EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT - SILENCE OF THE LAMBO

While some are still fighting the arrival of electrification, Lambo has embraced it... and the extra power it brings. Meet the Urus SE

- Stephen Dobie

The Lamborghini Urus SE scrawls a new line in the boisterous sands of the performance SUV. As a plug-in hybrid, too. Yep, Lambo's 'Cor Tauri' electrification strategy moves on a notch by claiming perhaps its least controversial - and no doubt biggest selling - victim.

A 612bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 pairs with a 189bhp (and 356lb ft!) electric motor for totals of 789bhp and 700lb ft, the latter delivered from just 1,750rpm. That makes the SE the most powerful Urus, as well as the new benchmark in the super SUV category. More power than a Purosangue, DBX 707 or Porsche's recently electrified Cayenne Turbo GT is quite a statement.

It also heralds a 3.4secs sprint to 62mph, up a tenth on the outgoing Urus S despite the significant weight plug-in hybrid power adds. There are myriad benefits, too, not least its circa 40 miles of emission free range when the 25.9kWh battery is fully charged.

The top speed is 194mph, up 4mph on the Urus S, or 81mph in EV mode. The motor is placed inside the eight-speed auto to ensure the Urus SE is fully 4WD even on pure battery power. It can also play a role in the power distribution and traction of the car.

More exciting than its monstrous new peak output is a rethink of how the Urus handles. The SE debuts a new electronic torque vectoring system which spreads its power variably - and continuously-between the front and rear axles. It converses with a new electronic limited-slip differential at the rear to further perk up its cornering attitude.