As the Lamborghini Urus edges closer to being revealed, a heavily-disguised prototype has been scooped at the world’s most fearsome racetrack, the Nurburgring.

The prototype was lapping the circuit at a relatively steady pace and along the small straight where the SUV was filmed, it does look and sound quite rapid. Despite the vehicle’s ongoing tests at the circuit, Lamborghini revealed a couple of months ago that it isn’t interested in setting a Nurburgring SUV lap record with the Urus and wants to ensure it offers impressive performance on the road as well more difficult, off-roading scenarios.

As with other prototypes recently snapped by our eagle-eyed spy photographers, this latest one has retained the same edgy exterior design as the original concept which, despite being five years old, still looks modern.

Alongside being Lamborghini’s first production SUV since the LM002, the Urus will also be its first model to use forced induction thanks to a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 sourced from the Volkswagen Group. In the Urus, it will deliver about 650 hp and should be more than enough to give Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S owners a fright.

Our latest intel indicates European sales of the Urus will start later this year before production commences in 2018.

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