Review: Bentley Bentayga Hybrid
When it went on sale in 2016, the Bentley Bentayga was nothing like the revolution many surmised. No, Bentley had never produced a formal SUV as such, but its history is littered with large, heavy cars that relied on top quality engineering to provide both luxurious surrounding and every day usability.
The real revolution is this: the Bentayga Hybrid. It has, for instance, the smallest engine ever fitted to a Bentley, the first with six cylinders for 60 years and the first ever to arrange them in a vee-formation. And it is, of course, the first Bentley you can plug into the mains, not to mention the first that will travel any distance at all on electrical power alone. For Bentley, deprived of diesel Bentaygas in the fallout from the Dieselgate scandal, this is a very important car.
But it’s also probably the most sensible Bentley to be built in its 100 year history at Crewe, Derby, Cricklewood and, ever so briefly, Dresden. The V6 powertrain is engineered by Audi but best known for its presence under the bonnets of Porsche’s Panamera and Cayenne. With the electric addenda it makes the Bentayga Hybrid a very heavy car, close indeed to the weight of a Mulsanne limousine, and with just 443bhp, it is also the least powerful new Bentley to be introduced since before the 552bhp Continental GT appeared in 2003. If ever there was a Bentley to buy with head over heart this, surely, is it.
Even so, given its 2.6 tonne mass and limited power, this Bentayga still accelerates as a supercar might have been proud to do only a couple of decades ago. Indeed and for most people I’d say the performance was not merely adequate but entirely acceptable. But there’s no escaping the fact that the V6 lacks the sense of occasion people have perhaps come to expect from the V8s and W12s that have exclusively powered this brand since 1959.
On the other hand, when it comes to refinement, even its latest twelve-cylinder motor is no match for the Bentayga Hybrid in electric mode. Indeed as you waft around on a wave of electrons you can see a certain kind of future here for large and luxurious cars such as this whose height and mass means they are never going to offer the last word on handling dynamism. For at least the 16 officially claimed miles (but in my experience probably nearer 30), the Bentayga Hybrid is one of the quietest devices of any kind in which I’ve travelled.
No fuel consumption figures are yet available for a car that doesn’t go on sale until the end of the year, but it is the sub 100g/km CO2 rating that Bentley promises that is likely prove of greatest appeal to customers looking for a Bentley that’s affordable not only to run but tax too.
It’s true the Bentayga Hybrid will not be for everyone, but while it lacks the outright punch and aural appeal of its most expensive multi-cylinder siblings, it has all their quality, the same superb cabin and the same sense of occasion when you climb aboard. If you like the idea of Bentley ownership but not the exorbitant running costs, it could be well worth a look.
Stat attack
Price £130,500
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged petrol hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive
Power/Torque: 442bhp @ 6,000rpm and 700Nm (516lb ft) @ 1,200rpm
0-62mph: 5.5 seconds
Top speed: 158mph
Kerb weight: 2,619kg (four seats), 2,626kg (five seats)