# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Everything Bentley knows about luxury, wrapped up in an SUV. Not the prettiest, but one of the most complete

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Everything Bentley knows about luxury, wrapped up in an SUV. Not the prettiest, but one of the most complete

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Everything Bentley knows about luxury, wrapped up in an SUV. Not the prettiest, but one of the most complete

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Everything Bentley knows about luxury, wrapped up in an SUV. Not the prettiest, but one of the most complete

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.value
We don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but smooth, deep chested and potent though it was, the W12 never suited the Bentayga as well as the V8. This 4.0-litre twin turbo is used in everything from the Audi RS6 to the Lamborghini Urus, so there’s nothing particularly specialised about it, nothing bespoke to Bentley. And yet it suits the Bentayga to a tee. Smooth at low revs, eager and responsive higher up and equipped with a soundtrack that is noticeable and enjoyable when it needs to be.

It also does speed more than well enough. Even when fitted in the heaviest version – the 2,514kg EWB Mulliner – the 542bhp V8 is capable of hurling the Bentayga to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds and on to 180mph. It simply wouldn’t suit it to go faster. But it’s the manner of this performance that suits it so well – as attested to by its torque, a massive 568lb ft available from a mere 2,000rpm.

And what of the hybrid version?

Let’s just say that it does a particular job, having enough pure electric range to allow emissions-free urban trips, but the technology isn’t cutting edge – it doesn’t permit fast charging, can’t use the V6 to generate battery charge and the 126bhp e-motor isn’t strong enough to move the car’s frame without the V6 firing. A V6 that sounds too reedy and isn’t as thunderous and well-mannered as the V8.

The Hybrid has its advantages – namely, the ability to drive on electric power for up to 25 miles – and is worth looking at if you want to run your Bentayga as a company car or regularly drive into towns/cities with low-emissions zones. You can read all about the Bentayga Hybrid by clicking on these blue words or reading about our experiences of living with one for a few months.

Is the Bentayga fun to drive?

The Bentayga remains absurdly neat to drive given its 5m-by-2m size and 2.4-tonne kerb weight. The extra width in its rear track has sharpened up the steering a bit and reduced another ounce of effort from its already relaxed driver. Choose to travel at a sedate pace and it’s so easy-going, the handful of semi-autonomous driver aids feel utterly superfluous.

Up your speed and things don’t get much tougher, unless you’ve turned onto your favourite stretch of backroad and suddenly discovered it feels half as wide as usual. With the help of a deeply clever 48v anti-roll suspension system – as deployed on the quick Audi Q7s the Bentayga bears relation to – its chassis acts like one if not half its size, then maybe two thirds.

It can be genuinely good fun: the way the rear of the car hunkers right down under hard acceleration, or when you aggressively chase the throttle right on the exit of a corner, can be laugh-out-loud hilarious. Perhaps enough to shatter any grumpy petrolhead predispositions about how ‘Premier League training ground’ the Bentayga looks when you first clap eyes on it.

The Hybrid doesn’t feel as resolved, owing to the added weight of the battery and nature of the powertrain, but it’s not meant to be in any way sporty or dynamic. It’s still comfortable, and that’s what really matters.

How does the new Speed version stack up?

Overlook its failure to read the room and it’s a lot of fun. As noted, Bentleys are cars with a very particular character, a certain heft and depth of quality being prime among them. The new Speed is noticeably faster than the outgoing version – 3.4 seconds to 60mph versus 3.9s for the W12-engined car – but there’s more to it than just sheer force and the numbers. The Bentayga has always managed its mass with a haughty confidence, and Bentley’s engineers have managed to wring more out of it even as the car heads towards pensionable age.

How so?

Well the engine is still combustion-era in all its raging, snarling pomp. A sports exhaust helps beef up the soundtrack, which is even more old-school and barrel-chested if you go for the Akrapovic titanium set-up. And if you’re shopping around in this sort of territory, why wouldn’t you? It’s a £7,740 option, but think of the bragging rights.

Comfort and Bentley driving modes remain as before, but the Sport setting has been thoroughly recalibrated. Damping stiffness is increased by 15 per cent, the steering is more feelsome, and the transmission ups its game for crisper gearshifts. But the real party trick comes via torque vectoring (by braking) for sharper turn-in and an even more amusing sense of physics being mercilessly bullied on corner exits. There’s also four-wheel steering and Launch Control for the first time on a Bentayga. The former is more useful than the latter.

