One of the major talking points from this year’s Frankfurt show and easily the most controversial Bentley in years, the Bentayga is the marque’s first attempt at making an SUV.
Completely changing the game for cars of its kind by setting new standards in performance, luxury and cost, it joins the Continental GT, Flying Spur and flagship Mulsanne in Bentley’s range.
Although it’s not due to arrive on the roads until early next year, there’s still a lot to get excited about; here’s just some of the reasons why the Bentley Bentayga is such a massive talking point.
1 – It's the most powerful SUV ever built
Powered by a behemoth 6.0-litre W12 engine which generates a mind-blowing 600 horsepower with 889Nm of torque, the Bentley Bentayga is indisputably the most powerful SUV the world has ever seen.
With an eight-speed automatic transmission that delivers all that power to each of the four wheels, the Bentayga can crack the 0-62mph sprint time in a supercar-bothering 4.1 seconds, with a top speed of 187mph.
You have to feel sorry for Range Rover’s Sport SVR, the previous title holder, which gets absolutely whipped on the 0-62mph time by a whole 0.6 seconds, while the Bentley is faster than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S by roughly 10mph.
2 – It’s named after a Spanish mountain range
According to Bentley, the Bentayga has gotten its name from the natural world, with the main muse being the Roque Bentayga, a rock formation in Gran Canaria.
Designed to evoke the power and beauty of the natural world and rugged terrain, the Taiga snow forest, which crowns much of the northern hemisphere is reportedly another source of inspiration.
Wolfgang Dürheimer, Bentley’s CEO, says: “Bentayga is a name that reflects what we know our SUV will do better than any other car in the world – combine the best automotive luxury with outstanding performance to take the Bentley experience to new environments.”
3 – It comes packed with cool kit and neat features
Just some of the neat items included with the Bentayga includes two removable 10.2-inch Android tablets, in-car Wi-Fi and 4G connections, plus a Naim surround sound system.
There’s also adaptive cruise control which can predict the behaviour of the traffic ahead, plus the option of exclusive extras like crystal champagne flutes and ultra-rare wood upholsteries.
4 – The world’s most expensive clock is available as an option
Along with the champagne glassware, the Bentayga also comes with the option of a Mulliner Tourbillon clock by Breitling, which will cost customers around £100,000 or more.
Costing almost as much as the car itself, it’s one of the most expensive in-car options in the world – justly so when you consider that it’s machined from solid gold and bedecked with seven fine diamonds.
5 – The Queen will be its first customer
The very first production version of the Bentayga will be delivered to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who is reportedly ditching her iconic green Land Rovers in favour of the plush new Bentley.
Reportedly, the Queen – a well-known petrolhead – was impressed with the 187mph super-SUV after putting a prototype through its paces across the rugged terrain of her Balmoral estate a few weeks ago.
6 – It’s the world’s costliest SUV
The Chelsea-est of Chelsea tractors, with all its performance, exclusivity and luxury, will set customers back £160,200 in its basic form, and that’s not counting the numerous extras.
That’s around £46,000 more than a Porsche Cayenne, £6,600 more than a Mercedes-AMG G65 and around £20,000 more costly than a Range Rover SV Autobiography.
For your money, however, there is a choice of 90 paint options, 15 types of carpeting, seven choices of veneer and 15 different leather combinations.
