Here’s the cheapest Lamborghini you can buy in Malaysia

Three months after its global premiere, Lamborghini’s second ever Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) – the Urus, has landed on Malaysian shores. It’s hard to fathom why one would buy an SUV (no, I’m not a fan), let alone one with a Lambo badge, but apparently sales are “better than expected.” Love it or hate it, the 600hp world’s first Super Sport Utility Vehicle (SSUV) is here to stay, and it’s expected to cost in the region of MYR1 million before options, taxes and the works.

I know some Lambo owners are cringing at the Urus, the same reactions shown by Porsche owners towards the Cayenne when it was first introduced. It’s undeniably polarising, but let’s look at it this way, it will be someone’s first Lambo. And it’s probably a very good SUV. And I heard it’s freaking fast.

Loss of brand identity? Dilution of the marque’s sports car DNA? Hmm.

So, while purists scoff at Lambo’s new divisive product, CEO Stefano Domenicali says that sales and orders of the Urus have been “terrific.” It was revealed that 70% of Urus owners are new to the brand, and in a surprising twist, Lambo has seen an increase in female buyers.

Looks like there is a place for this oddball of a car, just not in the traditional Lambo sense.

Shared platform but better

Let’s get down to basics. The Urus is based on the same platform as the Audi Q7, Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. See? Everyone’s got an SUV.

Unlike the Urus Concept that debuted in 2012, the commercial Lamborghini Urus ditches the naturally-aspirated V10 lump for a brand new 4.0L twin-turbo V8. The front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout unleashes 650hp (478kW) at 6,000rpm and 850Nm of maximum torque from 2,250rpm.

It’s good for 3.6s in the century sprint, and 12.8s from 0-200km/h. That’s as quick as a Mercedes-AMG GT S. How quickly you’ll forget that you’re in an SUV. Top speed, by the way, is 305km/h.

Despite its mass, the Urus decelerates from 100-0km/h in a distance of just 33.7m, thanks to massive 440mm brake rotors in the front, and 370mm rotors in the rear. It’s the world’s largest set of carbon ceramic brakes. Pretty bad-ass.

Tipping the scales at 2,200kgs, the Urus is one of the lightest SUVs in its class, offering the best weight-to-power ratio at 3.38kg/hp.

A dynamic drive

The Urus features some pretty neat technical trickery underneath. Its four-wheel drive system comes with active torque vectoring to ensure maximum control and agility in all driving conditions, including off-road.

The Urus boasts a handful of driving modes including STRADA, TERRA (off-road), NEVE (snow), SPORT, CORSA and SABBIA (sand). These modes are selected via the Tamburo driving mode selector on the centre control.

Torque vectoring gives the Urus additional steering control, with enhanced agility that allows for higher cornering speeds and a sportier drive overall. Plenty of smiles assured.

For added agility and manoeuvrability, the vehicle adopts rear-wheel steering from the Aventador S.

The Urus also has a specially-tuned adaptive air damping system which is automatically adjusted to different modes through ANIMA, or fully customised by you via the EGO mode.

It’s a Lambo

Moving to the exterior design, the Urus is unmistakably a Lamborghini, taking cues from the LM002 (its first SUV). It has signature Lambo lines—muscular, edgy, imposing. There are touches of Miura and Aventador, with large air intakes sporting the overall hexagonal theme.

It may be an SUV, but its silhouette and low roofline screams sports coupe. A little over-the-top if you must, but it’s every bit Lamborghini.

Cool cabin

Inside, the Urus’ design and finish exude luxury and dynamism. Drivers and passengers tuck in low but in an extremely comfortable super sports car seat position. The front seats are fully electric, heated and 12-way adjustable.

The rear bench seats come with movable and folding seat back and ISOFIX fixings as standard. The five-seat configuration is versatile, with the rear seat able to be lowered to substantially increase luggage capacity from 616L to 1,596L.

The hexagonal theme echoes through the interior with familiar looking air vents and door handles.

The slim Y design of the dashboard and climbing centre console is inspired by the LM002 and other Lambo super sports cars.

In terms of in-car entertainment and connectivity, the Urus does not disappoint. Included as standard is the Lamborghini Infotainment System III (LIS) which is displayed across two screens and integrated within Tamburo.

The system recognises natural dialogue to manage functions like music, calls, text and more.

The Lamborghini Smartphone Interface (LSI) supports integration with iOS and Android smartphones, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Baidu-Carlife (China) as standard.

Audiophiles will appreciate the eight-speaker system driven by four channels which comes as standard. Or you could go high-end and opt for a Bang & Olufsen Sound System with 3D sound and 1,700W output, with a whopping 21 fully active speakers.

Pricing and availability

If you had to ask, you can’t afford it. OK, kidding. The all-new Lamborghini can be yours for around MYR1 million depending on options, taxes and extras. The first batch of cars is expected to arrive in Malaysia between June and July.

As a reference, here are prices of the Urus globally: