IS LAMBORGHINI TESTING A 2022 URUS FACELIFT

2022 urus performante 7

2022 urus performante 7

We’ve all seen the recent spy shots of a new Lamborghini Urus test mule, and while it was nicely camouflaged, as usual, we could still recognize some interesting details about the styling, and they look a bit odd considering all the online publications are talking about it being the facelift version, the EVO perhaps … but is it?

The Lamborghini Urus was introduced in 2018, with deliveries to customers happening by the Spring of that year, so we’re now three years into the production of this Super SUV, are they doing a facelift already?

Lamborghini delivered a total of 4,391 units of their Urus in 2020, and the waiting list on a new order is around 8 months at this time, if we take a look at the Aventador for instance, the LP700-4 was introduced in 2011, with the facelift ‘S’ model arriving in 2017. With the Huracán it’s about the same story, unveiled in 2014 with the EVO taking over in 2019 … so a six-year period for the V12 and 5 years for the V10 to get a facelift, and the Urus would be updated only 3 years after the first deliveries … isn’t that a bit quick?

2022 urus performante 8

At the moment Lamborghini is doing a lot of ‘special edition’ versions on the Urus, like the Pearl Capsule and the Graphite Capsule, nothing more than Ad Personam configurations that look different from the ‘normal’ Urus customers can configure, but is it time for a mid-life update on this best-selling V8 from Sant’Agata?

I think it will be at least 2022 if not 2023 before we see an updated Lamborghini Urus introduced, my guess is the test mule isn’t a Urus EVO or a Urus S, but a second model in the Urus line up that will be available aside from the ‘normal’ version.

If you take a closer look at the spy shots of this Urus test mule, you’ll notice the front and rear bumpers look more aggressive, with different air intakes and air vents, especially at the rear it seems the regular Urus vent on the sides next to the hatch are just decals … the real vents are lowered onto the wheel arches. Also, at the front it seems there are additional vertical intakes on the sides … so are we looking at a more powerful Urus version, perhaps a Urus Performante?

2022 urus performante 5

From the spy shots, it also seems the hexagon grille at the front is gone, as are the ‘Y’ shaped inserts in the larger bumper intakes, so perhaps this test mule has an engine that needs more cooling? That would negate the option of a hybrid model that has been rumored since the Urus was introduced.

In just about every interview where they talk about Lamborghini and hybrid cars, the Urus is mentioned as being the first production model to be available as a hybrid, you can hardly call the Sian a production model, and while both the Aventador successor and the Huracán successor will be hybrids too, it is more than likely a hybrid version of the Urus will come first … so are they testing the Urus hybrid underneath this camouflaged test mule?

As usual, nothing official is being published, and while I’m sure the high-resolution spy shots we are seeing these days are not really ‘leaked’ or accidentally captured (Lamborghini is way too good at keeping secrets to have their projects captured on photo by accident), I’m not too sure about the fact this would be a 2022 facelift for the Urus, my guess is this is a more powerful version, 750 hp or so combined perhaps with some weight savings.

It doesn’t look like Lamborghini has the slightest interest in creating a more rugged off-road version of the Urus anytime soon, although I do enjoy seeing renders like the one from BradBuilds here:

2022 urus performante 9

But unless someone does this kind of conversion privately, I think these will remain renders for now.