Bentley ups luxury ante with extended wheelbase Bentayga EWB

Having dropped the Mulsanne as its flagship model two years ago, Bentley has introduced the indirect replacement for the long-wheelbase model in the shape of the Bentayga EWB.

Denoting Extended Wheelbase, the new range-topping, non-sporting Bentayga measures 180 mm longer than the standard model, meaning an overall length of 5 322 mm and wheelbase of 3 175 mm. Overall height and width measurements are unchanged.

Unlike the standard Bentayga which comes with five or seven seats, the Bentayga EWB offers the option of four seats with the rearmost chairs being split by a console housing not only storage spaces, but also two USB ports, a drinks cooler with space for a 750 ml bottle and a pair of crystal flutes.

While the front seats are carried over, the rear seats, in four-seat guise, are unique to the EWB and incorporate several technical firsts, according to Bentley.

Dubbed Airline Seat Specification, the chairs feature a six-position automatic climate control mode that allows for heating and cooling depending on not only the selected temperature, but also body temperature as a result of each one being monitored by sensors.

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Able to recline 40-degrees, the seats also feature 16-ways of adjustments, five massaging settings, a Relax mode that reclines them automatically to maximum position and a Business mode that sets both to the most upright position.

All of the various settings are controlled by a touchscreen remote placed above the rear vents and a wireless smartphone charger on the centre console, which doubles up as the interface for the rear ambient lighting system.

In another first, the Bentayga EWB comes as standard with heated door pulls and a centre armrest, as well as an electric headrest, deployable footrest and what Bentley calls Postural Adjustment that monitors and regulates the seats every three hours with up to 177 different adjustments to “ensure that seat comfort is never compromised”.

Aside from the chairs, additional unique features include revised climate control and air ionisation system, an interior automatic closing setting for the longer rear doors, diamond-quilted, perforated and stitched leather on the seats and doors, and redesigned rear door panels.

The first Bentley to offer a Metal Overlay in Veneer, which consists of a thin strip of metal bonded into the polished and lacquered wood veneer, the Bentayga EWB can also be specified with laser-etched inlays and a so-called waterfall LED illumination.

Compared to the standard Bentayga, the EWB’s only exterior differences involve a relocated panoramic sunroof, ten-spoke 22-inch alloy wheels and a new “vertical vane grille”.

Apart from the standard inclusion of the Bentley Dynamic Ride system and Electronic Rear-Wheel-Steering, the Bentayga EWB is otherwise unchanged from the regular model with motivation still being provided by the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 that produces 405kW/770Nm.

Paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox with drive going to all four corners, the Bentayga EWB will get from 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and top out at 290 km/h, the same figures as the standard wheelbase V8 model.

Sales are expected to commence from the end of the year with South African availability still to be confirmed.