Price+Spec News for SA – Bentley Bentayga W12

For those who demand luxury without restriction

The big bad wolf from SUV land is on his way to SA:  the Bentley Bentayga.  The company unapologetically lays claim to the first Bentley SUV creating a new ultra-luxury SUV segment – the Bentley of SUVs, it says.  

Bentley says the Bentayga caters to those who demand luxury without restriction.  Sure, the Bentley Continental, Flying Spur and Mulsanne ranges offer Bentley luxury, but these are restricted from going off-road.  And as SUVs have become a popular choice, progress dictates that the demand for ever-more luxury, power and technology be available in this vehicle type.  Wondering if Mercedes-Maybach will create an ultra-luxury SUV?  We know Rolls-Royce has one on the way.  “Powerful, individual and exquisite” in equal measure, it flies to the top of the luxury SUV pile, above the Range Rover L SVAutobiography and Maserati Levante.

The top RR L SVA will challenge this new BB in the luxury, comfort and stature stakes, and as for the Bentley’s exterior… oh, did we mention it is fast?  The loudness is at least turned way down from the concept car.  Sure, visual taste is personal, but Bentayga looks like a Bentley Flying Spur which ate waaay too much baking powder.  Why did they not instead base it on the elegant classic-Bentley inspired lines of their biggest car, the Bentley Mulsanne?  They could have made it pretty.  Could it be that, in order to stand out, it is made deliberately flashy (like those $-six-figure over-designed wrist watches)?

Fastest and most powerful SUV?

The 6.0 W12 turbo engine familiar from the Bentley Continental GT W12 and Flying Spur W12 will be the engine for the BB (Bentley Bentayga).  Expect an effortless surge from 600bhp (447kW) plus 900Nm-big pulling power across the 1250-4500 rev band.  Most powerful SUV?  No.  That title belongs to an unlikely recipient:  the only other current production SUV 12-cylinder is the Mercedes-AMG G65 (the once-humble Geländewagen with a V12 biturbo AMG) with 463kW + 1000Nm. 

World’s fastest SUV?  Well, the 4.1-second 0-100km/h time claimed for the Bentayga W12 is matched by the Porsche Cayenne turbo S, and the BMW X M and Merc-AMG GLE S show 4.2-sec numbers on their spec sheets.  On top end, yes, the Bentley brute can reach 301km/h, making it, officially, the fastest production SUV in the world.

Bentley Johannesburg now with Porsche

As VW owns Porsche and Bentley, it made business sense for these brands to have dealers grouped under the same corporate umbrella.  In South Africa, Bentley is no longer part of the Imperial Collection stable, previously imported, sold and serviced by this exclusive Imperial dealer.  Bentley “rights” have moved to Bentley Johannesburg, having occupied its dealership in Corlett Drive, Melrose Arch, with other major cities to follow with their Bentley dealers.

www.johannesburg.bentleymotors.com

Bentley Bentayga available in SA

Going up in the price ranks, the biggest fastest German / British SUVs are in the R1.8m-R2.5m range, jumping to 3.5 million for a new RR L SVA (Range Rover L SVAutobiography).  

The Bentley Bentayga W12 print advert reads “starting at R 3 995 000”.  Spec a few items off the ext(p)ensive options list, and you could easily end up spending R5m… on an SUV.