Bentley Bentayga model guide

The Bentley Bentayga split opinion when it arrived in 2015 but quickly became the firm’s best-selling model. Here’s the full story

Words: Jon Burgess  Images: Bentley

The Bentley Bentayga embodied many things marque traditionalists reviled: diesel power, an SUV body style and steadily increasing sales. That press and public reaction differed so markedly to its concept car predecessor, 2012’s EXP 9F, was telling: the former thought its bulk offensive, the latter adored its presence.

Still, the scene was set: in 2013, there was an announcement that a £800m investment in Pyms Lane, Crewe, Bentley’s incumbent home, would bring final assembly of the car to the UK. A year later, the Cheshire factory became a Centre of Excellence for the Volkswagen Group’s W12 engine.

As time went on, production of the engine shifted entirely from Saltzgitter in Germany to Pym’s Lane, supplying Audi and the entirety of the Bentley W12 range (Bentayga, Continental GT, GTC, Flying Spur and Batur).

Bodies for the new car (not named ‘Bentayga’ after the highland rock formation in Gran Canaria until January 2015) were still to be produced overseas (first in Bratislava, Slovakia, then to Volkswagen’s Zwickau-Mosel Plant); despite Bentayga’s basis on Volkswagen’s MLB and MLB Evo platforms, governmental lobbying consummated much of Bentley’s first sports-utility vehicle in the UK, creating 1000 jobs in the process. With the bodies delivered into Crewe, Bentley could complete a Bentayga in 130 hours with 53 staff, with 15 leather hides to choose from.

Launched at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Bentley Bentayga arrived in to a rapidly filling marketplace. Pitched as an ultra-luxurious, extremely powerful off-roader with up to seven seats, beyond the means of the most ambitious Range Rover, its rivals were mostly German: the most upwardly mobile BMW X5s and X6s, Mercedes-Benz’s GLS, and its own MLB-based rivals, including the Audi Q8, Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus.

By the end of the decade, more rarified marques got in on the fun – the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and arrived in 2018, followed by the much-delayed Aston Martin DBX two years later.

Back in 2015, however, an early endorsement did much for the Bentayga’s prestige: the late HRH Queen Elizabeth II, a keen driver with a huge garage of vehicles, was enamoured with a late-build prototype Bentayga, having assessed it thoroughly on her Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire. Bentley’s then-president, Michael Winkler, revealed to Bloomberg that the Queen “decided to test drive it a few weeks ago – one of the prototypes – and she will now use it for her hunting expeditions.”

Already a Royal warrant holder, Bentley was more than happy to supply the first production Bentayga to the monarch, who used it for deer stalking and hunting trips; it joined a fleet of Royal vehicles, including the bespoke Bentley State Limousine designed for her late majesty’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

‘The fastest, most powerful, most luxurious SUV in the world’, Bentley boasted in 2015 – and with a 6.0-litre, twin-scroll W12 engine, a 187 mph top speed and a four-second 0-60, it was hard to argue. Soon, however, the super SUV performance wars of the next seven years – an absurdist game of physics-defying Top Trumps – would mean the Bentayga would soon be pushed down the ranks.

Such jockeying seemed a world away at the January 2016 launch in the Austrian Alps at Kitzbühel, however. Although Bentley’s Mulliner division would not get its hands on the Bentayga for commissions for another year, particularly well-heeled buyers could plump for an extra-cost fitted luggage set, or a €150,000 Breitling Tourbillon dash clock.

Costing more than the base Bentayga itself, which already featured a Breitling-branded clock, the Tourbillon option further entrenched Bentley’s relationship with the Swiss watch maker, whose New York City store doubled as the US launch site of the Bentayga. The special Breitling clock ran on its own thanks to 50-hour power reserve and a 4Hz self-winding mechanical movement.

Clocks and W12 engines aside, there was more to explore within the Bentayga’s technical specification. Its all-wheel-drive system broke little new ground: a Torsen centre differential with an open rear ‘diff’ marshalled by torque vectoring, sorted out the traction – but to cater for such radically differing driver requirements on and off the beaten track, 48-volt ‘active’ suspension, known as Bentley Dynamic Ride (BDR) was called upon.

