If Bentayga is insufficient, it will soon be available in sportier ‘S’ guise
Considering his avowed resistance to SUVs, especially big ones, that Iain Robertson is impressed and even admires Bentley’s variation on the theme suggests that the VW-owned, yet Crewe-based, firm has got the balance right.
To state that Teutonic ownership has been anything less than great for Bentley would be to miss the point. Its first product under VW, the Continental GT coupe, continues to be produced in its latest forms, with unrelenting customer demand, and I cannot say that I blame them. When I first heard that an SUV was to be produced to carry the ‘Flying B’, I was horrified. When I first saw an example, my reaction was bilious. For Bentley to hop onto a marketing bandwagon better suited to mass production flew in the face of its bespoke Britishness.
However, since its unveiling in 2016 and more recent restyling exercise, Bentayga has grown on me and 25,000 mostly new brand aficionados have bolstered Bentley to significant fresh peaks, believed to be unattainable formerly. It is a German funded, British-based success story, respectful of marque history, its bespoke character and the many hundreds of local employees that could have lost their jobs all too readily had the brand continued in its previous downwards spiral.
A few months ago, I reported on the technological developments of the immensely potent, V12 Speed version of the Conti coupe. As an exercise in engineering excess, its dynamic achievements are astonishing. While it might be perceived as a tad cheesy, a cliché-laden ‘S’ version of Bentayga is now slotted judiciously into the Bentley line-up but, having witnessed and experienced the tech evident in the Speed, I am resisting strongly and justifiably the urge to take the Mickey.
Sampled in North Wales, the newcomer is powered by the bi-turbo V8 petrol engine that develops a wholesome 542bhp, accompanied by a whopping 568lbs ft of torque, to ensure performance expectations that catch the hooligan’s breath each time the throttle pedal is mashed disrespectfully into the lambswool rug. However, it is an irresistible gesture, mainly because it is accompanied by a bellowing and head-turning soundtrack from the specifically tuned exhaust system and, believe me, there is nothing cheesy about that.
Given its head, the Bentayga S scorches from 0-60mph in a satisfying 4.4s, before topping out dizzyingly at 180mph. Yet, considering its near 2.5-tonnes kerbweight, it is a paragon of Germanic efficiency, the Audi-originated motor returning an official 21.2mpg (if you cannot afford it, do not buy one) that can slip easily into the mid-teens and its CO2 emissions rating of 294g/km also demands the highest annual road tax fee.
As highlighted in the Speed, it is the mass of dynamic improvements wrought by the reactive suspension that hike the Bentayga into supercar territory. Its resistance to body-roll is stultifying to critics. The complete lack of ‘head sway’, a phenomenon normally inherent to SUVs, notably the full-size variants, is other-worldly. Yet, it is the prodigious mechanical grip and remarkable balance of the chassis that spreads a smile across the faces of new Bentayga drivers. I guarantee that no other SUV provides such an amazing spread of capabilities that seem to defy the Laws of Physics so competently.
Even so, the evident wizardry can display very slight remoteness at the helm that cannot be concealed by Bentley’s advanced electronic packaging. Mind you, it could be worse, were the mechanical hardware less developed than it is. There is a distinct feeling that Bentley’s in-house team has stretched its levels of competence to credibility-busting status.
Unsurprisingly, as a sporty model, its interior treatment is a real treat, with lashings of Alcantara upholstery, matched hide, engine-turned alloy, polished timber and those sweet, signature, stainless steel pull switches alongside the dashboard air-vents. It is possible to order the car in four individual seats form, or more practical five and even seven seat versions. You may spot the subtle ‘S’ logo on the dashboard but you cannot miss the embroidered alternative sewn into the seat backs.
All digital, the pronounced dial graphics take influence from high-end chronographs but the display brings a contemporary look to the cockpit and can be tailored to the driver’s requirements, by dipping into the ‘settings’, while featuring real-time lighting effects complete with elegant animations…every boy needs his toys. The high-resolution screen can be viewed in either ‘Classic’, or ‘Expanded’ formats. In the former, the display shows a traditional two-dial design of speedometer and rev-counter. In the latter, the right dial is replaced with an area for maps and media information. As is to be expected of a £179,600 luxo-barge, the quality and detailing is beyond reproach.
It is no surprise that the car’s on-road presence is eye-catching and emotive. Riding on enormous 22.0-inch diameter polished and diamond-cut alloys that are ‘handed’ in such a manner that the scythe-like spokes on either side of the car rotate in the right direction, Bentley is playing its style card with extreme confidence. If they are a tad garish, there are two other, less overt optional finishes.
However, the exterior finish is amplified to greater effect on the ‘S’, with black treatment to all exterior ‘bright-ware’, matched with black door mirrors and black-painted side sills that visually diminish the car’s bulk. They are enhanced by dark tinted treatment to the headlamps and elliptical tail lamps, together with new high gloss black on the lower bumper grilles. A larger rear spoiler on the Bentayga S both extends the roofline in profile and, according to Bentley (why should I not believe it?), provides increased aerodynamic stability at speed. The finishing touches lay in the complementary black painted, split oval, sport exhaust tailpipes, and, naturally, the exterior badging.
Every time I feature Bentley on social media, a crop of admirers makes positively supportive and desirable comments. Personally, I love the Bentley brand and have always done so, from its slightly caddish pre-VW past, to its current, world supercar status. Knowing that the company has electrification firmly in its sights, only convinces me that it has a future, of which it could scarcely have dreamt three decades ago.