And, if you’re on a loose surface, the ESC loosens the reins sufficiently to allow for some amusing drift angles. We drove the car on a trail in Montana with some precipitous drops on either side – this curtailed truly vigorous lairiness – but it still moves deftly. OK, so the Bentayga Speed isn’t as sharply dialled in as a Ferrari Purosangue or the Lamborghini Urus S – both of which feel much smaller and lighter than they are – but it’s still impressively dynamic. All the while delivering a real and perceived quality the Italians can’t quite muster.

Note, you must spec the optional carbon ceramic brakes to get access to this new extrovert part of the car’s personality. The best bet is to spring for the Dynamic Specification, which bundles the ceramic stoppers together with the 23in wheels (a £10,370 option all in). Levelling up is a Bentley speciality, and very good for business, as the labyrinthine options list attests.

How do the regular brakes cope?

Yes, good point, well made. They’re fine up to a point, but stopping always takes much more apparent effort than going. You’re aware of just how much kinetic energy is not being harnessed.

Does it feel like a proper Bentley?

In truth, if any car is made for the incongruous, profit-embiggening switch to SUVs, it’s a Bentley. Already knowingly hefty – with few sops to lightweighting or litheness in the company’s saloons and coupes – the Bentayga really does just drive like a taller Bentley, and thus ought to be vastly less upsetting to the purists than a Urus or Purosangue.

And its manners are impeccable when you’re not being an imbecile, its cabin as quiet and cocooned as a Flying Spur’s and that extra bit of visibility it lends you over a saloon is yet more calming.

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.processed
We don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but smooth, deep chested and potent though it was, the W12 never suited the Bentayga as well as the V8. This 4.0-litre twin turbo is used in everything from the Audi RS6 to the Lamborghini Urus, so there’s nothing particularly specialised about it, nothing bespoke to Bentley. And yet it suits the Bentayga to a tee. Smooth at low revs, eager and responsive higher up and equipped with a soundtrack that is noticeable and enjoyable when it needs to be.

It also does speed more than well enough. Even when fitted in the heaviest version – the 2,514kg EWB Mulliner – the 542bhp V8 is capable of hurling the Bentayga to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds and on to 180mph. It simply wouldn’t suit it to go faster. But it’s the manner of this performance that suits it so well – as attested to by its torque, a massive 568lb ft available from a mere 2,000rpm.

And what of the hybrid version?

Let’s just say that it does a particular job, having enough pure electric range to allow emissions-free urban trips, but the technology isn’t cutting edge – it doesn’t permit fast charging, can’t use the V6 to generate battery charge and the 126bhp e-motor isn’t strong enough to move the car’s frame without the V6 firing. A V6 that sounds too reedy and isn’t as thunderous and well-mannered as the V8.

The Hybrid has its advantages – namely, the ability to drive on electric power for up to 25 miles – and is worth looking at if you want to run your Bentayga as a company car or regularly drive into towns/cities with low-emissions zones. You can read all about the Bentayga Hybrid by clicking on these blue words or reading about our experiences of living with one for a few months.

Is the Bentayga fun to drive?

The Bentayga remains absurdly neat to drive given its 5m-by-2m size and 2.4-tonne kerb weight. The extra width in its rear track has sharpened up the steering a bit and reduced another ounce of effort from its already relaxed driver. Choose to travel at a sedate pace and it’s so easy-going, the handful of semi-autonomous driver aids feel utterly superfluous.

Up your speed and things don’t get much tougher, unless you’ve turned onto your favourite stretch of backroad and suddenly discovered it feels half as wide as usual. With the help of a deeply clever 48v anti-roll suspension system – as deployed on the quick Audi Q7s the Bentayga bears relation to – its chassis acts like one if not half its size, then maybe two thirds.

It can be genuinely good fun: the way the rear of the car hunkers right down under hard acceleration, or when you aggressively chase the throttle right on the exit of a corner, can be laugh-out-loud hilarious. Perhaps enough to shatter any grumpy petrolhead predispositions about how ‘Premier League training ground’ the Bentayga looks when you first clap eyes on it.

The Hybrid doesn’t feel as resolved, owing to the added weight of the battery and nature of the powertrain, but it’s not meant to be in any way sporty or dynamic. It’s still comfortable, and that’s what really matters.

How does the new Speed version stack up?

Overlook its failure to read the room and it’s a lot of fun. As noted, Bentleys are cars with a very particular character, a certain heft and depth of quality being prime among them. The new Speed is noticeably faster than the outgoing version – 3.4 seconds to 60mph versus 3.9s for the W12-engined car – but there’s more to it than just sheer force and the numbers. The Bentayga has always managed its mass with a haughty confidence, and Bentley’s engineers have managed to wring more out of it even as the car heads towards pensionable age.

How so?