Controlled by supercapacitor powered electric motors, BDR could stiffen Bentayga’s anti-roll bars and dampers in reaction to bumps, to help keep the body level on a winding road or disconnect their ends from each wheel when crawling over rocks off-road. There was a small weight penalty, but at 2.2 tonnes, a further 15kg was hardly breaking the bank. ‘This is a situation where engineers make a heavy vehicle handle better by making it heavier,’ said Road and Track’s Eric Tingwall.

While marque aficionados gasped, historians knew that it was not the first time a Bentley had tackled unmetalled roads. The Bentayga’s all-wheel-drive and BDR-enhanced suspension was, alas, a far cry from the Robert Jankel-converted, four-wheel-drive, Turbo R based Val d’Isere estate of the late 1980s, granted.

The bob-tailed, limited production Val d’Isere, of which 12 were eventually built, took a different approach to slippery surfaces: intended for transporting rich families to and from Alpine ski lodges, an optional four-wheel-drive system used a hydraulic pump to engage two electric motors in the hubs of the front wheels, connected to the gearbox by a belt drive when driven in low or reverse. It disengaged at 30mph to protect the running gear, but required no intervention from the driver, who otherwise drove the Val d’Isere as if it were a peculiarly roomy Turbo R.

Few realised the significance of an all-weather, seven-seat Bentley at the time, but the Bentayga owed the Jankel Val d’Isere, produced until 1994, a debt in spirit, if not execution. The six-unit, Range Rover P38A-based Bentley Dominator, produced that same year for the Sultan of Brunei, got closer still to the Bentayga’s aesthetic: rebodied, with a bespoke interior, it looked, felt, and sounded the part, even if its performance figures were never disclosed.

Those with a long memory were similarly unmoved at Bentley’s decision to launch a Bentayga diesel in 2016; Crewe’s first official heavy oil burner made a real 40 mpg and a 700-mile range possible – but the model lasted for two short years in UK and European markets, replaced by the far more palatable mild Bentayga Hybrid of 2018.

That same 48V, BDR powering electrical system was also used to drive a third compressor between the two sequential turbos of the 4.0-litre diesel V8, shared partially with the Audi SQ7. ‘Intelligent’ engine mounts and extra sound deadening further smothered the compression ignition rattle, meaning the Bentayga diesel could stay in its boost threshold longer, and make the same peak torque (664lb/ft) as the launch W12 with rather more than that model’s 22mpg between fill-ups.

Bentley was well aware of the advantages of diesel engines: back in 1932, a Gardner 4LW was fitted to a 1925 3-Litre chassis. Running on cheap heavy oil, it had decent, if not earth-shattering performance, managing an average of 76mpg around Brooklands. Sadly, the VW Dieselgate scandal mitigated heavily against the Bentayga Diesel, and while 13 markets still enjoyed the model, Europe would get petrol and mild-hybrid Bentaygas only after the Diesel’s demise.

By now, the Bentayga Hybrid, launched in March 2018, took on the role of environmental foil for the Bentley range, soon joined by a Flying Spur equivalent. With a pure-EV range of around 30 miles, there was still a 443bhp, 516 lb/ft 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 up front; a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 with 542hp and 568 lb/ft peak torque had joined the range in January of that year.

Bentaygas had been selling strongly since launch, pushed further by Mulliner commissions. 2019, however, saw the fastest Bentayga yet: the 626hp, W12-engined Speed. Earlier W12 Bentaygas, with a mere 600bhp, had set class records at Shelsley Walsh and Pikes Peak in 2017 and 2018 respectively; the Speed, however, pushed for a more ambitious target – that of fastest road-going SUV. Five-seater Bentaygas were also becoming a thing of the past: four-and seven-seat options were made available for the first time.

Sadly, by Autocar’s figures, the Bentayga Speed didn’t hold its title for long. For a brief period in 2019, it outran the Urus by 0.5mph, but that same Urus outpaced it in the same year in the 0-60 dash, losing out then to the Aston Martin DBX 707 (which never managed to deliver on paper) and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT three years later. Nevertheless, the Bentayga Speed broke its own production SUV record in Colorado in 2019, remaining at the very top of the Bentayga tree.

