BENTLEY BENTAYGA

First launched in 2015, the Bentayga is Bentley’s first foray into the highly competitive and lucrative SUV sector, and I don’t think I’m going to receive any Christmas cards from Bentley when I say this, but it looked hideous. However, just like a spotty and gaunt adolescent that after puberty it’s grown into its face, after a fairly extensive facelift in 2020, it now looks pretty good, in my opinion at least. Bentley haven’t just given the Bentayga a prettier look, with over 1000 new parts and some chassis tweaking there’s a lot more to the 2021 Bentayga than you might realise.

On the Road

With 542bhp from its twin turbo 4.0 litre V8, it’s quicker than you think for this huge behemoth with 0-60mph taking only 4.4 seconds. In fact it’ll transport you to 100mph in a shade under 10 seconds, and will carry on all the way up to 180mph.

Yes, it has power, but the Bentayga isn’t just a one trick pony, dawdle around town and it’ll switch from eight cylinders to just four to aid economy, and once you become used to its girth, you can thread it through small villages with ease.

The Bentley really came into its own during a trip along the B6138 towards Mytholmroyd over in West Yorkshire, it’s a fast but very undulating B road. I forget what I was in the last time I drove it, but it bounced me all over the place! The Bentayga flattened it, and I’m not suggesting it’s because of the 2.4 tonne kerb weight, but in Comfort mode the air-suspension and accompanying electronic wizardry simply nullified the humps, bumps and imperfections, keeping us in a state of serenity. It made me smile, a lot.

When the need arose to pass dawdling drivers, after a gentle prod of the accelerator, its 542bhp and enormous 770nm of torque leaves them a distant memory, with a muted V8 growl. Again, it made me smile, a lot.

On better maintained roads, like the one from Ruthin to Ceredigion in Wales, select Sport or Bentley mode, and despite its size and high centre of gravity it handles far better than it should. Although not fitted to this Bentayga, Bentley have something called Dynamic Ride, which means that 48v tech keeps the car squat and flat during cornering, apparently it’s a ‘must have’ option, I’m told, but I enjoyed it without.

Off Road

An accumulation of only having the Bentayga for a few days, and being frightened to death of damaging it, meant that I barely ventured off the beaten track, even though it came with £3,610 worth of ‘All Terrain Spec’ that included, amongst other things, underfloor protection.

The only time it saw the dirt was an easy drive around Llyn Brenig and I didn’t even select 4x4! The next time I borrow one I promise to take it further afield, maybe along the Old Coach Road, or Bootle Fell, whatever you do, don’t tell Bentley, though as you can see below, Bentley doesn't seem to be bothered about taking it off road!

Interior

Opulent, obviously, but not 100% perfect.

Amongst all the tech onboard it has a couple USB-C connections and a wireless charger, but nothing for ‘old fashioned’ USBs. I guess if you can afford a Bentayga you probably won’t still have a vintage iPhone 6s! Fortunately it has a 12v socket and I had a USB adapter, so I was happy.

My only other annoyance was that to change the fan speed requires you to a button press followed by a swipe on the monitor - it would be easier and safer with a dial.

Other than those two vexations I loved the interior, there’s so much to enjoy that I honestly don’t know where to begin. For instance, it’s interior was made up in Portland and Brunel leather with facias in dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus veneer and finished with contrasting stitching and emblems, and the luxuries carry on from there.

A special mention has to go to the hand-stitched massaging and ventilated seats that offer all the right support, whether you’re being a bit of a hooligan or dawdling through continents.

As you would expect in a Bentley, you don’t want for anything and there’s just this tremendous feeling of quality, from the turned aluminium air vents with their organ stop adjusters to, well, everything.

Conclusion

ConclusionI’m not going to say I was intimidated by the Bentayga, but at a smudge under £200k, it’s by far the most expensive car that I’ve had sat outside Muddy Towers, so I was quite wary. That said, the Bentayga is an easy SUV to live with, once you forget about the price tag.

Some of you may look at the it and think of it as just a big posh barge, but it’s more than that, honestly. It’s a vehicle that’ll do everything you want it to, just quieter, faster and in more luxury than most others. It’s also brilliant fun on certain roads where higher speeds are allowed, its acceleration isn’t just instant and relentless, it’s blistering yet seamless, and on the twisty bits it always felt so planted - damn it was fun.

price: £149,600 - with options £192,795 more at » www.bentleymotors.com