Bentayga takes thoroughly British route to Bentley high-end hybridisation

It is almost too easy to dismiss the latest Bentley SUV as an over-priced excess, writes Iain Robertson, when it carries a price tag of over £133,500, but it is every bit as good as the twice-the-price Rolls-Royce Cullinan and better in many ways.

For the price of a supercar, you could have a super-SUV and, if you are vehemently anti-SUV, a hybridised Bentayga provides supercar performance, with plug-in electric benefits that include almost 30 miles of EV operation, with a CO2 emissions rating of just 79g/km and the potential of 80.7mpg on the official combined WLTP fuel consumption cycle. I shall wager that you are as intrigued as I am to discover how this 2.6-tonne luxury leviathan attains its amazing figures.



However, firstly, I want to describe the sense of occasion that surrounds entering the cabin of Bentayga. Taking around 130 hours to build at the company’s Crewe headquarters, its quilted, diamond stitched Nappa hide and wood-trim interior is the epitome of the ultimate member’s club. There is no sharp intake of breath, because it is not that shocking, but it is unerringly beautiful and, I promise, there is not a single, hand-applied stitch that is out of place.



Personally, I adore its confidence. It is largely the same interior design as the 200mph Continental Coupe, albeit around a foot higher from the road surface. The driver’s seat wraps around the human form and provides an alluring security blanket, from which to observe a remote outside world, so cloistered in sound-deadened refinement are up to five occupants, within its spacious cabin. There is plenty of modernity within this time-honoured structure, with digital instrumentation supporting a logical control and switchgear array.



Yet, it is elegance in an unfettered direction, not least, when you crack open the electric rear door and reveal the pull-out ‘grandstand’ seating for two. This is a Wilton carpeted space for a pair of Purdeys and Bentley will secure box them for you in pure Walnut or Zebrano wood (at extra cost). Although bespoke, Bentley is British-based but owned by VW Group and possesses a direct relationship with both the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7, factors that help to keep prices at more moderate levels.



The familiar 3.0-litre V6 turbo-petrol engine is hooked up to a 94kW electric power unit providing a combined power output of 443bhp and a prodigious 516lbs ft of instant torque, driving through an 8-speed automatic transmission, which allows it to blast from 0-60mph in just 5.2s, with a maximum speed of 158mph. It can be plugged in to recharge its lithium-ion storage battery in around 2.5 hours, thanks to its high-tech drivetrain.



While it is difficult to disguise its bulk, its handling envelope is simply astonishing and its air suspension, with four different ride heights, provides a magic carpet ride, while resisting body roll. Face it, a top-spec Cayenne is over £100k but it cannot boast a driving range of upwards of 450-miles and, while sporty, it has only a merest whiff of the luxury provided by the Bentley.

MSG Summary

Probably the most covetable go-anywhere vehicle in the world, even its mildly challenging bodywork will not dissuade the well-heeled few that can afford a Bentley Bentayga hybrid.

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