As Covid-19 hit in 2020, the facelifted, second-generation Bentayga was revealed to the world – as Mulliner commissions (and Bentayga sales) continued to account for the majority of Bentley’s customers. A commitment to carbon neutrality was also made during the firm’s ‘Beyond100’ programme, announced that year, which pledged to offer plug-in hybrids across its range by 2026, selling an entirely battery-powered range by 2030.

Fittingly, the Bentayga continued to flag the flag for environmentalism: in 2021, Bentley, while ending Bentayga Speed production for UK customers, launched the second generation Bentayga Hybrid, an example of which also happened to be Bentley’s 200,000th car. The 70-unit Odyssean Edition, released a year later, was billed as Bentley’s ‘most sustainable’ model, using tweed upholstery panels and Open Pore Koa veneers. Bentayga Speed sales continued in the rest of the world, winning favour in the UAE and United States.

Such was the Bentayga’s popularity that the new extended wheelbase model (EWB) replaced the storied Mulsanne saloon that same year: with a 180mm stretch and four-wheel-steering, the EWB dropped the seven-seat option of standard wheelbase cars; EWB instead sold with four-, five- and ‘4+1’ layouts instead.

Bespoke Mulliner commissions doubled in 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021. Bentley total sales for that year managed 15,174 units, an increase of four per cent over the previous record year (14,659). 42 per cent of global sales down to the Bentayga, its sixth consecutive year of being the best-selling model in the Bentley range. Divisive though it may have been, the Bentayga was (and remains) a resounding success.

With W12 engine production winding down, and with the Saltzgitter factory Pyms Lane supplanted now a battery plant (having come full circle), Bentley’s electric future seems assured. The 750bhp Batur (and a parade of W12 Bentleys, fronted by the 2002 Continental GT at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed) saw the engine out; that the Bentayga entrenched itself in memory, and further enriched Bentley’s fortunes, cannot be denied.

Bentley Bentayga timeline

2012

Bentley’s SUV concept, the EXP 9F, appears at the Geneva Motor Show, previewing Bentayga.
Mixed feedback prompts Bentley to finesse its styling.

2013

Production EXP 9F SUV announced in July.

£800m investment announced to build the production EXP 9F in the UK.

2014

Pyms Lane, Crewe, home of Bentley, takes over W12 engine production for the whole of the Volkswagen Group, producing engines for itself and Audi.

2015

Bentley reveals the name of its new SUV in January: Bentayga.

Reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show (September). 600hp W12 twin-turbo engine, adaptive suspension (Bentley Dynamic Ride), five seats, eight-speed automatic, full-time all-wheel drive.

The late HRH Queen Elizabeth drives a Bentayga prototype at Balmoral and is presented with the first production Bentayga.

2016

January European launch of Bentayga in Kitzbühel, Austrian Alps.

Bentayga Diesel (V8) launched in September 2016. 429bhp, 4.0-litre, Audi derived unit, twin sequential superchargers and a third electric compressor, 40mpg possible, 664lb/ft peak torque matches W12.

Apple watch app offered for Bentayga.

2017

A Bentayga W12 takes part in the Shelsley Walsh hill climb, setting two records and achieving a class win.

Bentayga Mulliner launched in March 2017; fly fishing, falconry and Linley Hamper packages made available.

2018

Bentayga V8 launched in January. 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 with 542hp and 568 lb/ft peak torque.

Bentayga Hybrid launched in March. 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 and 17.3 kWh battery, 94 kW electric motor. 443bhp and 516 lb/ft combined figures, 31 miles as a pure EV, as per Bentley’s research (fewer than 30 miles of use)

Bentayga Diesel pulled from UK and European markets, though it continues to be sold in 13 other markets including Australia, Russia and South Africa. European markets only receive petrol Bentaygas from now on.

Bentayga sets its first Production SUV record at Pikes Peak, Colorado.

