BENTLEY BENTAYGA HYBRID

2.5 tons of opulence, 450 horses and 700 Nm make a mountain road the ideal place to discover how the new Bentayga is all you need.

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos S. Lomax

A 2.5-ton SUV on a mountain road? Come on, it has to be said that it is not such a strange scenario after all. We have done it several times. Maybe not with a Bentley, given that the legendary brand from Crewe is primarily the ultimate representation of luxury, an environment imbued with the delicate and refined scents of leather and wood in which the first image that springs to your mind is certainly not the rough Blower of the 20s. But if we add the fact that this Bentayga is also a hybrid, then the compulsive shuffling of the cards becomes even more consistent.

 

 

 

Yes, the automotive world has really changed, in fact just think of when the Bentayga was still in its prototype phase being unveiled to the world in 2012 under the unusual guise of the EXP 9 F concept. It was certainly not one of those situations you feel ready for, indeed the critics and the whole attendance were quite harsh, so much so as to induce Bentley to pay a lot of attention trying to soften those details that would have made the final model closer to the concrete demands of the market and therefore further away from a too futuristic look. After all, the first Bentley SUV in history had already attracted the attention of that group of users who do not care about politically correct and would have equally looked to the Bentayga as a must-have object for the simple fact that it represents the king of the jungle of sport utility vehicles. Most likely, many did not even care to know that in reality it was also a car perfectly capable of carrying out those tasks that would have confirmed on the road – and if you are brave enough, even far from tarmac – that the excellent results in terms of sales were damn well deserved.

 

 

 

Combining the Bentley name with Taiga, which is the largest transcontinental forest in the world, Crewe decided to ride the wave and in 2018 the W12 and V8 versions welcome the first hybrid unit. In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic crisis, Bentley’s plans regarding the centenary are not upset and the Bentayga undergoes a profound aesthetic update that rejuvenates its look, confirming the version with the 6.0 W12 with 635 horsepower and the 550 hp 4-liter V8 at the top of the range. The new entry level, if we can define it that way, is the Plug-In Hybrid like the one of our test, which promises to be the perfect meeting point between the high luxury that has distinguished the brand for a century and the usability of an SUV perfectly in tune even for those customers who may never have considered putting a winged B in their garage.

 

 

 

It’s like the politically correct of the politically incorrect, an SUV even more conspicuous thanks to a design that softens the squared lines of the previous model, still maintaining those immediately distinctive features of the brand such as the two pairs of round headlights at the front divided by the huge grille. However, it is at the back that the restyling becomes more evident, with a completely different tailgate and two XXL oval optical groups. The sample in my hands does even more, not only because it is a First Edition, but because it also includes all the aesthetic embellishments that are part of the Mulliner package. In this way, a starting price that we could define as competitive and set at around € 176,000, reaches € 285,000, thus including around 7,000 euro for the Extreme Silver paint, 18,000 euro for black details and almost 40,000 euro for the First Edition pack.

 

 

 

Monumental, majestic, with Beluga leather interiors and briar panels that providentially leave room for diamond-like and brushed aluminum, which make the cockpit of this Bentayga the ideal place in which to spend my incoming weeks. Having ascertained that in pure electric mode you can travel up to 40 km and that the petrol tank is very generous, the hybrid argument of this Bentayga should not be reduced to fuel consumption, mileage and obviously not even costs, but rather to how a 5.1 long and 2 meters wide SUV has the ability to move well between curves as in the city center, an area in which the electrified counterpart is more than useful. After all, we are talking about moving a mass of 2.4 tons and we know well that – apart from furious accelerations – the crucial moment that drastically brings down the mileage left in the tank – and in the batteries – take place when the car starts to move.

 

 

 

Of course, talking about these aspects while the winged B stands out in front of your nose is nothing short of strange and so I decide to free myself by abandoning the traffic behind. The Bentayga Hybrid has a dual nature and this translates into the numerous driving modes available to the driver. Among the traditional ones that can be entered using the rotor around the ignition button we have Sport, Comfort, Individual and Bentley Mode, which as we have previously seen is a sort of intelligent mode that autonomously adapts the various parameters of the car according to the inputs provided by the driver. In addition, through the appropriate button it is possible to recall EV mode (100% electric), moreover going to manage the management of the batteries with the additional Hybrid mode (maximizes the combined use of the petrol engine with the electric one) and Hold Mode (balances the motors to optimize the charge of the batteries).

 

 

 

Once the road clears and the mountains take the place of the buildings in the surrounding, Sport mode is the best one to test the dynamic skills of the Bentayga. 8-speed automatic transmission set with gear selection via the paddles on the steering wheel and I immediately realize that although this Bentley was not designed with a stopwatch in mind, tackling the bends with a certain impetus certainly does not represent a problem. It is very likely that only a very small percentage of customers will find fumbling from one corner to another, thus being surprised by the exceptional grip offered by an incredibly skilled structure in stiffening up enough to reduce body roll and lean, but if it were necessary to hurry, you will not regret the lack of at least two cylinders.

