2024 Lamborghini Urus

Perhaps no model embodies the "sport" in sport-utility vehicle as fully as the 2024 Lamborghini Urus. For several years, more SUVs that blur the lines between sports car, wagon and utility shuttle have debuted. But few carry the expectations — and skepticism — of ultimate performance quite like a tall-ish four-door wearing Lamborghini's famous bull shield. The skeptics needn't worry, though. The Urus follows a similar ethos as other Lambos: Shape it like a sharpened weapon, then add more power than is prudent. Not surprisingly, performance is exemplary. But more satisfying is that the Urus' high limits don't compromise comfort — the benefit of sharing its structural roots with distant Audi and Porsche counterparts.

Longtime car-spotters will know the Urus isn't Lamborghini's first SUV. That honor belongs to the LM002 from the mid-1980s, nicknamed the "Rambo Lambo" for its chunky, Jeep-like design, muscular V12 engine and notable celebrity owner, Sylvester Stallone. But where that unwieldy ergonomic disaster was more of a curio even for its era, the Urus is every bit a modern supercar, deftly balancing performance and pampering. Its scorching 657-horsepower engine combines with a sophisticated suspension and drivetrain, loaded with center-mounted and torque-vectoring differentials, for a car that can be driven both hard and angry or relaxed and refined.

Despite the Urus' limited changes, 2024 should be interesting for what happens around it, notably the debut of the Ferrari Purosangue. The feud between founders Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini was epic, and the battle between these super utes promises to be just as contentious. If you're looking for an undercard before the main event, though, the Aston Martin DBX and Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT should also easily satisfy.