Well the engine is still combustion-era in all its raging, snarling pomp. A sports exhaust helps beef up the soundtrack, which is even more old-school and barrel-chested if you go for the Akrapovic titanium set-up. And if you’re shopping around in this sort of territory, why wouldn’t you? It’s a £7,740 option, but think of the bragging rights.

Comfort and Bentley driving modes remain as before, but the Sport setting has been thoroughly recalibrated. Damping stiffness is increased by 15 per cent, the steering is more feelsome, and the transmission ups its game for crisper gearshifts. But the real party trick comes via torque vectoring (by braking) for sharper turn-in and an even more amusing sense of physics being mercilessly bullied on corner exits. There’s also four-wheel steering and Launch Control for the first time on a Bentayga. The former is more useful than the latter.

And, if you’re on a loose surface, the ESC loosens the reins sufficiently to allow for some amusing drift angles. We drove the car on a trail in Montana with some precipitous drops on either side – this curtailed truly vigorous lairiness – but it still moves deftly. OK, so the Bentayga Speed isn’t as sharply dialled in as a Ferrari Purosangue or the Lamborghini Urus S – both of which feel much smaller and lighter than they are – but it’s still impressively dynamic. All the while delivering a real and perceived quality the Italians can’t quite muster.

Note, you must spec the optional carbon ceramic brakes to get access to this new extrovert part of the car’s personality. The best bet is to spring for the Dynamic Specification, which bundles the ceramic stoppers together with the 23in wheels (a £10,370 option all in). Levelling up is a Bentley speciality, and very good for business, as the labyrinthine options list attests.

How do the regular brakes cope?

Yes, good point, well made. They’re fine up to a point, but stopping always takes much more apparent effort than going. You’re aware of just how much kinetic energy is not being harnessed.

Does it feel like a proper Bentley?

In truth, if any car is made for the incongruous, profit-embiggening switch to SUVs, it’s a Bentley. Already knowingly hefty – with few sops to lightweighting or litheness in the company’s saloons and coupes – the Bentayga really does just drive like a taller Bentley, and thus ought to be vastly less upsetting to the purists than a Urus or Purosangue.

And its manners are impeccable when you’re not being an imbecile, its cabin as quiet and cocooned as a Flying Spur’s and that extra bit of visibility it lends you over a saloon is yet more calming.

# data.attributes.field_cars_editor_title
Bentley Bentayga review: now with added Speed (and a drift mode*)

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.value
You’ve a choice of four, five or seven seats. You’ll likely have the ultra-plush four-seater if you’re being chauffeured around, in which case you’ll be enjoying an extra 10cm of legroom compared to the first gen Bentayga. But then someone pulls up next to you in a new EWB with an extra 18cm of rear space. Awks. Try to shrug it off. By the way, you can’t have seven seats in the Hybrid because the battery gets in the way.

If you’re sat up front, though, things have improved even more markedly, even if the changes are all – once again – largely in the details. Bentaygas have never felt quite as special as a Continental or Flying Spur inside, with more VW Group-familiar displays and switchgear, even if the materials and presentation have generally been befitting of a £200,000-plus purchase. There’s less awareness of the inevitable part-sharing here, even if the ‘rotating Toblerone’ entertainment screen of lither Bentleys is missing.

The new Speed, meanwhile, gains a variety of interior logos, the air vents can be specced in a dark tint as well as the regular chrome look, and there’s a new ‘Precision Diamond’ quilt design on the seats, door inners and dashboard. And the colour split inside is darker, too.

What about the tech?

The tech’s all taken a step up. Apple CarPlay is now wireless, Android Auto makes its debut, and there seems to be a USB-C port embedded in every surface you look at. Which means updating your charging cable if you use a slightly older phone, but then you’re a Bentley owner. You probably don’t.

Oh, and if you stick your phone on the inductive charging plinth, it’s surrounded by a signal booster. The Conti GT that formerly lived in the Top Gear Garage had an interior so well cocooned it occasionally prompted an involuntary digital detox each time you drove it. One we might actually miss when all our WhatsApp groups are pinging away with endless GIFs inside one of these.

Any other tweaks?

Fully digital dials with classier map displays than an equivalent Audi, a newly smooth steering wheel with the stitching moved from the outside of the rim (so as not to irritate your finely moisturised fingers), a more artistic central air vent (which ionises the air it pumps out) and a new remote control for rear passengers to control their own seats and climate, possessing as much processing power as a home PC of a decade ago.

You’ll lose days perusing all the wood, leather, trim and stitching options inside, while you’ve a choice of two stereos: the standard, 590W, 12-speaker set-up, or the optional £7,065 Naim system with 1,780 watts and 20 speakers. Have that. You’ll realise why as soon as you listen to it.

Does it actually work as a family car?

