Style King Bentley Bentayga Goes In for a Facelift

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

If you detected a whiff of sarcasm in that headline, your nose wasn’t off. Yes, style and beauty is entirely subjective, but the range-topping Bentley Bentayga has never found itself at the top of any writer’s sexiest-dressed list.

And that’s okay! It’s big, it’s bold, and it sells, so Bentley naturally loves anything that generates profits in a market quickly shying away from traditional body styles. Still, better is always possible, so the marque took the Bentayga to the plastic surgeon.

It’s probably a good idea to throw up a before and after pic to illustrate this transformation. Night and day, ain’t it?

Up front, bolder and blunter is the name of the model’s 2021 game. While the headlights retain their prior shape (a little more oval-shaped, now, and matrix LED in design), the grille takes on a more square outline. The lower front fascia becomes more expressive, with large, sculpted side vents and lower air opening, all underlined by an extra heavy strip of bling.

Out back, things get even wilder — if that can be believed. Channeling the ’59 Chevrolet lineup, the Bentayga’s taillights adopt a slim teardrop shape, ditching the chunky, bland housings of yesteryear.

Both the bumper and the liftgate adopt a concave form, with a stronger unibrow separating glass from metal. Exhaust finishers that mimic the taillights are now split in the middle, and the license plate migrates southward to a less pedestrian locale.

Overall, the look is crisper, more upscale — as any Bentley should be. It also places the model’s design language in the same area code as newer denizens of the Bentley stable.

Because this is important to you and could very well influence future purchase decisions, rest assured that each heated wiper arm on the ’21 Bentayga features 22 washer jets. The rear track grows an extra eight-tenths of an inch for an improved, if imperceptible, stance. Inside, the infotainment screen grows to 10.9 inches and adds gesture control. Wave your hand with abandon.

Perhaps more importantly, second-row knee room stretches up to an extra 4 inches for ’21, aiding ingress and egress for buyers of the two-row version. You’ll notice interior trim changes, with dark aluminum and new woods joining the roster. There’s even a new quilted leather pattern for those who’ve grown bored with their current pattern.

Bentley didn’t debut the entire lineup this week; with only the volume V8 model (4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8; 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque) available for discerning eyes to pore over, the Hybrid (V6) and Speed (W12) variants remain in the wings to tempt individualists afraid of being seen piloting the same car as their kid’s school teacher.

Expect to see details on the full 2021 line when the fall draws closer.

[Images: Bentley]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • FreedMike FreedMike on Jul 01, 2020

    Cut from the same "since I'm rich as f**k I don't have to have any taste" cloth as the Cullinan. Gaaaaack. I literally have zero idea why anyone would take this over a SQ8, which is actually a handsome vehicle (and one I'd actually drive, by the way) that rides on the same platform.

  • Stuki Stuki on Jul 01, 2020

    I looks better, if still rather bland, in person than in pictures. Mainly because you see more clearly how big it is. In pictures, the comically oversized wheels, make the whole car look like a an awkward little hatchback. Yet it's Cayenne sized.

  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
  • Analoggrotto NoooooooO!
  • Ted “the model is going to be almost 4 inches longer and 2 inches wider than its predecessor”Size matters. In this case there is 6” too much.
  • JMII Despite our past experience with Volvo my wife wants an EX30 badly. Small, upscale, minimalist EV hatch is basically her perfect vehicle.
  • Dukeisduke Is the Volvo EX30 even on sale yet? It was pulled from the NACTOY awards because they were having software problems with the vehicle.
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