Lamborghini seems to have a bee in their bonnet about how seriously people do (or do not) take the Urus as a capable off-roader. Hey, knock it off, quit laughing! Lambo is serious about this. Darned if the Sant’Agata Bolognese company didn’t just do some serious off-roading with their SUV. So much so, Lamborghini set a personal best with its Urus, a vehicle they say combines the soul of a super sports car with the functionality of an SUV.

The Air Up There

There’s this stretch in India reputed to be the highest drivable road in the world as it crests the Umling La Pass in India’s Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. And by crest, I mean it is 19,300 feet above sea level, which is, technically speaking, completely nuts. Look, I’ve driven to the top of Mauna Kea before, and that was “only” 13,796 feet up, and the rental car barely made it. At another mile above Mauna Kea, this Umling La Pass deal looks seriously nutzo.
Photo: Automobili Lamborghini.

Extreme Terrain

Originally built by the Border Roads Organization, the Umling La Pass is an extraordinary feat of engineering that was carried out under ridiculous weather conditions: Minimum temperature ranges from -20 degrees to -10 degrees, extremely thin air density, and wind speeds varying from 40 to 80 km/h. And no, in case you’re interested, this isn’t a smooth paved road like you’d find out front of the mall. The Umling La Pass road combi...