It can work. The question is whether it should. The boot has a high floor which limits the below window load capacity, but 484 litres isn’t to be sniffed at. It’ll take all the golf clubs/padel rackets/polo kit you need. Except the horse. Bear in mind that fitting the Airline Seat Specification means you can’t fold the seats, and it eats into boot space. Luggage capacity drops by 100 litres. But basically, have a towbar and get cracking. Tip runs ahoy!

That’s not me. Tell me more about the Mulliner kit.

Bentley has taken a leaf out of the Rolls playbook. In the back you don’t have to close your own doors. A button does that for you. Then just lay back, have a fiddle with the electric seat, maybe have a massage, raise the window blinds, realise your toes barely tickle the front seats and have a snooze. There, that’s better. Being asleep: it really is a heck of a way to get distance done.

But you don’t get the champagne chiller as standard. No, that’s another £4,945 on top. No wonder most Bentayga Mulliners leave the factory having cost their owners over £300k.

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.processed
You’ve a choice of four, five or seven seats. You’ll likely have the ultra-plush four-seater if you’re being chauffeured around, in which case you’ll be enjoying an extra 10cm of legroom compared to the first gen Bentayga. But then someone pulls up next to you in a new EWB with an extra 18cm of rear space. Awks. Try to shrug it off. By the way, you can’t have seven seats in the Hybrid because the battery gets in the way.

If you’re sat up front, though, things have improved even more markedly, even if the changes are all – once again – largely in the details. Bentaygas have never felt quite as special as a Continental or Flying Spur inside, with more VW Group-familiar displays and switchgear, even if the materials and presentation have generally been befitting of a £200,000-plus purchase. There’s less awareness of the inevitable part-sharing here, even if the ‘rotating Toblerone’ entertainment screen of lither Bentleys is missing.

The new Speed, meanwhile, gains a variety of interior logos, the air vents can be specced in a dark tint as well as the regular chrome look, and there’s a new ‘Precision Diamond’ quilt design on the seats, door inners and dashboard. And the colour split inside is darker, too.

What about the tech?

The tech’s all taken a step up. Apple CarPlay is now wireless, Android Auto makes its debut, and there seems to be a USB-C port embedded in every surface you look at. Which means updating your charging cable if you use a slightly older phone, but then you’re a Bentley owner. You probably don’t.

Oh, and if you stick your phone on the inductive charging plinth, it’s surrounded by a signal booster. The Conti GT that formerly lived in the Top Gear Garage had an interior so well cocooned it occasionally prompted an involuntary digital detox each time you drove it. One we might actually miss when all our WhatsApp groups are pinging away with endless GIFs inside one of these.

Any other tweaks?

Fully digital dials with classier map displays than an equivalent Audi, a newly smooth steering wheel with the stitching moved from the outside of the rim (so as not to irritate your finely moisturised fingers), a more artistic central air vent (which ionises the air it pumps out) and a new remote control for rear passengers to control their own seats and climate, possessing as much processing power as a home PC of a decade ago.

You’ll lose days perusing all the wood, leather, trim and stitching options inside, while you’ve a choice of two stereos: the standard, 590W, 12-speaker set-up, or the optional £7,065 Naim system with 1,780 watts and 20 speakers. Have that. You’ll realise why as soon as you listen to it.

Does it actually work as a family car?

It can work. The question is whether it should. The boot has a high floor which limits the below window load capacity, but 484 litres isn’t to be sniffed at. It’ll take all the golf clubs/padel rackets/polo kit you need. Except the horse. Bear in mind that fitting the Airline Seat Specification means you can’t fold the seats, and it eats into boot space. Luggage capacity drops by 100 litres. But basically, have a towbar and get cracking. Tip runs ahoy!

That’s not me. Tell me more about the Mulliner kit.

Bentley has taken a leaf out of the Rolls playbook. In the back you don’t have to close your own doors. A button does that for you. Then just lay back, have a fiddle with the electric seat, maybe have a massage, raise the window blinds, realise your toes barely tickle the front seats and have a snooze. There, that’s better. Being asleep: it really is a heck of a way to get distance done.

But you don’t get the champagne chiller as standard. No, that’s another £4,945 on top. No wonder most Bentayga Mulliners leave the factory having cost their owners over £300k.

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.value
The V8 and Hybrid Bentaygas cost exactly the same to buy – £169,000 before options. And there are MANY options – the superb Naim stereo costs just over £7,000, and the ‘Touring Specification’ pack that gives you adaptive cruise control, lane assist, a head-up display, night vision and a couple of other bits is £5,800.

