Lamborghini’s is pretty pumped about its soon-to-be-unveiled Urus, the production SUV rooted in a 2012 concept car that will definitely be a step change for a company that’s historically only dabbled in fast low-riding cars, exclusively mid-engine after the iconic Miura of the 1960s.
After detailing the Urus’ ability to tackle rougher terrain - be it Snow, Sand, or Earth - the Italian automaker is now touting the engineering it implemented to make the SUV behave as sports car-like as possible.
Some interesting things happen when the ‘Anima’ driving mode toggle set to Corsa (which means Race), things that we haven’t really seen in a vehicle like this. Because it uses the same architecture as the second-generation Porsche Cayenne, second-generation Audi Q7, and Bentley Bentayga, the Urus will inherit the MLB platform’s 48-volt electrical system.
A benefit of this, at least in how Lambo can leverage the extra power coursing through the car, is that an electric motor can be utilised to vary the amount of stiffness in the suspension. This is particularly useful for the Urus its higher-ride height means an elevated centre of gravity, making it more susceptible to body roll.
This active ‘anti-roll’ system will always be operating in the background, but once the Urus’ is set to Corsa, it throws a load of torque at specific points in the suspension based on multiple factors (inertia, speed, grip levels, steering angle…) to counter the directional lean and corner more or less as flat as a Huracan, in theory.
The same system, albeit one that’s not capable of this kind of aggression or rapid response, is also fitted to the Urus’ aforementioned platform siblings. Although, on the Audi Q7 for example, the electronically adjustable suspension is utilised mostly to maximise comfort.
There’s no reason why future versions of any Lamborghini could be fitted with a similar feature. For that matter, we’re confident that similar solutions will be available to the majority of premium cars as high voltage electrical internal meshes networks are developed from the start to have this embedded. Whether these are used to cultivate a more comfortable ride or sharper handling is entirely based on the whim of the manufacturer, or an appropriately skilled tuner.
While we do expect the Urus to be a very impressive thing to drive, perhaps even one of most dynamically capable SUV ever made, it’s much more important to its long term success that Lamborghini execute the Urus as an capable all-rounder. Essentially, the degree of how bipolar a performance SUV can be is directly proportionate to its success.
The Lamborghini Urus will be unveiled in early December 2017 and powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. Not only will it be the company’s first modern day SUV but will also be their first front-engine production model launched in more than 50 years. Down the road, a plug-in hybrid variant will come about, marking even more new territory for Sant’Agata.
For more on Lamborghini cars, check out our Showroom.
