10 Things You Need to Know About the 2017 Bentley Bentayga

The Bentley Bentayga is already one of the most hyped, misunderstood and polarizing vehicles of the 21st century. And that’s not surprising; it’s what happens when one of the most respected luxury automakers on Earth cuts a hard left and designs a vehicle in a segment in which it has never trodden. And things turn even more controversial when that vehicle not only enters a new segment, but creates one where previously none existed.

This is exactly what Bentley has done with its Bentayga SUV—the fastest, most expensive, and, they claim, most powerful SUV in the world. And until segment competitors from the highest tier of automakers like Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin hit showrooms (which won’t happen for years at the earliest), the Bentayga will rule the ultra-luxe SUV segment with a mighty fist, unopposed. And it is a powerful and rare position from which to sit.

Here are the 10 Things you should know about the Bentley Bentayga SUV.

Since Bentley is claiming the Bentayga is the fastest and most powerful production SUV ever made, we need to start with raw power. Bentley Motors designed and built the all-new, twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 specifically for the Bentayga, and naturally it is a petroleum-swigging beast. Output of 600 horsepower and 664 lb.-ft of torque is channeled to all four wheels via a smooth 8-speed automatic (with paddle shifters), good enough to launch the massive SUV from 0-60 in just 4.0 seconds. That’s absolutely absurd in a vehicle that weighs nearly three tons.

We should mention that Mercedes-AMG may have some beef with Bentley for claiming to have the most powerful SUV on the planet. As of printing, that title belongs quite proudly to the just-as-absurd V12-powered G65 AMG “G-Wagen”, whose 738 lb-ft of torque eclipses that of the Bentayga (as does its 621 horses). But while the Bentayga has a more modern car-like unibody chassis, the anachronistic G65 has a traditional, truck-like body-on-frame make-up. We’ll assume they meant the most powerful crossover suv.

Writing about the luxury of a Bentley is sort of like writing about the expansiveness of Game of Thrones. I mean, where to begin? Trying to discuss this quality in 100 words is an exercise in oversimplification. There's the copious leather, of course, famously sourced from at least 17 male bulls in Sweden. Why bulls? Because they will never get stretch marks. And why Sweden? Because barbwire fences are illegal in the Scandinavian nation, further minimizing the risk of blemishes. Then there are the various wood options, covering 17 panels. There’s the famous champagne cooler, an optional 1,920-watt Naim for Bentley soundsystem, deep shag wool carpets, and seats (even rear) with heating and cooling, reclining and massage commands—with six different programs available for the front buckets. And they adjust in 22 directions. Look: this is a quarter million dollar SUV with a Bentley Flying “B” on the hood. The luxury is peerless for an SUV… for now, at least.

This goes part and parcel with luxury, but Bentley ensures that whatever you may dream up for your Bentayga, you can order. That means 15 different carpets to choose from (including some gorgeous deep-wool shags that’ll massage your toes like a pedicure), 15 types of leather, seven different veneers (+$28,500 for the carbon fiber surfacing) and 90 different color options of exterior paint. You can even select between seating for four or five people—but the former will cost you an extra $11,000 to replace the rear bench with seats. Plans for a 7-seater were also mentioned, but no production dates have been announced.

Much has been made of the size of the Bentayga, with words like “gargantuan” and “mammoth” brandied about liberally. But in truth the vehicle is actually not that big—at least not by modern SUV standards. It's built on the same “MLB Evo” framework as the Audi Q7 and upcoming Porsche Cayenne, so its size is certainly not anomalous—especially not with Denali Yukons and Suburbans and ESV Escalades roaming the Beverly Hills wilderness. While the Bentayga is certainly the tallest modern Bentley, it’s not even as long as some vehicles currently sharing the same showroom; its 202.4-inch length is trumped by the flagship Mulsanne saloon by almost a foot and a half. And at just under 5,400 lbs., it’s still lighter than some other land yachts with a Flying “B” on the hood.

We already mentioned that the Bentayga’s 6.0-liter W12 is all new, but just how new? When Bentley engineers added the faster-spooling twin-scroll turbochargers to the massive engine, they had to design room to make them fit. So while the powerplant shares bore spacing with the previous W12, there are zero shared parts. The new engine not only generates its power more quickly (its full avalanche of 664 lb.-ft of torque is available at only 1,350 rpm), but it is also 10-percent more efficient. EPA fuel efficiency is rated at 15/29/22 mpg (city/highway/combined).

Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of the Bentayga is the Bentley Dynamic Ride, a powerful anti-roll bar system that senses cornering and applies stiffness where necessary—on either axle. It is a very complex and demanding application, one that requires a 48-volt electric system to meter and actuate, and it can actually lean the SUV into a corner. Outfitted in the Bentayga, the end result is a tall, somewhat lugubrious SUV that hits corners with stunning flatness and lack of roll. Combined with the nuclear-powered W-12, Dynamic Ride is what lends the Bentayga a superb and quite joyous driving experience.

Longtime Bentley collaborator Breitling was commissioned to construct a fitting timepiece for the Bentayga, and boy did they deliver. Working in conjunction with Mulliner, Bentley’s esteemed private label customizer, the Swiss watchmakers designed an 18k gold dashboard tourbillion. Aptly dubbed the Mulliner Tourbillion, the ultra-expensive timepiece comes in three dial options (white, ebony and mother of pearl), two gold casings (rose gold or white), and is encrusted with eight diamonds. All for the cost of 150,000 euros; this is clearly not a vehicle of restraint. Since it takes a full three months to build each tourbillion, Bentley only offers four per year. Even with its celestial pricetag, Breitling will likely sell every last one.

While the burliest terrain a Bentayga will likely have to handle is a post-parent-teacher conference drive home, Bentley still ensured their SUV countered every argument an envious Range Rover owner might hurl their way. OK, the Bentley is not as certain in off-road terrain as a Range, nor will its scrapes and dings be remotely affordable to polish out, but it certainly will conquer anything you will encounter on a ski weekend to Sunday River. Its Drive Dynamics system has settings for sand; mud; gravel; and snow (similar to Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system), and combined with its permanent four-wheel drive is able to traverse quite serious terrain. Allegedly anyway—we only drove it from Manhattan’s Meatpacking District to a leafy rural outlet of Connecticut, so we’ll have to take their word for it. Although we can attest it rolled over New York potholes like a cloud over Kauai.

There is rampant speculation that Bentley has a smaller Bentayga in the works, and this is almost certain. There are other variations being hushed about as well, including a “four-door coupe” with a fastback profile that apes such high sellers as the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. Also, as Bentley did with the Continental GT, expect a higher-volume V8-powered Bentayga to see production daylight in the future—perhaps sometime around when Rolls-Royce drops their even more expensive Cullinan SUV. Bentley will need this expanded range to hit the 20,000 units in global sales CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer has aggressively benchmarked.