Bentley Bentayga Officially Announced, Still Not Any Easier To Spell
After two years and one seriously overhauled concept, Bentley took the wrapper off its first SUV on Wednesday, which made it the first automaker to offer an ultra-luxury SUV — and certainly not the last.
Bentley’s Bentayga will be powered by an all-new W-12 engine that produces 600 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, according to the automaker. That will motivate the three-ton behemoth from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds on its way up to a top speed of 187 mph.
The initial Bentaygas will be gasoline versions with a turbocharged diesel and plug-in hybrid variants soon to follow, according to Bentley.
Bentley didn’t say how much the Bentaygas would cost at launch, so we’re telling you there’s still a chance.
All the typical over-the-top Bentley-isms are here: champagne chiller in the back, diamond clock up front, Crewe-stitched everything inside, but the automaker’s most telling part of their announcement Wednesday were its first words:
“A true Bentley … “
Constructed on a modified platform of the Audi Q7, the Bentayga would be the first chassis shared with Audi (the Continental and Mulsanne share a chassis with the Volkswagen Phaeton) and a point of pride for every Q7 owner from here after (“It’s basically a Bentley underneath, you know”).
The automaker said it would offer seating for seven people in upcoming versions of the Bentayga, but not at launch. The SUV will be available in six different packages, including two different styling packages, however none were specified. We can’t wait to see the “tow package.”
The Bentayga will convince buyers of its off-road ability with a standard Driving Dynamics Mode and an optional Responsive Off-Road Setting that will be configurable to mud, sand, chalets, snowy driveways, hell freezing over and probably rocks and stuff. The SUV will also come standard with a suite of safety features including adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear cross path alert and park assist that will help you park your sweet, sweet ride without scuffing its 22-inch wheels.
The Bentayga will be available in 17 different “base” colors and 90 additional hues if your pockets are deep enough. The W-12 uses cylinder deactivation to achieve up to 20 mpg on the highway, in addition to a transmission separation that allows the car to coast.
The Bentayga will be shown to the public at the Frankfurt Auto Show later this month.
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The Mulsanne does not share a platform with any of Volkswagen Group's other vehicles. It's rather old-world in that it's completely hand-built by Bentley, and still uses the brand's heritage 6 and 3/4-liter V8. It does use Audi electronics, however.
This is the automotive equivalent of the Hublot Big Bang (cue Jack).