MOTORS Bentley’s newly

OFF ROAD LUXURY

The newly facelifted Bentley Bentayga is better than ever, having matured into its position as a class-leading 4x4. It’s now more luxurious, capable and more recommendable than all of the German brands or the equivalent Range Rover...

Words: Rob Davis.

UNDOUBTEDLY there are some things that the British do exceptionally well. Queuing, for example. Making small talk about the weather. We’re especially good at maintaining silent frustration at someone’s apparent lack of gratitude. At least, we are until the searing tension boils over and we’re forced to mutter a barely audible ‘you’re welcome(!),’ as though the phrase serves as some form of dark incantation.

The British, though, have also perfected the art of understated taste and style. We do it brilliantly. Think Savile Row, rather than clothing emblazoned with a designer brand name. Think quiet country pubs, not London nightclubs. Think ‘Great British Bentley,’ rather than of the howling exhausts and black-alloy wheels of an SUV from AMG Mercedes or a gussied-up BMW. Bentley doesn’t need to show off. Its cars are somehow understated despite their position in the market and their imperious price tag.

The company has the skill of reflecting its values down to a fine art. When the Bentayga first appeared in showrooms some – me included – wondered if it would be a little brash; a clean-tyres school run SUV for well-heeled urban mums.

In fact, the car has matured into its looks, especially with this new facelifted model, and wears its size and power tastefully.

The car’s interior is beautiful, and for the first time I can honestly say I see where the extra investment goes, above what you’d pay for a Range Rover. The Bentayga is luxurious capable and eminently recommendable. >>

>> For now there are two Bentaya engines. Forget the 6.0W12 Speed model; it’s not what a Bentley should be about.

Sitting below it is the wholly better 4.0V8 with twin-turbocharging and 550ps of power and 770nm of torque; an ideal engine for motorway cruising, the odd-off road or for towing. As standard the car has an eight speed automatic gearbox with permanent all-wheel drive and air suspension.

Also standard are five seats, a hide interior, park assist, top view camera and walnut veneers. First Edition specification models adds two-tone leather, adaptive cruise control, and ventilated massaging seats. At least for now this is our pick of the range, and you can choose between a luxury four “The Bentley online configurator is a great way to kill off a couple of hours between Christmas and New Year as you deliberate on and eventually design your perfect Bentayga...”

seat configuration, the standard five seat configuration or for the first time a practical seven seat interior according to your needs.

After that choice, you’re left playing around with the firm’s online configurator to choose from the myriad paint, two-tone hide and two-tone wood veneer options... the configurator is a great way to kill off a couple of hours between Christmas and New Year as you deliberate on – and eventually design – your perfect Bentayga. What more do you need to know about the Bentayga? Well, refinement is peerless, even better than a Range Rover. It’s perhaps not as capable off-road, lacking low-range gears or diff locks, but if your SUV requirements are more road-going in nature, you’ll love it.

The best expression of style is often the most understated, too. That’s why Bentayga works so well. Opt for a subtle colour, linen hide, walnut veneer and we reckon you’ll own one of the most beautiful cars on the road. n

Super SUVs: More four by four than before...

Aston Martin DBX, £158,000: Aston Martin has deviated from its usual GT models to create its own four door, four wheel drive vehicle, with a 4.0V8 twin turbo engine. 60mph is reached in 4.5 seconds, top speed is 181mph and it has 542bhp of power. Fuel economy is a weak point at just 19mpg, and despite its seemingly small dimension it’s wider and 20cm longer than a Range Rover Sport! Arguably it’s oriented to performance rather than luxury, but it’s certainly a compelling alternative to the Bentayga for well-heeled motorists. n

BENTLEY BENTAYGA

Price: £146,700. (On sale now). Drivetrain: 4.0V8 twin-turbo petrol, 550ps, 770Nm torque. Eight speed automatic gearbox, all wheel drive. Performance: 0-62 mph: 4.4 seconds. Top Speed: 180mph. Economy: 21.2mpg, 302g/km CO2 . Equipment: Leather upholstery, electric heated seats, satellite navigation, climate, cruise. n

Rolls Royce Cullinan, £264,000: Rolls snootily rejects that its 4x4 car is an SUV, stating instead that it’s a ‘high-sided car from Rolls Royce.’ Enjoy a hand-built 6.75 litre V12, all wheel drive, all wheel steering and all wheel drive, but you’ll need a hand parking, considering the Cullinan is 30cm longer than a Range Rover and over 5cm wider. There’s something a bit naff about someone for whom a Range Rover or a Bentayga is ‘not good enough,’ and it’s difficult to see where the extra money goes, but if you insist, the Rolls will certainly be an imperious sight on the road thanks to its huge grille, vast dimensions and monster engine. n

Range Rover Autobiography, £102,940: There are more expensive Range Rover models available, but the PHEV Autobiography here is the sweet spot of the range. Unless you’re set on having extra rear legroom we’d pass up the opportunity of the longer wheelbase model in favour of this standard version. Meanwhile, even wealthy drivers will appreciate the smoothness of the PHEV drivetrain, the fuel economy and CO2 advantage and the option to run the 2.0V4 assisted Range Rover as a company vehicle. n

E is for Electrified Jaguar’s baby 4x4, the E-Pace, has been facelifted, with fresh interior technology, and best of all a new plug-in hybrid version that could be just the great value and highly desirable small 4x4 you’ve been searching for...

