Bentley’s new Bentayga is the crème-de-la-crème of SUV’s. It’s the fastest at 187mph (301km/h), the most powerful at 600hp (608PS) and 663lb-ft, and the most expensive (at least until Rolls Royce and Lamborghini bring their SUVs to the table).
As we can see in this review from Carfection, it manages to be a versatile, true SUV when piloted off-road, without damaging the characteristics that define the Crewe marque, such as refinement, luxurious appointments and handling finesse – the latter comes courtesy of a 48-volt active stabilizer system.
The all-new 6.0-liter W12 and ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox are praised for their effectiveness, dispatching 0-62mph (100km/h) in 4-seconds flat.
A plug-in hybrid Bentayga is all-however, confirmed for 2018, while being up in the air about a full electric express. A diesel engine, like the one in the Audi SQ7, is also a distinct possibility.
The reviewer remarks: “ Part of me will never truly be down with Bentley creating an SUV- no matter how good that car is. We’d prefer them to stick to making cars we’re really passionate about and want to drive ourselves. However, really, that’s our hangup; that’s something we need to get over”.
With Bentley increasing capacity to meet exploding demand, we think he may be right.
By Mitchell Jones