But the real fun and games comes when you sit down with the person helping you to spec your car, and you discover the entertainment available in speccing and blending the colour, trim, stitching, paint, chrome, leather, tones, veneers and finishes. The bill will be astronomical.

And potentially painful. Because the bigger question surrounds residuals. The awkward-looking first gen Bentaygas can be picked up for around £50,000 now, having cost their owners at least three times that eight years ago. We expect the newer cars to hold their value better.

Want to go the whole nine yards with the Bentayga Speed? That’ll be £219,000. Better sell off some shares to free up the cash.

The Bentayga isn’t cheap to buy, nor cheap to run: Bentley claims 21.7mpg and 294g/km of CO2 emissions for the V8. You might get 20mpg. But of more relevance will be its near 400 miles of range on its huge 85-litre tank. It’s so comfy inside, it’ll only be pitiful human needs for toilets or snacks that’ll prevent your own distance between stops being the same.

The Hybrid claims an entirely theoretical 83.1mpg, 82g/km and a 431-mile cruising range. In practice it’s a little more efficient than the V8 on a long run, but not that much. Expect 23-24mpg. It’ll cost you less to tax than a normal Bentayga (as if you care about tax…), but you’ll need to keep the battery topped-up to get the most out of it. Bentley tells us most owners do. Presumably by getting someone else to plug it in at home for them?

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.processed
The V8 and Hybrid Bentaygas cost exactly the same to buy – £169,000 before options. And there are MANY options – the superb Naim stereo costs just over £7,000, and the ‘Touring Specification’ pack that gives you adaptive cruise control, lane assist, a head-up display, night vision and a couple of other bits is £5,800.

But the real fun and games comes when you sit down with the person helping you to spec your car, and you discover the entertainment available in speccing and blending the colour, trim, stitching, paint, chrome, leather, tones, veneers and finishes. The bill will be astronomical.

And potentially painful. Because the bigger question surrounds residuals. The awkward-looking first gen Bentaygas can be picked up for around £50,000 now, having cost their owners at least three times that eight years ago. We expect the newer cars to hold their value better.

Want to go the whole nine yards with the Bentayga Speed? That’ll be £219,000. Better sell off some shares to free up the cash.

The Bentayga isn’t cheap to buy, nor cheap to run: Bentley claims 21.7mpg and 294g/km of CO2 emissions for the V8. You might get 20mpg. But of more relevance will be its near 400 miles of range on its huge 85-litre tank. It’s so comfy inside, it’ll only be pitiful human needs for toilets or snacks that’ll prevent your own distance between stops being the same.

The Hybrid claims an entirely theoretical 83.1mpg, 82g/km and a 431-mile cruising range. In practice it’s a little more efficient than the V8 on a long run, but not that much. Expect 23-24mpg. It’ll cost you less to tax than a normal Bentayga (as if you care about tax…), but you’ll need to keep the battery topped-up to get the most out of it. Bentley tells us most owners do. Presumably by getting someone else to plug it in at home for them?

# data.attributes.field_cars_stand_first
*Sorta. New go-faster version of Bentley’s SUV gets an extra 100bhp to play with, plus a Sport mode

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.value
The Bentayga covers a huge amount of ground for Bentley. As well as being the perceived flagship, it’s also, oddly, the entry-level model thanks to a cheaper starting price than either the Conti GT or Flying Spur. No matter which version you go for, you get incredible build quality, engineering depth and a sense of unburstable robustness and solidity. The luxury is just built on top of those foundations.

And what luxury. You buy a Bentley for the way it makes you feel, for the pleasure you get from its more old fashioned elements: the wood, metal, leather, paint, knurling, stitching. The craftsmanship, in other words. Ultimately we don’t think it’s quite as bespoke and beautifully finished as a Continental GT coupe or Flying Spur saloon – the more generic SUV bodywork, the fact it has a boot automatically means it’s a less special-feeling car.

But Bentley’s brand values are well matched to the SUV. Bentleys have always been heavy, stately, solid cars. This one follows the theme. And besides, it’s not trying to be sporty or defy physics, just be a high-rise luxury car. It does that very well. Whether you’re experiencing it from the front or back seats.

Go for the Speed model and it digs deeper into its repertoire with impressive conviction. It’s not a car you would choose to fling down a B-road for the hell of it, but it’s still reassuring to know that the Bentayga’s bandwidth has expanded even in its twilight years.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.processed
The Bentayga covers a huge amount of ground for Bentley. As well as being the perceived flagship, it’s also, oddly, the entry-level model thanks to a cheaper starting price than either the Conti GT or Flying Spur. No matter which version you go for, you get incredible build quality, engineering depth and a sense of unburstable robustness and solidity. The luxury is just built on top of those foundations.