4x4 vehicles are great in our part of the world. The extra ground clearance and additional ability to negotiate mucky verges whilst squeezing down narrow country lanes comes in handy. But if your driving also entails tiny car parking spaces in town centres and much of your driving is on A-Roads, most 4x4s end up being overkill. And so here’s the perfect compromise, Jaguar’s new E-Pace. It’s the company’s smallest 4x4 and it has just been facelifted with a fresh interior and new plug-in hybrid engine technology. With a 1.5 litre three-cylinder engine, the P300e badged plug-in version relies on an additional 80kW electric motor to help out. It’s good for 34 miles of range on electric only power, it’ll achieve 141mpg and emits just 44g/km of CO2 so it’ll cost pennies to run if you’re a company car driver. Jaguar E-Pace P300e HSE

Price: £50,860. Engine: 1.5, four cylinder plus 80kW electric. Performance: 0-60mph 6.1 secs, top speed 134mph. Interior: Leather, sat nav, heated seats, adaptive cruise, climate. n What’s more, performance is brisk with 60mph reached in 6.1 seconds and 134mph top speed making it feel every bit as quick as its pure petrol powered siblings. Heated seats, navigation, front and rear parking sensors and a 3D surround camera are standard. S models gain a electric leather seats, SE versions gain a heated steering wheels and power tailgate whilst HSE models add adaptive cruise control. The E-Pace features the latest version of Jaguar’s Pivi Pro infotainment screen, whilst technologies new to the E-Pace include Jaguar Land Rover’s Clearsight ‘virtual’ rear view mirror and software updates over the air. All cars feature five seats, an automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive. With plenty of kit, low running costs and a sensible size, the E-Pace could be all the car you need in our part of the world, with none of the excess. n

Blow Your Top

ASTON MARTIN’S VANTAGE ROADSTER GAINS ROOFLESS ‘VOLANTE’ SIBLING

ASTON MARTIN Oh heck yes! Aston Martin has lifted the lid on the new Volante soft top version of its entry level Vantage model, and the result is a spectacular piece of automotive design. Powered by Aston Martin’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo 510PS/685Nm V8 engine and mated to an 8-speed ZF the roadster accelerates from 0-60mph in just 3.7sec and is capable of 190mph with the roof raised. Weight increases by just 60kg compared with the coupé thanks to a new, lighter Z-fold roof mechanism and optimised exterior and chassis revisions throughout. The Vantage range starts at £114,850, with the recommended retail price of the Vantage Roadster starting from £126,950 in the UK. n

New Bugatti Bolide on track

LIGHTWEIGHT RACETRACK ONLY CAR CAN REACH 311MPH IN JUST 20 SECONDS AND HITS 60MPH IN 2.1 SECONDS...

Silence is golden for Land Rover & Jaguar owners thanks to tech...

JAGUAR LAND ROVER Jaguar Land Rover has revealed new noise cancellation technology that removes unwanted road and tyre sounds from the cabin and provides a quieter and more refined experience for drivers and passengers. The technology, introduced on the new Jaguar F-Pace, new Jaguar XF and Range Rover Velar, is capable of lowering unwanted noise peaks by 10dB and overall noise levels by 3-4dB – the equivalent of turning down the in-car sound system by four ‘steps.’ n

BUGATTI Looking to dispatch your daily commute in a more brisk fashion? Bugatti’s Bolide could help. At just 1,240kg, but with an eight litre W16 engine and four turbochargers, it’s got some poke, to say the least. In fact, the car will reach 311mph flat out and reaches 60mph in just 2.1 seconds. The car is so fast that it actually changes shape at speed, and will sell for an eye-watering £15m. What’s worse is that it’s a track-only car, so even if you did have the grit and fearlessness to use the Bolide on your commute, it wouldn’t be legal... which in hindsight is probably for the best. n

MOTORING NEWS In Brief

AUDI

AUDI IS LORD OF THE FOUR RINGS WITH A NOVEL OF AN OWNER’S MANUAL...

One of the pleasures - and the pains - of buying a new car is getting to know your way around all of the buttons and gadgets. But a new survey by Bristol Street Motors has shown that as cars become more complicated, their owner’s manuals become lengthier. In fact, Audi’s A3 owners handbook is now the longest with 167,699 words necessitating an estimated 11hrs to read... that’s longer than Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, which has a modest 156,198 words. For reference, Harry Potter books are around 75,000-100,000w and Tolstoy’s War & Peace weights in at a hefty 587,287 words. Pride’s monthly word count is around 25,000! Motoring’s longest handbooks... 1. Audi A3 167,699 words; 11hrs, 45m. 2. Seat Ibiza 154,657 words; 10hrs, 50m. 3. Mercedes C-Class 152,875 words; 10hrs, 42m. 4. Mercedes A-Class 143,706 words; 10hrs, 4m. 5. Kia Sportage 133,531 words; 9hrs, 21m. 6. Ford Focus 127,321 words; 8hrs, 55m. 7. Volkswagen Golf 114,606 words; 8hrs 2m. 8. Honda Civic 110,484 words; 7hrs, 44m. 9. Audi A4 109,934 words; 7hrs, 42m. 10. Nissan Juke 108,853 words; 7hrs, 37m. n