I reviewed the Urus a few years back – and then drove it again, in the snow, on a Lambo Drive trip in Denmark last year. Whilst in Copenhagen, the PR guys kept banging on about driving the Performante variant, so here we are, as the monster sits in my driveway.

I can hear you screaming “Ridiculous, who can afford a quarter-million pound car?” But that, ladies and gentlemen, is not the point. The point being that we should all look on with pride that the human race is capable of producing such automotive works of art. After all, very few of us went on Concorde, but who didn’t look up into the sky and say “Wow, look what we humans can do”?

I like the Urus and, as Lamborghini’s first SUV they have made a damn good fist of it. A 2,150kg / 2.5 ton supercar is no mean feat but it has been a stupendous success for the company, with 21,000 sold since its launch in 2018. The company is in the midst of a £1.8 billion investment programme, which will yield a Hybrid Aventador, a Huracan successor and, in 2028, the first fully electric Lamborghini – and the Urus is mainly responsible for this investment. So, back to the first question “Who can afford a quarter-million pound car?” Well, 21,000 people can!

So what are the changes? It sits 20mm lower than the standard Urus, and has a wider front and rear track, the eight-speed gearbox is far more aggressive. There is active torque vectoring and some aero revisions, such as the rear spoiler which generates 38% more downforce on the rear. The new Akrapovis sports exhaust gives you bass frequencies to die for. The overall weight reduction is 47kg and at this level of performance, every ounce helps.

The 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 has an increased output of 657bhp, with very hard working turbos, offering 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds, and a top speed of 190mph. In a high riding 2.5 ton SUV, this is deeply impressive and, if you don’t hang on and get ready for it, bloody terrifying. If you get the squits, the superb carbon ceramic brakes will haul you to a stop in quick time.

Enough of the stats, what’s it like to drive? Well, it’s astonishing. The performance in just about every gear at all speeds is remarkable, with no dead zone in the acceleration thanks to those turbos slaving away and filling in any lag problems. It feels like it weighs ten ounces as, even in high speed corners, there is so little lean or roll that the temptation is to keep pushing – even with this mass. So l did. I pushed up to 160mph (off-road, of course!) and hit several sharpish corners with not a wobble, hardly a roll, and certainly no concern on my face. All l wanted to do was push on and on and on…

Then there is Rally Mode for when you find yourself off-road (as if) and Track mode - but as that turns off all driving aids, l thought better than using it as it is always nice to have the car in one piece when they come to collect it!

Inside, there are acres of Nero Cosmos black Alcantara, new seat trim and great bolstered seats. The 10.1-inch touchscreen is easy and responsive. There is a touch of overkill on the satnav screens - one on the dash, one on the 10.1-inch touchscreen, and one on the HUD display. The only annoying thing l could find is the speed limit warning that flashes up on the dash and the HUD. l really do not need to be told every single time l go 2mph over the speed limit (mainly as l spent 99% of my time over that very frustrating limit).

It also has a huge boot that l had no interest in testing until two of my daughters announced they needed things for their new Uni houses – so off to IKEA we went. Normally, that is purgatory for me but the drive there and back picked me up. Then to see six boxes, a boxed wardrobe and various other items get swallowed up into the boot, l was very impressed. The long skinny wardrobe box wouldn’t fit at first, then l popped open the hole between the rear seats and hey presto, it slid through and the boot closed. Very impressive.

Then the Dynamic Motoring Editor, Fiona Shafer and l did a trip to the press day of the British Motor Show in Farnborough, and both agreed that we’d arrived in something more impressive than almost everything else on show.

So, you have £209,000 knocking around (entry price) and want a piece of automotive history, what’s the competition? Only two really - the Aston Martin DBX 707 that l reviewed last month, and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT. The Porsche is blown away, therefore between the Urus or the Aston – and for my money, it’s the Urus Performante every time.

TECH STUFF

Model tested: Lamborghini Urus Performante
Engine:4.0-litre, V8 twin turbo
Speed: 0-62 3.3 seconds
Top:190mph
Economy:20mpg
Price from: £209,000