Scene first. Lamborghini’s Esperienza Avventura chose Lanzarote for a reason. Black lava flows, cubist white villages and the legacy of artist-environmentalist César Manrique make the island a masterclass in drama and restraint. It suits the Urus SE, Lamborghini’s plug-in hybrid evolution of its best-selling Super SUV, which now mixes silent electric creep with the brand’s signature theatre.
The Urus remains a rolling exclamation point. The SE does not tone that down; it refines it. The Y-motifs, hard creases and broad shoulders are still unapologetically Lamborghini, yet there is a cleaner, more technical look to the details that fits the electrified brief. Parked against Lanzarote’s lunar vistas, the stance reads purposeful rather than cartoonish. It is still polarising. Owners want that.
Inside, the Urus SE walks the line between race-inspired and resort-ready. Materials feel deeply considered, from leather and Alcantara to precise switchgear, with enough screen real estate to keep a pilot busy. The hybrid interface adds genuine utility, letting you choose between preserving charge, pure EV running in town or just letting the system juggle it. Some will wish for fewer menus and more tactile controls, yet the seating position, visibility and space make this a rare Lamborghini you could daily without bracing for compromise.
Numbers matter, but character matters more. The reworked 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 pairs with an electric motor for a combined 800 CV and up to 950 Nm. Translation on Lanzarote’s twisting routes: instant shove from the e-motor that smooths the first hit of acceleration, then a deep-chested surge as the V8 wakes. In electric mode it glides past lava walls with an almost mischievous hush. Prod the right pedal and the soundtrack returns, richer than you expect for a turbo V8, if not as operatic as Lamborghini’s V12s.
The tech does the heavy lifting. A new central torque vectoring system and an electronic limited-slip differential shuffle power transparently, giving the front end a keener nose than the size suggests. It is still a big, heavy SUV, and you feel that in tight hairpins or over sharp ridges, but body control is disciplined and the brakes confidence inspiring. Pushed hard on rugged tarmac, you sense clever software keeping mass in check rather than pure lightness. That is fine, and honest.
Rivals are not sitting still. Aston’s DBX707 brings raw theatre, Ferrari’s Purosangue trades hybrid talk for a spine-tingling V12, Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is the stealth athlete, and the Lotus Eletre goes fully electric. The Urus SE’s edge is that it feels unapologetically Lamborghini while being easier to live with than its image suggests.
EV mode suits hotel arrivals and historic centers, but enthusiastic driving drains charge quickly. The infotainment demands a learning curve. The styling will still divide dinner tables. All part of the appeal.
In Lanzarote, the Urus SE felt entirely in its element. The hybrid layer adds nuance without neutering the fun, the chassis brains make the mass behave, and the cabin nails the luxury brief. It is not subtle and never tries to be. That honesty, combined with newfound versatility, is why the Urus SE remains the most convincing expression of the super SUV idea right now.
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