Bentley returns with new opulent Bentayga

The British manufacturer Bentley has defined itself within the opulent saloon and performance coupe segments over its lifetime and has since entered the luxury SUV market and has seen an excess 20 000 handcrafted Bentaygas finding homes since its debut.

After its recent celebration of 100 years of existence, the new Bentayga marks the first vehicle launched under Bentley’s Beyond100 business plan. Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors, comments: “From its moment of launch nearly five years ago, the Bentayga has been the very definition of the luxury SUV. Like the Continental GT, the Bentayga created an entirely new part of the market, and since we set the benchmark many others have joined the sector, but no other car can offer a breadth of ability to rival the Bentley Bentayga.

With the new Bentayga, we’re repositioning the pinnacle of the luxury SUV segment to be even higher, even further away from the competition. We’ve listened to our customers and made improvements to the areas most important to them, and the new Bentayga is a thoroughly modern and beautiful extension of the original car’s abilities and achievements.”

While familiar themes such as the headlamps and defining grille still feature proudly, the new Bentayga incorporates the new design language and dynamic look found on the third-generation Continental GT and all-new Flying Spur. Every panel on the front has received a redesign and compliments the more upright and larger grille. Flanking the aforementioned are intelligent LED matrix headlamps shaped in Bentley’s signature design.  Lower down features a more aggressive front bumper while heated, wet-arm windscreen wipers, with 22 washer jets in each arm, comes fitted up top for the first time.

The biggest transformation comes at the rear of the vehicle with all surface being redesigned. New to the Bentayga is a full-width tailgate which features the new encapsulated lamps, while the licence plate has been moved down into the bumper for a cleaner appearance. Lower down the split tailpipes compliments the increase to the rear track which is now 20mm wider. The 22-inch wheel design has also been updated to fill the improved wheel-arches and compliment the stance.

The interior also received revision with some of the most notable changes coming in the form of a new centre fascia and steering wheel, new door trims and all-new seats with ventilation on offer should the owner specify the five-seat option. Legroom is increased by 100mm depending on interior specification. Situated central on the facia is a 10.9-inch display with edge-to-edge graphics which forms part of a generation infotainment system. The system incorporates all-new navigation with satellite maps, online search, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto while the high-resolution graphics can be configured to suit the driver’s preferences.

Rear occupants are treated to larger touchscreen remote control tablet and content can be accessed USB-C data ports while a wireless phone charger now comes as standard. Further enhancing connectivity is an embedded SIM card which keeps the Bentayga connected even if mobile devices are not connected to the vehicle. This enables features in the My Bentley system remaining active at all times. The My Bentley system takes shape as an in-car and remote services system which is continually developed and can be found on both Apple iOS and Android mobile platforms.

Interior finishes include dark tint diamond brushed aluminium trim as well as two straight-grained veneers named Koa and Crown Cut Walnut. Further specification includes the Mulliner Driving Specification which sees the addition of a new quilting design which can be finished off with micro piping detailing as a new option for the seats.

Initially, the new Bentayga will feature a 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged petrol V8 developing 404 kW and 770 N.m of torque. Bentley plans on introducing a plug-in Hybrid and a W12-powered version at later stages.

Pricing is on application and can be acquired at your local Bentley dealership.