Cars with Jan Coomans. Esperienza Dinamica Terra: Lamborghini goes to Karelia

For the second session we managed to lobby our instructor, the actual Evgeny Vasin, to go a little quicker than the first time round. He happily obliged, so we got a couple of laps where we could properly push the car, at least in and out of corners if not quite in the heavy braking zones. It was genuinely good fun, and an impressive demonstration of what the car is ultimately capable of. Once the time at the track ran out, the cars were stripped of their performance focused tires and fitted with Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires which would be more suitable for what the rest of the trip had in store. First up was good two and a half hours of roads and highways to Dacha Wintera which would be our home base for the next day or two. A mix of highway and twisty roads was gobbled up by our 9 Urus-es in convoy at speeds that were mostly legal but always fast.

Не очень справедливо, что в таком аппарате ты вынужден подчиняться тем же скоростным ограничениям, что и все остальные «нормальные» машины, которым не по силам и половина того, что Urus может одной левой. С другой стороны, он и так привлекает к себе достаточно внимания, особенно если ваш экземпляр окрашен в яркий желтый цвет. Чтобы не казаться невоспитанным хамом при деньгах, я бы предпочел Urus более неброского оттенка, а для исследования бездонных возможностей автомобиля, коли уж невтерпеж, отправляться на трек или пустынную дорогу.

In fact, an Urus is so ridiculously capable for traveling long distances at speed that you sort of feel like there ought to be a special exception for it in the law for it. It seems a tiny bit unfair that you’re subject to the same speed limits as everyone else and their “normal” cars which cannot do half of what your Urus can with one arm behind its back. Then again, it’s not like you’re not already attracting enough attention as it is. Especially if your example happens to be painted bright yellow. And there’s a lot of value in not making yourself seem like a twat loaded with money but short on common courtesy. So I’d go for an Urus in a more undercover type of colour, and visit a track or deserted road whenever the urge to explore its unfathomable limits comes up.

And when it comes to exploring limits, what is most striking is how well this car behaves at the extremes of what one would be expected to do with it. Not many buyers are likely to take their Urus to the track, ever, but nor are they likely to drive it across rough unpaved roads and through knee-deep puddles filled with a 50/50 mix of mud and water. But that’s exactly what we ended up doing in order to reach some of Karelia’s most gorgeous bits of nature, and at no point did the car even bat an eye at the situation. We ran it in “terra” mode, which is calibrated for more off-road driving and also allows a bit more slip from the wheels so it can dig its nails properly into the looser surfaces. When pushed, it behaves a lot like a 2-ton 650 horsepower rally car. It demands respect, and a little bit of consideration for the prevailing laws of physics when pushing it into a corner, but it is mightily fast and impressive.

The way back towards civilization on the same bumpy and muddy road we had driven in on seemed even longer than the first time. It’s remarkable how much one appreciates the smoothness of tarmac after an hour or two of bouncing around on roads that aren’t really roads. Upon finally reaching paved nirvana, the cars were flicked back into “strada” mode and all was well with the world. If you were only allowed 1 car in your life and it had to do absolutely everything, with money no object, then I’m not sure what else you’d pick but an Urus. Aside from being able to do just about anything, its hugely powerful 4 liter V8 produces such an eager and playful rasp when pushed that it leaves you wanting for nothing in terms of straight-line excitement. I can’t think of a situation where you’d want a car that is faster and more capable, anyway.

After that bit of genuine off-roading, we were treated to a superb lunch on the lakeside in a specially raised temporary restaurant of sorts, which was a stunning setting thanks to the sunny autumn weather. There were even a couple of fishing rods on hand to try our luck at catching something. Though no luck would be forthcoming, it was great just spending a couple of hours outside in the autumn sunshine with our nostrils full of crisp forest air while the cars took a well-deserved break from all the abuse we were giving them.

Of course, in keeping with the journalistic tradition of searching for at least something that’s not entirely perfect, I’ve had to find a couple things that could be improced. On the inside, great though the styling and quality of the interior is, there are perhaps a couple too many Audi parts if you want to get the impression that you’re driving an Italian car. Urus is also a machine which you appreciate for its capabilities rather than the outright emotions it instills. Lamborghini’s sports cars, like the Huracan in particular, are the kind of automobile which you’d take out of your garage simply because you want to drive it. Urus, by contrast, is more about putting the most amount of fun into a utilitarian car. You probably wouldn’t drive it just for the sake of driving, but on the other hand it’s so good at the day to day stuff that you end up enjoying it much more often than you could any exotic supercar.

As such, Urus was a huge departure from any car that Lamborghini made before. Building a car like this was a no-brainer for management and shareholders, as there has been obvious demand for mega SUVs such as this. Lamborghini has been on a 9-year streak when it comes to growing sales, and the upward curve only got steeper since Urus launched. But at the same time, they didn’t take the path of least resistance. What their engineers have done with this platform is nothing short of amazing if you consider a couple of the decidedly un-sporty cars that it shares its underpinnings with (such as the Audi Q7 and Bentayga) and it adds some Italian flair and color to a market that is otherwise a little too serious for its own good. So how well did Lamborghini Russia succeed in their ploy to make us all long for one of their exclusive products? Well, after leaving our trusty bulls in Igora Drive’s parking lot, ready to be enjoyed by the next group of travelers, I may have looked back at it once or twice. Which may be a first when it comes to an SUV.