Lamborghini’s Most Extreme SUV Adds Power, But The Scale Has Questions

Lamborghini’s most feral SUV is about to get the firepower to back up its hardcore image. Fresh spy shots show the facelifted Urus Performante shedding more camouflage and confirming it will gain plug-in hybrid power as part of this year’s update.

Up front, the massive air intakes that define the Performante’s scowl are more exposed than they were in previous spy sightings last summer. Look closely and you can also spot the SE-style daytime running lights peeking through, each featuring a hairpin- rather than Y-shape design.

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Shift your attention to the rear and there are more tweaks to spot. A subtle mini ducktail spoiler now crowns the tailgate, giving the rear end a slightly sharper profile. It is not the same kind of towering wing that Lambo gives its hardcore supercars, but it’s noticeably different to what you get on the non-hybrid Urus S and plug-in Urus SE.

We are also fairly certain the engineers can produce a few wind tunnel graphs to prove it is not there purely for show.

Hybrid Telltale

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Some of the images appear to show a second prototype on different wheels and wearing fancy carbon fiber arch extensions. But they also reveal the charging port on the left-hand rear quarter panel mirroring the gas flap on the opposite quarter, and giving away the presence of a hybrid powertrain under the hood.

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Underneath, we can expect the same twin-turbo V8 and electric motor combo already deployed in the Urus SE. That setup pairs a 4.0 liter gas engine with a 25.9 kWh battery and an electric motor integrated into the eight speed transmission. In SE trim it produces a combined 789 hp (800 PS), which is comfortably more than the 657 hp (666 PS) generated by the current Performante.

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It’s possible that the Performante PHEV could be tuned to make more power than the SE, but don’t bank on it since the current model pumps out the exact same power as the Urus S, relying on chassis mods and a diet to give it a performance advantage.

More Power, But More Weight

There’s an inevitable downside to this newfound muscle, and you’ll likely notice it you jump on the brakes form high speed or try to flick the Performante through some S-bends.

When Lamborghini launched the Performante in 2022 it boasted about shaving off more than 100 lbs (45 kg), bringing the curb weight down to 4,740 lbs (2,150 kg). But now it’s preparing to add hybrid hardware that will inevitably nudge the scales in the opposite direction, towards the 5,510 lbs (2,500 kg) of the SE.

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