 

 

 

Where the V8 roars and pushes up to a high number of revs per minute, the twin-turbo hybrid V6 plays on a more immediate delivery and which using the unconditional thrust of the electric charge ground 450 horsepower and 700 Nm of torque in such a way as to make the movements just as fast and frenetic, albeit with a soundtrack dampened by the intention of making the PHEV variant a model more prone to a more civilized use. 5.5 seconds to shoot from 0 to 100 per hour is a more than a respectable value, but you will hardly find yourself focusing your eyes on the stopwatch, as much as enjoying the ease with which kilometers are about to be devoured. And if in the stomach of one of the most traditional mountain roads the Bentayga Hybrid manages to prove itself perfectly up to the task, also offering the possibility of dirtying the wheels with huge 22″ rims, you will definitely get in tune with it when you understand that the best way to live on board will be to let yourself be carried away, thus realizing that the plug-in hybrid version is just that: the most comfortable and elegant way to move from one point to another.

 

 

 

But we know, no occasion should ever be missed and, if necessary, having 450 horsepower always comes useful, making the pachyderm-like weight necessary to provide the driver and occupants an environment refined in every detail, where beauty’s purity does not have to leave room to practicality. We have a digital display that allows us a perfect control on the infotainment system, a fully customizable digital screen in front of the driver’s eyes and old school details such as the analog clock sunk on top of the dashboard, or also the levers for opening the air vents. Even the control wheels have a specific weight probably higher than that of a Mercedes A-Class and it is precisely here that the uncontested nature of the Bentley reminds you that you are driving a luxurious spaceship that does not intend to travel into the future with blinders. In a normal driving situation and therefore without paying too much attention to the throttle pedal – but without even abusing it – I totaled 12.2 l/100 km, but when traveling in Sport and despite softer driving dynamics if compared to the V8, the Bentayga Hybrid needs more fuel and doesn’t skimp on asking for it.

 

 

 

When gravity matters, taking advantage of the inertia that represented a greater energy expenditure in the climb phase, the 13 kWh batteries are however able to store enough energy to allow us to balance the return back home. But sticking to our beloved curves, to the mountains, that is the place where without a shadow of a doubt you would never think of bringing an SUV of this size, the Bentayga demonstrates how the all-wheel drive dialogue with the steering is spotless and made even more precise in Sport mode, so you now know it’s not just prerogative of the V8 and W12. There is also room for that almost imperceptible activation/deactivation of the electric unit which with its 126 horsepower is able to give added value when fully charged, but never turns into an unjustified absence when you have exhausted even the last droplet available to the batteries.

 

 

 

With all that there is to say, I almost forgot that the update made by Bentley at the beginning of 2020 certainly did not do little to the aesthetics of the Bentayga. So, with this First Edition everything is amplified and made even more aggressive thanks to the aggressive front splitter, side skirts and spoiler on the rear window, all in carbon fiber and capable of sharpening the look of Crewe’s mega SUV. Obviously the exterior appearance is the most subjective thing there can be, but you cannot remain indifferent in front of so much grandeur and drivability that makes you immediately forget its 2 meters in width. You’ll attract looks, comments and questions, even at the petrol pump, when dealing with two fuel caps. And given that for us the crucial point is driving involvement, we are relieved for having discovered how an almost 300,000 euro SUV has not even lost one of its essential qualities along the way.

 

 

 

The desire to keep driving is an intrinsic value when it comes to a noble brand like Bentley. It does not matter if over the course of the century you arrive at your destination without the sign of the elements around the aviator goggles that immediately match the legendary sports cars of the 30s, or if the unstable hum of the engine has been replaced by a latest generation powertrain and from a cabin that seems to enjoy noise reduction, in such a way as to make the experience on board the Bentayga the perfect combination of luxury and practicality. The overall power available, although it is never delivered or transmitted to the seats as happens with SUVs more inclined to the performance factor, is equally able to offer figures that make three quarters of the sports cars around in serious troubles, but it is the sum of parts that consecrates the Bentayga as a reference point for the brand, for the segment and for the entire automotive panorama, especially now that it enjoys the right aesthetic bits that have made its lines more harmonious than ever.

 

BENTLEY BENTAYGA HYBRID FIRST EDITION

Engine V6 cylinder Twin-Turbo Hybrid, 2.995 cc Power 449 hp Torque 700 Nm

Traction All-Wheel-Drive Transmission 8-Speed Automatic Gearbox Weight 2.440 kg

0-100 kph 5,5 sec Top Speed 254 kph Price €285.264,32