IT'D BE REMISS WHEN REVIEWING THE Lamborghini Urus Performante not to mention how out of kilter it is with the world around it. How can a £209,000, 657bhp SUV exist comfortably alongside a general populace worrying about climate and cost-of-living crises? The simple fact is it can't, and to prospective owners that may be the very point. Though it would be unfair to single Lamborghini out in this regard, of course: the Urus isn't short of rivals, and the Performante sees it bulk up to better take on the DBX 707s and Turbo GTs of this world.
Given the way the Urus has flown off the shelves - becoming the best-selling Lambo ever in a laughably short space of time the Performante could feasibly have been a light ECU tickle, a frenzied paintjob and a host of carbon aero bits and it would still have sold by the bucketload. In fact it gains all of those things, but there's a whole lot more going on, too. Perhaps a tacit -admission that the original bore just a little too much of the character of the RS Q8 with which it shared components.
I say 'original' Urus because the Performante shares its new, higher tune of 4-litre twin-turbo V8 (up 16bhp) with the now entry-level Urus S, which is effectively a mid-life rejig for the model as a whole. But while the S continues to ride on air suspension, its wilder sibling is fixed 20mm lower on lighter steel springs to keep its centre of gravity as low as possible. Not making the thing an SUV in the first place would lower it yet further, of course...
Denne historien er fra December 2022-utgaven av Evo UK.
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Denne historien er fra December 2022-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
