2027 Lamborghini Urus SE Performante review: Prototype drive

Nardo Test Centre, Italy | Lamborghini has unleashed a new go-faster flagship version of its venerable (but still popular) Urus SUV, set to take the fight to the likes of the Aston Martin DBX S, Bentley Bentayga Speed and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT when it goes on sale Down Under during the first half of 2027.

The 2027 Lamborghini Urus SE Performante reprises a hallowed 'Performante' badge that previously appeared on high-performance versions of the Gallardo and Huracan. In keeping with tradition, it elevates acceleration, braking and cornering capabilities to a higher dimension than would have seemed conceivable for a hulking SUV.

The current-generation Urus still has about three years to run before an all-new replacement arrives in 2029, so the SE Performante has an important job to do. Following its market launch next year, it will occupy Lamborghini’s portfolio alongside the existing Urus SE, providing the marque with a twin-pronged lineup with which to target ultra-premium-SUV buyers.

Given that we sampled the vehicle two months ahead of its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the SE Performante prototypes we flogged at the Nardo Test Centre in southern Italy were swathed in psychedelic camouflage, masking the exterior changes vis-à-vis the standard Urus SE.

That said, we also had the opportunity to scrutinise an undisguised example, which was locked away in a nearby secure garage.

How much does the Lamborghini Urus cost?

Pricing for the Lamborghini Urus SE Performante is yet to be nailed down, given that the vehicle isn’t expected on sale locally until the second quarter of 2027, at the earliest.

Even so, Lamborghini execs suggest it will cost around 10 per cent more than the standard Urus SE. Given that the latter is pegged at $457,834 plus on-road costs, we’d expect an entry point around the $500k mark.

The SE Performante’s main opposition will come from the likes of the Aston Martin DBX S ($475,000) and Bentley Bentayga Speed ($513,600), while the Ferrari Purosangue sits in a considerably higher echelon at $728,000 before on-roads.

Much cheaper, yet almost as rapid, is Porsche’s very capable Cayenne Turbo GT, which starts at just $376,300 plus on-roads.

The Urus SE Performante edges the Aston, Bentley and Porsche in terms of raw pace and dynamism, but it’s virtually lineball with the considerably more expensive Purosangue in terms of straight-line poke.

To see how the Lamborghini Urus lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Lamborghini Urus like on the inside?

Although it clearly shares Volkswagen Group underpinnings, as evidenced by some of the proprietary switchgear, the Urus SE Performante has just enough Lamborghini-ness to justify its ultra-premium price point.

Naturally, the Bolognese marque’s cherished hexagon motif is repeated throughout the interior, most notably in the air vents, instrument cluster housing, steering wheel hub and even the icons on the infotainment screen. 

Befitting the SE Performante’s flagship status, there are lashings of exposed carbon-fibre scattered around the cabin, while the CorsaTex/leather seats with contrast stitching and ‘Performante’ embroidered in the seatbacks look and feel great.

There’s more CorsaTex on the steering wheel, upper surface of the dashboard and door trims, helping the Lambo stand apart from other platform-sharing siblings from within the VW Group.

There’s no denying the basic architecture of the Urus is getting long in the tooth (it debuted way back in 2018), but the upgrades it’s received along the way means the interior doesn’t feel particularly dated, and nor are the ergonomics flawed in any significant facet.

Even so, luggage capacity of just 454L is paltry for a big SUV – It shrank from the original model's 616L when the Urus transitioned to a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

If hauling IKEA furniture or other large items is on the agenda, then you’ll need to fold down the rear seats, which ramps up available space to 1596 litres.

As you’d expect with any new Lamborghini these days, there’s a vast array of personalisation options – in terms of interior and exterior trim materials and colours – on offer via the Ad Personam program.

Among the new exterior colours on offer are Giallo Crius (an in-your-face bright yellow that first appeared on the limited-edition Fenomeno) and Verde Hydra Matt (a striking shade of matte green).

To see how the Lamborghini Urus lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

As with any go-faster special, the SE Performante’s upgrades begin with the powertrain, which comprises the same basis as the standard Urus SE – a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, supplemented by an electric motor and a 25.9kWh battery pack.

The 'base' model is already a rapid chariot, but the SE Performante ups the ante with towering outputs of 597kW and a gobsmacking 1000Nm of twist – versus 588kW and 950Nm for the standard Urus SE.

A power-to-weight ratio of 3kg/hp – thanks to the extensive use of carbon-fibre in the bodywork – yields straight-line performance that wouldn’t have seemed out of place for a hypercar 15 years ago.

