Lamborghini Urus Performante Review

Lamborghini's answer to the criticism that the Urus was a very fast Audi was to take the air suspension out. The Performante runs steel springs, sits twenty millimetres lower, sheds forty-seven kilograms with carbon panels and a titanium exhaust, and raises the 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 to 657 horsepower. The result is meaningfully more alert than the standard car, with less roll and a much sharper front end, at the cost of a ride that is now firm enough to be a genuine consideration on poor surfaces.

There is a rally mode with a loose-surface calibration that is far more entertaining than it has any right to be. It is still a large heavy SUV that shares its bones with cars costing a third as much, and the interior, while dressed in hexagons and alcantara, does not hide its origins. Fuel consumption is appalling. Servicing is Lamborghini priced on Volkswagen Group hardware, which is the worst of both. Depreciation is ordinary. Deeply silly and undeniably effective.