And what luxury. You buy a Bentley for the way it makes you feel, for the pleasure you get from its more old fashioned elements: the wood, metal, leather, paint, knurling, stitching. The craftsmanship, in other words. Ultimately we don’t think it’s quite as bespoke and beautifully finished as a Continental GT coupe or Flying Spur saloon – the more generic SUV bodywork, the fact it has a boot automatically means it’s a less special-feeling car.

But Bentley’s brand values are well matched to the SUV. Bentleys have always been heavy, stately, solid cars. This one follows the theme. And besides, it’s not trying to be sporty or defy physics, just be a high-rise luxury car. It does that very well. Whether you’re experiencing it from the front or back seats.

Go for the Speed model and it digs deeper into its repertoire with impressive conviction. It’s not a car you would choose to fling down a B-road for the hell of it, but it’s still reassuring to know that the Bentayga’s bandwidth has expanded even in its twilight years.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_against
Um, gloriously OTT. It's hardly demure in a crowd

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_for
Impressive to drive, lovely to sit in, gloriously OTT Mulliner trim

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_text
You buy a Bentley for the way it makes you feel, for the pleasure you get from its more old fashioned elements

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.value
The pinnacle of Bentley luxury, since the demise of the wonderful old Mulsanne a few years back. Yes, that’s right, the most sumptuous Bentley you can buy is no longer a majestic saloon, but an SUV. With a tailgate. The kind that encourages you to put luggage into the car yourself, god forbid.

It arrived back in 2015 and was facelifted in 2020, which helped tone down the awkward looks of the first gen car. More than that, there were 1,000 new components. And the arrival of the Bentayga Speed shines a new light on the range.

What are the highlights?

At the facelift a 20mm increase in the rear track improved the Bentayga’s stance while neatening its handling, there were new alloy wheel designs and spangly new headlights that use cut-crystal to make them sparkle even when they’re not lit. When they are, their intensity changes with the speed you’re driving to avoid dazzling other road users while still illuminating secluded country lanes.

In 2022 Bentley released the EWB – Extended Wheelbase – version, stretched by 180mm and boasting four wheel-steering to at least attempt to make its 5.3-metre long body wieldy in urban areas. The space was all added to the rear compartment, putting the focus on passenger comfort.

More recently, and in keeping with the Bentayga’s status as Bentley’s flagship, a Mulliner version has landed. Mulliner is Bentley’s special commission department, tracing its coachbuilding origins back hundreds of years. Normally you go to them with whatever desires you have, but here they’ve curated (hate that word) a whole model with everything from self-levelling wheel badges, a unique double diamond grille, LEDs that shine through the perforated leather that’s been treated with organic olive oil tanning and the Airline Seats. Check it out for yourself in the gallery above. Much wellness on offer here for your £254,000.

Quarter of a million quid?! At least you get a 12 cylinder engine…

Not necessarily a quarter of a million quid – we’ll deal with the price lower down. But unfortunately definitely not 12 cylinders anymore. The W12 has now disappeared from Bentley’s entire model range, so most Bentaygas make do with a 4.0-litre 542bhp twin turbo V8, or a six cylinder 456bhp hybrid. V8 only for the EWB.

We say ‘most’, because newly arrived is the £219,000 Bentayga Speed, which uses a beefier version of the 4.0-litre unit rather than the latest, wholly impressive V8 hybrid as seen in the Continental GT. The power uplift is not to be sniffed at, though. We’re talking 641bhp (compared to the outgoing Bentayga Speed’s 626), although there’s less torque, unfortunately (627lb ft, down from 664). Torque being a very Bentley sort of metric.

Sad to bid farewell to the W12, but global CO2 issues aren’t going anywhere. And it isn’t the first engine to have a short life in the Bentayga… remember the V8 diesel?!

Why is the Bentayga such a big deal?

The Bentayga is a deeply important car, and not just for the couple of thousand people its manufacture employs in northwest England. It makes up half of Bentley’s sales, while 70 per cent of Bentayga buyers are new to the marque. And, we’d imagine, a lot younger than the Bentley norm.

In fact, it accounts for over a third of the ‘luxury SUV’ sector that also includes the Aston Martin DBX, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and of course the Range Rover. The ‘luxury’ half of its equation is more pertinent than ever now the Bentley Mulsanne is dead, too. Suddenly the Bentayga SUV and Flying Spur saloon have an extra job on their hands, together attempting to fill the literally vast void the venerable old limo leaves behind.

Can I have it with seven seats?

