After months—no, years—of teasers, Lamborghini has finally and officially debuted the 2019 Urus—or, as the company calls it, the “Super Sport Utility Vehicle.” It certainly isn’t the first performance SUV, but Lamborghini promises that this will be the best and most extreme example out there.
The Urus was revealed on Monday during Lamborghini’s “Since We Made it Possible” live stream, showcasing Lamborghini’s ability to push the boundaries of performance cars no matter what the body style.
“It is a true Lamborghini in terms of design, performance, driving dynamics and emotion as well as drivable every day in a range of environments,” said Stefano Domenicali, Lamborghini’s chief executive officer.
The brand maintains that the Urus is an appropriate addition to the Lamborghini lineup, and has the performance specs to prove it. It packs 650 metric horsepower (641 in U.S. and British ponies) and 672 lb.-ft. of torque from its twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8, mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It will go from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds and stampede to a 189-mph top speed, making it the fastest production SUV on the planet. Lamborghini chose to add forced induction for better off-road navigation, giving the Urus the sort of low-end torque that only turbochargers can provide in a gasoline engine.
The engine, when paired with standard four-wheel drive, active torque vectoring, and the nifty “Tamburo” driving mode selector, makes the Urus a monster both on the road and off it. The crossover also gets the rear-wheel steering system from the Aventador S, making it more stable at high speeds and easier to maneuver.
The 2019 Urus takes many of its design elements from the LM002, Lamborghini’s original luxury off-roader—though it’s far sleeker than that blocky four-wheel-drive beast. The “Urus” name comes from that of the bull’s extinct ancestor, also known as aurochs. (The more you know, right?)
While it sometimes seems like crossovers are killing off performance cars, the Urus intends to keep the dream alive despite its SUV exterior. “It is the culmination of intensive development and passionate skill to create a new breed of bull,” explained Domenicali. It may not be the coupe body style we love, but this Lambo is an enthusiast’s macihine through and through.
Lamborghini will start delivering the first Urus SUVs to customers in spring 2018, which will retail for a starting price of about $200,000 in the United States.