The big SUV scorches from 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds, dispatches 0-200km/h in 10.8 seconds, and can hit a V-max of 312km/h if you keep the boot planted long enough.

Also unique to the Performante is a titanium Akrapovic exhaust that’s 10kg lighter than the system used in the standard Urus SE.

The four fat pipes exiting beneath the rear diffuser emit pops and burbles galore on throttle liftoff, but ever-tightening drive-by noise regulations mean the V8 isn’t as raucous as one might have expected.

Complementing the Performante’s hybrid powertrain is a new ‘AURA’ dual-chamber air suspension system that’s claimed to halve body roll during fast driving and reduce vibrations by 25 per cent, providing a vast spread between comfort and track-worthy dynamics. 

The air suspension also enables ride height to be raised by 70mm, so light-duty off-roading is ostensibly well within the vehicle’s capabilities – even on low-profile rubber wrapped around optional lightweight 23-inch rims.

Another key dynamic breakthrough the Urus Performante makes is via a new 6D sensor that’s housed near the centre of the car.

Its name derives from its ability to measure six different physical parameters: accelerations along the three spatial axes and angular velocities related to pitch, roll, and yaw movements.

You could think of this 6D system as being akin to an Einstein-esque brain that performs thousands of calculations per second and preemptively manages all the chassis-control systems to keep the vehicle tracking along the intended trajectory while remaining almost devoid of roll and pitch.

Out in the real world it means that any intrusions by the stability and traction-control systems are so subtle and miniscule that they’re barely perceptible from behind the wheel.

To see how the Lamborghini Urus lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Lamborghini Urus drive?

There’s something laugh-out-loud funny about a 2.5-tonne SUV annihilating the laws of physics with such ludicrous nonchalance. 

The 6.22km Nardo Handling Track in the southeastern tip of Italy is a challenging ribbon of tarmac. Replete with blind corners and crests (one of which gets the car airborne), the circuit throws up constant changes in camber and elevation. 

A mix of tight hairpins and fast long sweepers (two with double apexes) tests both vehicle dynamics and tyres to the limit, and there are scant few moments for the driver to relax – especially as there’s almost zero runoff on most sections of the track.

It’s not an environment in which you’d expect an almost-1.7-metre-tall, 5.1-metre-long behemoth to shine, yet the Lamborghini Urus SE Performante monsters its way around, embodying a light footedness and agility that one might associate with a well-sorted high-performance GT.

We were each allotted at the Nardo Handling Track comprising an out lap, two flying laps and a cooldown lap, so there’s no time to faff around. The plan of attack is to strap in, feel the big Lambo’s responses for half a lap and then start exploring its dynamic envelope.

Even a couple of laps are sufficient to glean that Lamborghini’s claim that this is the “world’s fastest SUV” isn’t an idle boast.

There’s a vast band of torque to tap into, with the peak torque figure of 1000Nm accessible all the way from 2000rpm to 5500rpm. Its gargantuan grunt launches the Performante out of hairpins with a slingshot urgency that’s beyond expectations. 

Another thing that's immediately apparent is that there’s no perceptible lag between even the smallest steering inputs and the vehicle changing direction.

There’s an almost go-kart-like agility whereby the Urus SE Performante darts left or right on demand with no perceptible trace of understeer. Even the two 180-degree hairpins at Nardo are easily dispatched, without the need to wind on armloads of steering lock.

Four-wheel steer helps in getting the car deftly rotated, and the vast footprint provided by the low-profile 23-inch rubber ensures the 2473kg remains glued to the tarmac.

Even though there’s an armoury of chassis-control electronics working beneath the surface – including the 6D sensor mentioned earlier – the Urus SE Performante never feels remote or synthetic. Quite the opposite. The feedback relayed to your toes, fingertips and seat of the pants is textured and organic.

The ZF eight-speed torque converter auto retains the same hardware and ratios as the standard Urus SE, but some clever recalibration has sharpened response and shift times to the extent that you could be fooled into thinking it’s a dual-clutch transmission. Any tugs on the upshift or downshift paddles trigger a fast, crisp shift into a higher or lower cog.

The garbage-can-lid-sized carbon-ceramic discs also deserve a mention as – now controlled by an IPB (Integrated Power Brake) control unit – they dish up humongous stopping power.

Acting as an advanced pressure modulator, the IPB overcomes the limitations of conventional ABS systems by eliminating “on-off” interventions in favour of continuous and fluid modulation of braking torque at each individual caliper. 

