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March 16, 2022
The Ultimate SUV? — A Test Drive of the Lamborghini Urus | Lamborghini
Lamborghini Urus | Lamborghini Urus
The Ultimate SUV? — A Test Drive of the Lamborghini Urus
Lamborghini Japan hosted a test drive event, "Road to Hakone," for magazines and web media to experience the Lamborghini lifestyle. On the outbound journey from The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo in Roppongi to Hakone Retreat, a luxury resort in Sengokuhara, Hakone, we test-drove the Urus. We savored its performance once again.
Text by OGAWA Fumio | Photographs by Lamborghini Japan
Performance That Feels Like an Extension of the Driver
SUVs have evolved in various directions since the 2000s. Among them, the Lamborghini Urus can be said to have reached one extreme. Introduced in 2018, this car, which claims to be the "world's first Super Sport Utility Vehicle," has lost none of its luster even in 2022. Driving from Tokyo into the mountains of Hakone, I felt just that.
The Urus was unveiled in 2017. I was truly surprised then. While part of the same group as Audi, which already had large SUVs, Lamborghini was a brand renowned for its super sports cars. Given that Bentley's Bentayga, also under the Volkswagen umbrella, left a rather underwhelming impression (in my opinion), I wondered if this was merely an SUV for those who wanted the "bull" badge.
In reality, when I drove it, I was surprised again. In a word, it drives exceptionally well. It's fast everywhere. I once drove in Iceland.
At that time, the then-CEO of Lamborghini, the jovial Stefano Domenicali (now CEO of Formula One Group, responsible for F1 promotion, etc.), accompanied us. He navigated effortlessly through low-mu (slippery) black sand beaches, also known as tourist spots, and even snowy roads.
Sitting in the driver's seat, you can fully experience the sporty atmosphere. The eye level and driving position, while not quite like a Huracán, offer an exhilaration distinctly different from other manufacturers' SUVs, which might be purely functional or solely luxurious.
This time, we departed from Roppongi, Tokyo, drove on the Shuto Expressway, then the Tomei Expressway, and finally navigated the winding roads of Hakone from Gotemba. What was particularly impressive to me was the incredibly delicate steering feel.
Most SUVs tend to have a slightly delayed response when initiating a turn from the neutral position, but the Urus offers a driving experience so integrated between the driver and the car that it feels almost like a track-tuned machine.