You can have the regular Bentayga as a seven-seater (rugby practice one-upmanship gets no bolder), but the EWB is focused on luggs-ury, so no boot-based chairs there. Instead you’ll want it with four seats (an extra three grand over the standard five seats) and ideally the Airline Seat Specification: footrests, extended lounging capability, picnic tables and the rest for £8,645. Bentley expects most EWB models – which start at £211,300 – to be specced close to £300,000.

What does a regular Bentayga cost?

About £50,000 less, starting at £169,000. Although with the EWB you’re not merely paying more for the extra legroom, but a lift in standard equipment, too. Pricey to buy, pricey to run. Bear this in mind when they hit the second hand market, where the old adage ‘if you can’t afford to buy it new, you can’t afford to run it used’ has probably never rung truer. More on that in the Buying tab.

Nevertheless, tumbling residuals haven’t prevented Bentley selling more topline options than ever before. Mulliner’s luxury work saw 43 per cent growth from 2022-2023, with 75 per cent of Bentleys now leaving the factory with some sort of Mulliner personalisation.

What’s it like to drive?

We shouldn’t have to point this out, but the Bentayga is not a sports SUV. Instead it’s a big, luxurious, very nicely upholstered and trimmed heavyweight SUV. Although it’s come in for criticism, the Bentayga feels a natural brand extension of a firm that’s always built big, heavyweight, sturdy cars.

Roll-control technology has made it very capable around corners, but this is still not an SUV that likes to be hustled. The big lad will put his hands on his knees and wheeze at the end of a good road. But cosseting, hushed, smooth riding and cushioned, it makes you feel safe and secure in a way not much else can match.

The new Speed, though, adds an extra dimension, up to and including – gulp – a drift mode. Not that Bentley calls it that, of course, it would be unseemly. Engage Sport Mode and everything feels notably more athletic – at the wheel, in terms of its overall ride, and indeed if you fancy pitching the Bentayga more enthusiastically into a corner. We’ll expand on that in the Driving tab.

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The Speed also gains some cosmetic upgrades, including dark tint bright work, chrome Speed badges, unique headlights with a dark bezel and moodier internals, and a variety of 23in wheels – a first on a Bentley – if the carbon ceramic brakes are specified. A black roof treatment also separates it from lesser Bentayga models.

This or a Rolls Cullinan?

Wrong question. Well depending on your standpoint. The Cullinan has disappeared even further down the Get Someone Else To Drive path than the Bentayga. In the market to be chauffeured? The Cullinan is for you. Want to really drive? Newly facelifted Aston DBX 707. Accept no substitute. Want to waft about in peerless comfort? It’s this or a Range Rover. Buy this for craftsmanship, material excellence and build quality, but the Range Rover… well, that’s a genuinely brilliant all-rounder.

One more thing. It used to be a truism that if you drove a stretched saloon yourself, you looked like the chauffeur. Not in a stretched SUV you don’t. An EWB Bentayga doesn’t look ungainly, it actually looks better than the regular one.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.processed
The pinnacle of Bentley luxury, since the demise of the wonderful old Mulsanne a few years back. Yes, that’s right, the most sumptuous Bentley you can buy is no longer a majestic saloon, but an SUV. With a tailgate. The kind that encourages you to put luggage into the car yourself, god forbid.

It arrived back in 2015 and was facelifted in 2020, which helped tone down the awkward looks of the first gen car. More than that, there were 1,000 new components. And the arrival of the Bentayga Speed shines a new light on the range.

What are the highlights?

At the facelift a 20mm increase in the rear track improved the Bentayga’s stance while neatening its handling, there were new alloy wheel designs and spangly new headlights that use cut-crystal to make them sparkle even when they’re not lit. When they are, their intensity changes with the speed you’re driving to avoid dazzling other road users while still illuminating secluded country lanes.

In 2022 Bentley released the EWB – Extended Wheelbase – version, stretched by 180mm and boasting four wheel-steering to at least attempt to make its 5.3-metre long body wieldy in urban areas. The space was all added to the rear compartment, putting the focus on passenger comfort.

More recently, and in keeping with the Bentayga’s status as Bentley’s flagship, a Mulliner version has landed. Mulliner is Bentley’s special commission department, tracing its coachbuilding origins back hundreds of years. Normally you go to them with whatever desires you have, but here they’ve curated (hate that word) a whole model with everything from self-levelling wheel badges, a unique double diamond grille, LEDs that shine through the perforated leather that’s been treated with organic olive oil tanning and the Airline Seats. Check it out for yourself in the gallery above. Much wellness on offer here for your £254,000.

Quarter of a million quid?! At least you get a 12 cylinder engine…

Not necessarily a quarter of a million quid – we’ll deal with the price lower down. But unfortunately definitely not 12 cylinders anymore. The W12 has now disappeared from Bentley’s entire model range, so most Bentaygas make do with a 4.0-litre 542bhp twin turbo V8, or a six cylinder 456bhp hybrid. V8 only for the EWB.