Bentayga makes its Goodwood Festival of Speed debut.

2019

Bentayga Speed launched in February 2019. Uprated twin-turbo W12 with 626hp, 3.9 seconds to 60, 190 mph top speed; billed [briefly, in certain circumstances] as the world’s fastest SUV.

Four- and seven-seat options replace five-seat configuration offered previously; Bentayga Hybrid remains a four-seater owing to its powertrain.

Bentayga W12 breaks is own Production SUV record at Pikes Peak, Colorado, in June (below).

2020

Second-generation Bentayga – a detailed facelift – lands, temporarily removing the W12 as an engine option for a month.

Second-generation Bentayga V8 launched in June.

W12-engined Bentayga Speed, retaining uprated 626 hp of 2019 Bentayga Speed, launched in August.

Bentley announces that the second-generation Bentayga Speed will not be offered to UK customers. UK engine range drops to Bentayga V8 and [V6] Hybrid; Bentayga Speed marketing and production concentrated on the US.

Bentley’s ‘Beyond100’ electrification programme announced.

2021

Second-generation Bentayga Hybrid launched in January; Bentley’s 200,000th car.

Bentayga S launched in May.

22-inch carbon fibre wheel unveiled for Bentayga. 6kg weight saving, TÜV certified.

Bentayga added to Mulliner’s Personal Commission Guide. Hide and stitching options, veneer and technical finishes, more paint and wheel options (27 more hide, and 100 more-wheel options) made available to buyers.

Six-car Russian ballet themed Bentayga Speeds commissioned and built by Mulliner. Unique 22-inch wheels, two-tone paint for three of the specified cars. First of the annual Russian Heritage edition cars.

11-car, Mulliner built Bentayga Outdoor Pursuits collection launched: three specifications offered specifically for angling, equestrian work and dogs. Three colour choices, special 22-inch wheels, and bespoke accessories.

Macallan Estate in Scotland has Mulliner build a special Bentayga Hybrid with special interior décor, to be used for pick-ups and VIP experiences, charged with renewable energy from the grounds.

Bentley Rear Entertainment package made available for Bentayga and Flying Spur. Removable 10.1-inch screens and streaming software can pair with in-car Naim audio system if fitted.

2022

Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB) launched in April; production begins in October.

Comfort-oriented Bentayga EWB Azure released, part of 2022 Azure package offered across all of the Bentley and Bentayga range. Bentayga EWB Azure First Edition released in May.

Bentayga Azure and S Hybrid launched in September. 3.0-litre V6, stronger motor, longer, 28 mile pure-EV range, S Hybrid has same suspension settings as S.

70-unit Odyssean Edition on sale in November – a limited edition ‘most sustainable’ Bentayga Hybrid with unique 22-inch wheels and environmentally friendly interior décor.

One-of-one Bentayga Speed – called Bentayga Space Edition – commissioned by Bentley Orlando and built by Mulliner, with Continental GT paint and carbon fibre accents.

Belgian Equestrian Edition – a 10 car run of Bentayga V8s built by Mulliner to celebrate Belgian show jumping. 22-inch wheels, carbon fibre parts, special interior.

2023

626hp Bentayga Speed Edition 12 released in May (alongside equivalent Speed Edition 12, Continental GT, Continental GTC, and Flying Spur) to commemorate the end of W12 engine production. 120 units, Blackline appearance package, 22-inch wheels, Opalite paint options, 1:15 scale W12 engine model cast from the same aluminium as the real thing. To be replaced with EV options in two power ratings, the latter slated as ‘the W12 of batteries’.

Bentayga Extended Wheelbase Mulliner launched in August. Double Diamond front grille, unique 22-inch wheel design, wing vents and self-levelling wheel badges.

W12 parade of Bentleys at 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, including Bentayga, to observe the end of W12 engine production.

Specially wrapped ‘Sheepdog’ Bentayga appears at Goodwood’s ‘Goodwoof’ in May.

2024

W12 engine production ends in April; line to be turned into V6 and V8 areas; production of V8 and V6 Hybrid Bentaygas continues with all 30 W12 staff retained and retrained.