Lamborghini Urus SE Review

by Sean Loo, 28 October 2025

‘SE’. Two little letters that once adorned the boot lids of Rovers in beige with faux-wood trim. And now it’s on the Lamborghini Urus SE.

Not exactly evocative of speed, drama, or flair. But this is Lamborghini we’re talking about. And in Sant’Agata, those same two letters now mark the dawn of something rather monumental, the brand’s first plug-in hybrid SUV.

This is a rolling thunderbolt that says, “We can go green and still scare your neighbours.” With more than 32,000 Uruses sold since 2018, this SUV has firmly cemented itself as the golden goose. A staggering 70% of Urus buyers are new to the brand, and nearly half are under 40.

So, how do you keep that momentum going while preparing for an electrified future? You do what Lamborghini just did: you give the beast a new beating heart.

What’s changed?

The bonnet’s been re-sculpted and the headlights softened, with less of a scowl and more of a glare. The rear’s been tidied too, with the number plate nudged lower and new tail-lights tapering into a central spine. Design boss Mitja Borkert says the inspiration came from the Gallardo. Retro nod, or just strategic restraint? Probably both.

You still get wheel options up to 23 inches and Lamborghini’s obsession with lurid paint jobs remains proudly intact. Even in stealthy Nero black, the Urus SE doesn’t exactly blend in. Not that you’d want it to.

Same old shouty cabin

The familiar hexagon-laden Lamborghini interior greets you upon entry. The seating position is hunkered down and commanding. Not as lofty as a Range Rover, but that’s the point.

There’s a new 12.3-inch infotainment screen derived from Audi, but restyled with sharp Lambo graphics. It’s intuitive and responsive, unlike some German cousins. The digital instrument cluster is clear, although the hybrid readouts are so tiny they might as well be Morse code.

Importantly, physical buttons remain. Thank heavens. Lamborghini knows that a million bucks should buy you tactility, not just glossy haptics. The cockpit design still revolves around that tamburo, which dominates the centre console, both visually and functionally.

Cabin materials are first-rate with leather, Alcantara, forged carbon, and aluminium aplenty. There’s also ample space for four full-sized adults, and the boot remains a healthy 616 litres, despite the hybrid gubbins now lurking under the floor.

V8 meets volts

The Urus SE shares its 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 and 25.9kWh battery with the Bentley Continental GT Speed and Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid. Before you raise your pitchforks, don’t for a second think this is badge engineering with a Lambo badge slapped on.

Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini’s delightfully mad Chief Technical Officer, insists this thing has been tuned with proper Sant’Agata lunacy. The petrol engine alone produces 612bhp. Add the 189bhp from the electric motor, and you’re looking at a combined 789bhp and 946Nm of torque. That’s enough to catapult this 2.5-tonne SUV from 0–100km/h in 3.4 seconds.

Yes, it’ll run in full electric mode for 59km. No, nobody who buys a Lamborghini really cares. But that e-motor lives within the 8-speed transmission and is paired with a new ‘hang-on’ clutch pack that replaces the old Torsen centre differential. This bestows variable torque distribution front-to-rear, plus a new e-LSD for agility, traction and drifts.

Drifts. In an SUV. We’ll come back to that.

What’s it like to drive?

The Urus SE has drive modes galore. You activate them via the tamburo, Lamborghini’s signature fighter-jet-style central control. Beneath the red start/stop flap are toggles that let you choose between EV, Hybrid, Performance, and Recharge modes. The other side handles terrain: Strada, Sport, Corsa, Sabbia, Terra, and Neve. It’s a lot. Annoyingly, you must cycle through them in sequence.

In EV mode, it’s eerily silent. Stealth mode for the stealth-wealth crowd. Up to 135km/h, in fact. Strada, the default hybrid mode, is where most owners will live. It’s smooth, quick, and occasionally unpredictable, and the engine sometimes roars awake even when there’s battery charge to spare.

Sport mode is where things come alive. With the ESC off, the Urus SE becomes delightfully unhinged. Thanks to that variable clutch, it’ll dance, slide, and power-oversteer like it’s auditioning for the next Fast & Furious.

We tested it on both a skidpan and a gravel stage at Sepang. It genuinely felt like a Group B rally car. If you can get past the mental gymnastics of chucking a 2.5-tonne SUV into a Scandinavian flick, it’s riotous fun.

But on real-world roads? It’s slightly harder to read. The SE rides well, thanks to new dual-valve dampers, and four-wheel steering makes it feel nimbler than it should. The steering could do with a touch more weight, and the upshifts can be abrupt, but the whole experience is taut, alert, and controlled.

Regenerative braking is tied to the drive mode and battery level. It’s decent but not quite organic. Thankfully, standard carbon ceramic discs (440mm front, 310mm rear) ensure stopping power is never in doubt.

Will the real Urus SE please stand up?

The SE is a paradigm shift, not just for the Urus, but for Lamborghini as a brand. Hybridisation has added layers, breadth, and, dare I say, nuance to the Urus without stripping away its soul.

It’s a riot in Corsa. A cruiser in Strada. A ninja in EV. But with so many personalities, one can’t help but wonder, which one is the real Urus SE?

Perhaps that’s the point. It’s not trying to be one thing. It’s trying to be everything. A sledgehammer with a scalpel’s touch. A 789bhp family hauler that can slide sideways through gravel with your golf clubs in the boot.

The Urus SE might just be the super-SUV we never knew we needed.

Technical Specifications