We say ‘most’, because newly arrived is the £219,000 Bentayga Speed, which uses a beefier version of the 4.0-litre unit rather than the latest, wholly impressive V8 hybrid as seen in the Continental GT. The power uplift is not to be sniffed at, though. We’re talking 641bhp (compared to the outgoing Bentayga Speed’s 626), although there’s less torque, unfortunately (627lb ft, down from 664). Torque being a very Bentley sort of metric.

Sad to bid farewell to the W12, but global CO2 issues aren’t going anywhere. And it isn’t the first engine to have a short life in the Bentayga… remember the V8 diesel?!

Why is the Bentayga such a big deal?

The Bentayga is a deeply important car, and not just for the couple of thousand people its manufacture employs in northwest England. It makes up half of Bentley’s sales, while 70 per cent of Bentayga buyers are new to the marque. And, we’d imagine, a lot younger than the Bentley norm.

In fact, it accounts for over a third of the ‘luxury SUV’ sector that also includes the Aston Martin DBX, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and of course the Range Rover. The ‘luxury’ half of its equation is more pertinent than ever now the Bentley Mulsanne is dead, too. Suddenly the Bentayga SUV and Flying Spur saloon have an extra job on their hands, together attempting to fill the literally vast void the venerable old limo leaves behind.

Can I have it with seven seats?

You can have the regular Bentayga as a seven-seater (rugby practice one-upmanship gets no bolder), but the EWB is focused on luggs-ury, so no boot-based chairs there. Instead you’ll want it with four seats (an extra three grand over the standard five seats) and ideally the Airline Seat Specification: footrests, extended lounging capability, picnic tables and the rest for £8,645. Bentley expects most EWB models – which start at £211,300 – to be specced close to £300,000.

What does a regular Bentayga cost?

About £50,000 less, starting at £169,000. Although with the EWB you’re not merely paying more for the extra legroom, but a lift in standard equipment, too. Pricey to buy, pricey to run. Bear this in mind when they hit the second hand market, where the old adage ‘if you can’t afford to buy it new, you can’t afford to run it used’ has probably never rung truer. More on that in the Buying tab.

Nevertheless, tumbling residuals haven’t prevented Bentley selling more topline options than ever before. Mulliner’s luxury work saw 43 per cent growth from 2022-2023, with 75 per cent of Bentleys now leaving the factory with some sort of Mulliner personalisation.

What’s it like to drive?

We shouldn’t have to point this out, but the Bentayga is not a sports SUV. Instead it’s a big, luxurious, very nicely upholstered and trimmed heavyweight SUV. Although it’s come in for criticism, the Bentayga feels a natural brand extension of a firm that’s always built big, heavyweight, sturdy cars.

Roll-control technology has made it very capable around corners, but this is still not an SUV that likes to be hustled. The big lad will put his hands on his knees and wheeze at the end of a good road. But cosseting, hushed, smooth riding and cushioned, it makes you feel safe and secure in a way not much else can match.

The new Speed, though, adds an extra dimension, up to and including – gulp – a drift mode. Not that Bentley calls it that, of course, it would be unseemly. Engage Sport Mode and everything feels notably more athletic – at the wheel, in terms of its overall ride, and indeed if you fancy pitching the Bentayga more enthusiastically into a corner. We’ll expand on that in the Driving tab.

The Speed also gains some cosmetic upgrades, including dark tint bright work, chrome Speed badges, unique headlights with a dark bezel and moodier internals, and a variety of 23in wheels – a first on a Bentley – if the carbon ceramic brakes are specified. A black roof treatment also separates it from lesser Bentayga models.

This or a Rolls Cullinan?

Wrong question. Well depending on your standpoint. The Cullinan has disappeared even further down the Get Someone Else To Drive path than the Bentayga. In the market to be chauffeured? The Cullinan is for you. Want to really drive? Newly facelifted Aston DBX 707. Accept no substitute. Want to waft about in peerless comfort? It’s this or a Range Rover. Buy this for craftsmanship, material excellence and build quality, but the Range Rover… well, that’s a genuinely brilliant all-rounder.

One more thing. It used to be a truism that if you drove a stretched saloon yourself, you looked like the chauffeur. Not in a stretched SUV you don’t. An EWB Bentayga doesn’t look ungainly, it actually looks better than the regular one.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_we_say
Everything Bentley knows about luxury, wrapped up in an SUV. Not the prettiest, but one of the most complete

# data.attributes.field_cars_wildcard_text
An AMG G-Wagen will provide even more visual clout (and offense)