You can confidently dive deep into the braking zones – much deeper than might seem possible for such a heavy vehicle – before stomping hard on the pedal. Speed is wiped off at a prodigious rate, setting you up for a perfect corner entry before using the massive torque and traction to rocket away once past the apex. 

The standard Urus SE already has a plethora of driving modes that are accessible via the ANIMA selector – Strada (highway), Sport (er, sport), Corsa (track), Neve (snow), Terra (gravel) and Sabbia (sand) – but the SE Performante goes one better by adding a ‘Rally’ mode.

We get the chance to sample this on the snaking 2.1km Strada Bianca gravel loop at the Nardo Test Centre. Throwing up a succession of tight corners with blind exits, as well as a couple of fast sweepers, this entertaining little circuit is a great arena in which to test the SE Performante’s off-road dynamics.

What you’d normally find with a big, heavy SUV on a track such as this is a tendency to plough straight ahead through acute corners.

Refreshingly, that’s not the case with the Lambo as there’s torque vectoring in both longitudinal and lateral planes, courtesy of an e-diff at the rear and an electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch that splits power in a variable ratio between front and rear axles.

This means you can barrel impossibly deep into braking zones, stand on the anchors while briefly steering in the opposite direction to the corner, and then flick the wheel into the turn, with the abrupt weight transfer helping get the SUV quickly rotated.

The Urus SE Performante makes executing Scandinavian flicks so easy that you feel like Sebastien Ogier (even though I’m clearly not).

You almost have to shake your head at how easy the Urus SE Performante is to manhandle on loose surfaces. You can get the car dancing using judicious bootfulls of throttle and fingertip control on the steering wheel. It’s highly entertaining.

To see how the Lamborghini Urus lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

As you’d expect, the Lamborghini Urus SE Performante comes generously kitted out, but there’s plenty of scope for personalisation via the Ad Personam program.

Standard equipment highlights:

• Carbon-fibre bonnet with central power dome and S-ducts
• Carbon-fibre rear wing, wheel arch extensions, front splitter
• 22-inch alloy wheels
• Akrapovic titanium exhaust
• Electric tailgate
• Adaptive headlights incl. auto-levelling
• Cornering lights
• Automatic high beam
• Soft-close doors
• 8-speaker audio system
• Lamborghini Infotainment System
• Connected navigation services
• Wi-Fi hotspot
• Wireless Smartphone Interface – Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• Online radio
• Voice activation
• Audio theft deterrent
• 3 x LCD monitors – front
• Real-time traffic display
• 12-way power adjustable and heated front seats
• 40-20-40 split-fold rear seats
• CorsaTex/leather upholstery 
• CorsaTex steering wheel
• Carbon-fibre interior trim
• Valet function
• Remote Keyless Entry
• HomeLink
• Alcantara Headliner
• 4 x 12V DC power outlets
• Air filtration

To see how the Lamborghini Urus lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Lamborghini Urus safe?

The Lamborghini Urus SE Performante has not been crash tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, nor the NHTSA, but it’s armed with a barrage of active and passive safety features.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Emergency SOS Capability
• Autonomous Emergency Braking – AEB
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane departure warning
• Lane-keep assist
• Parking sensors – front, rear
• Reversing AEB
• Reversing camera
• Tyre pressure monitoring

Also worth noting is the fact that while the Lambo SUV hasn't been officially crash-tested, it's based on the same VW Group MLB evo platform that underpins the likes of the Audi Q8, which while now unrated previously wore a 2019-stamped five-star safety rating.

To see how the Lamborghini Urus lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s take on the Lamborghini Urus SE Performante

If the question is “who needs the Lamborghini Urus SE Performante?” the answer is probably no one – being able to circulate a racetrack at warp speed isn't a prerequisite for any SUV.

But if the question is “who would want a Urus SE Performante?” the answer would be different as the new Lambo SUV flagship has undeniable desirability and wow factor.

You could, of course, also consider the Aston Martin DBX S, Bentley Bentayga Speed and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT. Each has its own merits, but the Latin charm of the Urus SE Performante may well be more appealing for many buyers.

The Urus’s well-rounded capabilities resulted in it accounting for about 70 per cent of Lamborghini’s global sales last year, and the SE Performante looks likely to ensure the model line’s continued popularity from 2027 onwards.

Interested in buying a Lamborghini Urus? Let CarExpert find you the best deal here

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