New Bentley Bentayga

Bentley has revealed details of the new Bentayga – the carmaker’s definitive luxury SUV, which features significant revisions both inside and out. 

A new exterior design adopts the Bentley design DNA now prevalent across the entire model range, while the updated Bentayga also introduces the very latest onboard technology and an even more cosseting cabin. 

Combining the abilities of a performance grand tourer, a luxury limousine, a spacious family car and an off roader, the new Bentayga follows its predecessor’s mantle of having one of the broadest briefs of any car on sale today. 

The original Bentayga defined a new sector when it was introduced in November 2015. It set the benchmark as the world’s first true luxury SUV and offered customers a Grand Touring experience that was unrestricted by terrain. With more than 20,000 Bentaygas built since the car’s launch – more than any of its competitors – the new Bentayga is set to build on an incredible success story to date. 

“With the new Bentayga, we’re repositioning the pinnacle of the luxury SUV segment to be even higher, even further away from the competition,” says Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors. 

“We’ve listened to our customers and made improvements to the areas most important to them. The new Bentayga is a thoroughly modern, beautiful extension of the original car’s abilities and achievements.” 

Key to the new Bentayga is its strikingly look, which draws inspiration from the marque’s new design language, introduced by the third-generation Continental GT and all-new Flying Spur. This bold styling offers an imposing road presence, with every panel at the front of the car redesigned for a cleaner, modern look. 

The larger, assertive matrix grille is now more upright, while new, intelligent LED matrix headlamp technology includes the signature Bentley design inspired by cut crystal glassware. A more aggressive front bumper emphasises the performance characteristics of the car. 

At the rear, the new Bentayga has also undergone a major transformation. Here features a total redesign of the rear surfaces including a new full-width tailgate with new encapsulated lamps, while the licence plate has been moved down into the bumper for a cleaner appearance. Wide, split tailpipes leave no doubt that this is a powerful performance car. A 20mm increase to the rear track width brings dynamic benefit and repositions the wheels in their arches to improve the car’s stance. The wheels themselves are a new design, unique to the Bentayga. 

Unsurprisingly, the Bentayga’s sumptuous interior has been significantly revised in the latest model. Among the major changes are a new centre fascia and steering wheel, new door trims and all-new seats which are available with ventilation in the rear of the five-seat version. Passengers in the rear also enjoy significantly more space, with legroom increased by up to 100mm depending on configuration. 

A next generation infotainment system is integrated seamlessly into the handcrafted, Bentley ‘wing’ dashboard design and features a 10.9-inch display screen with edge-to-edge graphics. The all-new digital display includes super high-resolution and dynamic graphics which are configurable to suit driver preferences. 

The latest hardware and software bring all-new navigation with satellite maps, online search and other features. Wireless Apple CarPlay is standard for the first time in the Bentayga, alongside the existing wired system, along with Android Auto (market dependant).  

Rear seat occupants’ benefit from the introduction of a new, larger touchscreen remote control tablet, like that introduced in the Bentley Flying Spur. Connectivity around the SUV has been significantly improved too, with USB-C data ports and a wireless phone charger now standard.  

The Bentayga’s luxurious interior can be further enhanced with the application of dark tint diamond brushed aluminium trim for the first time in a Bentley, as well as two straight-grained veneers new to Bentayga: Koa and Crown Cut Walnut. The Mulliner Driving Specification option adds a new quilting design, with micro piping detailing also available for the seats.  

Two levels of audio system are offered in new Bentayga. The Bentley Signature Audio is now fitted as standard, offering exceptional quality by delivering 590W of power through 12 speakers. The optional Naim for Bentley system delivers 1,780W of power via no less than 20 speakers including active bass speakers under both front seats, with super-tweeters located in each A and B-pillar for higher frequencies. 

Onboard air ionisers emit negatively charged particles from the central air conditioning vents, enhancing cabin air purity and customer wellness. These create a static charge around pollutants such as dust or allergens in the air, which in turn cause them to stick to the nearest surface.  The result is to remove such contaminants from the air that the customer breathes. 

The new model will initially be launched in Bentayga V8 guise offering supercar performance balanced with everyday usability, with the plug-in Hybrid and W12-powered Speed versions to follow this year. The 32-valve dual twin-scroll turbocharged V8’s 4.0-litre petrol engine develops an impressive 404kW peak power and 770 Nm of torque. 

Matched with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the V8 offers supercar performance, resulting in a top speed of 290km/h and 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. 

The class-leading performance of the new Bentayga V8 is complemented by a range of 639km, with CO2 emissions of 302 g/km. This refined efficiency (13.3L/100 km combined) is partly due to the ability of the engine to de-activate four of its eight cylinders in suitable conditions, without compromising the drive. 

Bentley Dynamic Ride – the world’s first electric active roll control technology – has been further enhanced in the new Bentayga by its 20mm track increase at the rear, reducing steering effort and improving response linearity. Bentley Dynamic Ride instantly counteracts lateral rolling forces when cornering and ensures maximum tyre contact to deliver class-leading cabin stability, comfort and handling. 

The 2020 Bentayga offers the widest range of on- and off-road drive settings of any SUV courtesy of Bentley’s Drive Dynamics Mode and the optional All-Terrain Specification. Up to eight modes - four on and four off-road - are available, allowing drivers to select the perfect dynamic set-up for any surface or road condition at the turn of a dial. 

Later, the new Bentayga will be offered as an efficient Hybrid, the luxury sector’s first true plug-in hybrid. Benefiting from its introduction in the previous generation model, the Hybrid will be Bentley’s most efficient model ever and is the company’s first step towards electrification. 

There will also be a performance-focused Speed model, with even more purposeful styling. The Speed is the pinnacle of the Bentayga range and will be powered by Bentley’s renowned 6.0-litre W12 TSI engine. 

“With the new Bentayga, our objective was relatively straightforward – to take the best and make it even better,” says Chris Cole, Product Line Director for the Bentley Bentayga. 

“To do this, we listened closely to our existing Bentayga customers, then addressed their comments to ensure the new model offers an even more complete, all-round proposition. The new Bentayga reflects the truly sophisticated qualities and design make-up of other members of the Bentley family, such as the new Continental GT and all-new Flying Spur.”