With over 640 horsepower on tap from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine, the Lamborghini Urus is already one of the fastest and most formidable SUVs in the market today. But as is always the case with the powerful, the status quo isn’t nearly good enough. There’s always a need for more, more, and more. That’s why when it came time to giving the Urus an aftermarket makeover, ABT Sportsline took a break from its assembly line of tuning projects for scattered Audi and Volkswagen models to turn its attention to the Italian SUV. The result is what you’d expect from the German tuner. The Lamborghini Urus now packs more punch to the tune of 700 horsepower and 671 pound-feet of torque. It’s not big of a jump from the Urus’ standard output, but when you’re playing around with models packing this amount of power, even the simplest of performance bumps goes a long way.

2019 Lamborghini Urus by ABT Sportsline

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2019 Lamborghini Urus by ABT Sportsline
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Pros
Cons

Exterior

- Urus kept in standard guise - Minimal, if any, aftermarket upgrades

Lamborghini knows how to make an SUV that exudes the tenets of its identity. It’s fierce, aggressive, and powerful, which is what all Lambos look like these days. To say that the Urus needs an aesthetic upgrade would be a disservice to the work Lamborghini’s designers put into creating this high-riding masterpiece. So, ABT Sportsline did what any tuner worth its salt would do. It left the Urus’ exterior alone.

That was the prudent choice, and if you own a Urus, you really have to ask yourself if there’s an aero kit out there that’s going to do wonders for what the SUV already has. Take a look at it. If Lamborghini’s intention was to create an SUV that visually channeled all these elements together in one stylistic package, then consider it a job well done. From the low-line coupé body style to the short overhangs, Lamborghini nailed every aspect of the Urus’ design.

Even more impressive, at least when you think about it, is the way Lamborghini managed to create the Urus’ design without compromising its aerodynamic qualities. Lamborghini managed to actually combine both elements, doing it so naturally, that one aspect blends with the other seamlessly. The low-slung profile isn’t there simply for aesthetic purposes; it’s there to provide a natural flow of air along the SUV’s body without any interruptions. That’s the kind of smart design and engineering that you only get from an automaker like Lamborghini.

Overall, the Lamborghini Urus’ still looks the same with the ABT package installed underneath that sultry body. It’s what Lamborghini intended when it launched the SUV back in 2017. ABT was smart enough to respect it, and the Urus looks all the better for it.

I do understand that there will still be some of you who will pay good money to turn the Urus into something akin to a Decepticon. In that case, there is a multitude of other aftermarket tuners that do provide aerodynamic body kits for Lambo’s resident super SUV. Russian tuner Top Car is one of those tuners, and it more than lived up to its reputation when it introduced the world’s first aerodynamic body kit for the Urus. Top Car’s kit comes with a bevy of aerodynamic-enhanced parts and pieces, including a new hood, a new bottom part of the front bumper, side splitters in the front and rear bumpers, front and rear fender extensions, lining on the front fenders, side skirts, door moldings, rear bumper diffuser, and a pair of rear spoilers. In other words, Top Car dropped its entire aerodynamic catalog on the Urus.

All of this, of course, is a matter of preference. You can take ABT Sportsline’s route and leave the SUV alone, or you can take Top Car’s straightforward, smash-mouth approach and turn the Urus’ design over its head. Either way, the Italian SUV still looks good.

Interior

- Customization options available - Obligatory branded floor mats - Equally obligatory branded door sills

The Lamborghini Urus comes with a driver-focused layout, a lowered seating position, and a highly sophisticated control setup. But we already know all that. We also know that Lambo spares no expense in dressing up the interior of its models in the finest of fine materials. You name it, Lamborghini has it. Whether it’s aluminum, carbon fiber, or high-quality wood trim, there’s enough space inside the Urus to accommodate all these materials, provided that you’re interested in them. Fine leather and Alcantara are the go-to materials for the interior upholstery. You can dress it up depending on your taste and preference, though in standard form, Lamborghini will dress up the cabin in a single-color leather that’s complemented by either Girigio Octans or Nero Ade trim.

All that and we haven’t even gotten to Lamborghini’s extensive list of customization options that cover stitching options, seat belt colors, floor mat colors, and carpet colors. I meant it when I said that Lamborghini has pretty much everything your heart desires when it comes to interior customization.

