with the transmission holding gears long enough not to lose momentum. When shifts do become necessary, the transmission proves surprisingly quick despite using a torque converter. Meanwhile, braking is powerful and fade-free, although the brake pedal is a little stiff and could use some fine-tuning.

As you push the vehicle to the limit, body movements start to appear, and the ABS will sometimes kick in unexpectedly when braking down on corner entry. We doubt many drivers will go that far, though. Running off the road or getting thrown in jail would be a definite possibility. Consider yourself warned.

We'd also like to point out that the Urus SE we drove was fitted with winter tires, which are mandatory in some parts of Italy up in the mountains at this time of the year. The Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2 tires impressed us with their confident grip in aggressive driving and low noise levels at higher speeds.

As is often the case with ultra-powerful and super-fast vehicles, the 789-horsepower Lamborghini Urus SE is so explosive that you can exceed the speed limit in just over three seconds. It’s an incredible machine delivering a ton of thrills, for sure, but having to keep it in check everywhere except on Germany’s autobahns can become frustrating.

How Much?

Wrapping up our review of the 2025 Lamborghini Urus SE, we need to tell you that only one model is available, starting at $305,015 plus freight, PDI, sales tax and luxury tax. No word yet on whether other models will be added for the 2026 model year. Then again, Lamborghini’s Ad Personam program offers seemingly endless customization options.