The Lamborghini Urus super SUV is set to receive a mid-life refresh soon, and to get the automotive world’s attention, the Italian brand has used the facelifted model to set a new record in the production SUV category on the Pikes Peak hill climb route.
The route is half a mile shorter than the Nurburgring at 12.42 miles, although with sheer drops on many of its 156 corners, it’s likely a more terrifying experience shifting two tonnes of Lamborghini up the Colorado mountain than it is around the ‘Green Hell’.
Hillclimb champion and Pirelli test driver Simone Faggioli was chosen to pilot the still camouflaged Urus up the route, where he managed a time of 10:32.064. This was almost 18 seconds quicker than the Bentley Bentayga’s record back in 2018.
Like the Bentley, Lamborghini made some light modifications to ensure the Urus was compliant with safety regulations of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb event. This includes a full rollcage, racing seats with six-point harness and a fire extinguisher. Otherwise it’s a standard Urus (or at least it will be once this newly revised model goes on sale) with a twin-turbo V8 engine, possibly with more power than before. There’s also a new design of wheels that we’ve seen on previous test cars.
“The decision to test ourselves at Pikes Peak reflects the Lamborghini spirit of ‘expect the unexpected’, and demonstrates the outstanding performance of the new Urus model to be presented shortly,” said Rouven Mohr, Automobili Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer. “Pikes Peak is the most famous hillclimb event in the world, as well as being extremely challenging for the car: the uneven track layout tests the chassis’ balance; the significant altitude differences stress the powertrain; and the weather conditions can change very rapidly between start to finish.”
Bentley’s record breaking Bentayga back in 2018 spawned 10 special editions to commemorate the event. Only time will tell if Lamborghini will decide to do the same with the refreshed Urus. That being said, the Urus should do fine without in terms of sales, it’s the brand’s best-selling model, accounting for 61 per cent of Lamborghini’s total business last year.
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