Knowing that begs the question: what can ABT Sportsline do to build on what Lamborghini has to offer?

The short answer: Very little, if any, at all.

The German tuner played it smart. It’s not exactly leaving this section barren — the obligatory door sills and ABT floor mats are available — but the German tuner knows better. It knows that anything it can provide, Lamborghini probably already has it in a more sophisticated package. So why even bother, right? You can opt to get a few throw-in bits like the aforementioned floor mats, but you’re better off sticking with what Lamborghini has on the table. Chances are, you’re not going to do much better than that.

Drivetrain

- ABT Engine Control unit - Increased output of 60 horsepower and 41 pound-feet of torque - 0-to-60-mph time cut to 3.4 seconds from 3.6 seconds - Top speed should increase past 190 mph

At this point, you’re probably wondering if ABT Sportsline did anything to the Lamborghini Urus. Well, your wait is over, folks. This is where the German tuner flexes its muscles with an aftermarket engine upgrade program that’s meant specifically to give the Urus more power at its disposal. For that, we have to thank the tuner’s new high-tech control unit, ABT Engine Control, or “AEC,” for short.

The AEC control unit is what it sounds like. It’s a software program meant to unlock more power out of the Urus’ 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine. It’s not that sexy of an upgrade from the periphery because it’s not a sexy upgrade at all. There are no extra turbochargers, no new cylinder heads or camshafts. From the looks of it, there isn’t even an upgraded exhaust system, which is something of an ABT Sportsline staple. There’s none of that, except the AEC control unit.

Thankfully, the new software program provides results, and good ones at that. Do the math, and that adds up to an increase of 60 horsepower and 41 pound-feet of torque. They’re modest gains, but gains, nonetheless.

The engine upgrade translates positively in the performance sheets, too. According to ABT, the extra power coming out of the Urus’ twin-turbo V-8 engine helps the SUV cut its 0-to-60-mph acceleration time from 3.6 seconds to 3.4 seconds. Impressive. No mention was made on the Urus’ new top speed, but since the standard V-8 can bring the SUV up to as much as 190 mph, it’s worth expecting that, with the help of ABT’s AEC control unit, the Urus’ new top speed should comfortably exceed 190 mph. Perhaps a top speed of around 194 mph isn’t out of the question?

For a bit of perspective, the ABT-tuned Lamborghini Urus now has as much power as the current most powerful SUV in the world, the 707-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The latter still has a seven-horsepower edge — 707 to 700 — but the difference is now negligible since the 2,200-kg (4,850 pounds) Urus is a little over 232 kilos (500 pounds) lighter than the 2,432-pound American powerhouse SUV. Put these two SUVs in a drag strip, and the Urus’ advantage will show, thanks in large part to the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk’s 180-mph top speed.

So, here you have it, prospective and current Lamborghini Urus owners. ABT Sportsline, one of the most famous tuners in the world, has come up with a tuning program for the Lamborghini Urus that, admittedly, doesn’t exactly live up to the hype. Not that there was any, to begin with. But, hey, an upgrade is an upgrade. Sometimes, that should be enough.

Final Thoughts

I’m a fan of ABT Sportsline. I’ve drooled over some of the programs it has created for Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen models. More often than not, ABT Sportsline leaves me wanting to have my car brought to its shop so it can work its magic on it. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those times. The program it created for the Lamborghini Urus isn’t just underwhelming; it’s actually empty on meaningful substance. Sure, the engine upgrade adds 60 ponies and 41 pound-feet of torque to the SUV’s output. But beyond that? Very little in the way of anything that makes me interested in the program as a whole.

Granted, creating an aftermarket program for a model like the Lamborghini Urus is a tough task. There’s a more than real possibility that whatever a tuner offers, the Urus already has. Maybe even better. That’s not a slight on ABT Sportsline; that’s a reminder that the Urus is, above all else, a Lamborghini. And we know all too well that nobody builds their cars quite like the fine folks at Sant'Agata Bolognese. If you’re building a kit for a Lamborghini, you better bring your “A” game. Unfortunately, ABT Sportsline didn’t bring it, and the results show it.

Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Lamborghini Urus.

Read our full review on the 1986-1993 Lamborghini LM002.