So the fully hybridised Lamborghini range is here. Well, almost: the Temerario is on the horizon, still a little way from customers. And for now, there's still the prospect of the Urus S. But if you went into a showroom with your Lotto winnings now, the newest Lambos available to order come with a battery pack and a plug as standard equipment. Which definitely feels a mite strange, even if it’s good to see some traditions endure: the V12 flagship has a four-figure power output, the incoming V8 revs to 10,000rpm, and the family-friendly SUV now has 800hp. Hybridisation means Lamborghinis becoming more extreme, not less.
The Urus SE, driven now in the UK for the first time, has plenty of hardware to support that statement. Because more than just a nominal bit of electric range on a mega SUV, Lamborghini has used electrification to enhance the handling as well; gone is the old Torsen centre diff, replaced with an ‘electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch’. The promise is of ‘higher agility’ for the 2,530kg SE, plus ‘on-demand oversteering’ for those that must have it. Thsi is easy to dismiss as marketing bluster, though Lamborghini has made significant strides of late with modes and calibration assisting the fun; both Rally in a Sterrato and Sport in a Revuelto are very cleverly done indeed.
Like the V12, an Urus SE starts out in electric, and with 37 miles of official range (against the Revuelto’s handful) it’s actually a useful amount of EV-ness. As with a lot of PHEV SUVs, more than a few errands - nursery, dog walk, shop - can be run on battery power alone, which is not without appeal. Unlike similarly configured cars, however, the SE never feels entirely comfortable in EV mode; it wears its electrification seemingly like an ankle tag - because it has to, rather than for any other reason, determined to be unleashed.
The ride never really mellows below the national speed limit, and that tension jars with the easygoing feel of electric power. The e-motor simply isn’t strong enough for much more than moderate pace, and it really doesn’t take much throttle to rouse the V8 - even in EV mode. And even with a chunk of the available power dial seemingly still in reserve. Switch back to Electric after time in the other settings and it can feel like an age before the engine is shut down, as if clinging onto combustion for as long as possible.
Strada makes greater use of the engine, and is likely the mode you'll choose to be in most often. From there the hybrid strategy can be adjusted, to charge the battery, run as a hybrid or maximise performance; it’s additional complexity that arguably a car with seven drive modes (three on-road, three off-road, and an individual) could do without, though adding some charge on the move is handy. The unashamed ‘whump!’ of the V8 every time it restarts is entertaining, and you’ll find it happens quite a bit as the powertrain flits between petrol and battery power rather haphazardly. The seamlessness that has come to characterise modern plug-ins isn’t quite here, the SE feels like a slightly reluctant hybrid. Perhaps that’s the point, to appeal to die-hard petrolheads - certainly, you’re never, ever going to forget the SE’s main source of propulsion, put it that way.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sport mode - with the engine permanently on, and the ESC stood down somewhat - is where the Urus feels most comfortable in its new (and slightly more handsome) skin. This is also to say 'uncomfortable', because the last thing this car needed on 23s was more stiffness. But this is the setting where those claims of increased agility are most emphatically displayed, and Lambo isn’t exaggerating one bit - it’s hard to think of another four-wheel drive car so determined to rotate itself under power. It feels like an XXL version of the Torque Splitter hot hatches, an oversized RS3 with literally twice the power. Which is undeniably a giggle, and not as scary as it first seems - because there’s some sophistication to it - although it's still hard to exploit very regularly given the sheer size and speed of an Urus. But you've got to hand it to Lamborghini: this is hybridisation taken to maximum silliness.
Corsa, as elsewhere, is the mode for most speed, though in the UK it makes the ride punishing enough to be essentially unusable. (Please don’t opt for the 23-inch wheels; the Urus will have plenty of clout on smaller rims, and the car will surely be nicer to use.) For a lot of the time the SE is as convincingly agile, alive and athletic as the old ‘pure’ V8, better in some regards, though the extra 300kg it carries isn’t entirely escapable - the ride is the most obvious tell. Some fiddling with the Ego personal setting couldn’t quite sort it, though perhaps there was a better setup to be discovered.
Still, many in the past have suffered some discomfort for their chosen Lamborghini. And in some ways, this is the most desirable Urus yet, with a subtly altered but more appealing look and the enormous bandwidth of the powertrain. Even if, hand on heart, 800hp and 2.5 tonnes only ever feels as potent as 666hp and 2.2 tonnes always did. Much as it is elsewhere, that's the biggest problem for the SE: electrification has introduced as many compromises as it has benefits. The appeal of the silly Sport mode shouldn’t be underestimated, and neither should silent pottering here and there - yet in return, the driver gets a hobbled ride, no meaningful performance gain and not a brilliant efficiency improvement either. In everyday use - i.e. a mix and match of modes, using EV mode around town - the SE was averaging 21mpg.
Lamborghini was always going to have a tough time introducing a hybrid powertrain to the Urus on the basis that its customers seem rather pleased with the V8 they already have, and on this showing there is precious little to suggest they ought to upgrade simply as a matter of course. Moreover, anyone considering a similarly powerful SUV generally is spoilt for choice: even on just this architecture a Bentley Bentayga is comfier, a Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid nicer to drive, and an RSQ8 can still be bought without plug-in assistance for less money. Even with more power, the SE doesn't qualify as top of the class. Of course, that fact didn't stop its maker from selling out the initial production run before you could say 'charger'. And nor is it likely to remain the less cohesive option; just think how the Huracan went from also-ran to generational must-have. You certainly wouldn’t bet against Lamborghini finding the Urus SE’s best version of itself soon enough.
SPECIFICATION | 2025 LAMBORGHINI URUS SE
Engine: 3,996cc twin-turbocharged V8, electric motor, 25.9kWh battery
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 800 combined (620@6,000rpm)
Torque (lb ft): 701 combined (590@2,000-4,500rpm)
0-62mph: 3.4sec
Top speed: 194mph
Weight: 2,505kg
MPG: 135.8
CO2: 51g/km
Price: from £208,000
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