Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

34 | AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE

I

f you need proof the world
has gone mad for SUVs, look
no further. Bentley’s Bentayga
is one of the most extreme and
expensive of the breed.
The Bentayga is based on the
Audi Q7, with Bentley acquired
by Germany’s Volkswagen-Audi
Group in 1998.
The range opens with the
404kW 4.0-litre twin turbopetrol
V8 Sport, at $334,700.
The 4.0-litre twin turbodiesel
V8, with 320kW of power and
900Nm of torque, costs $342,500.
The Q7 with the same drivetrain
costs less than half that.
Unique to Bentayga is a
447kW/900Nm, 6.0-litre twin
turbopetrol W12, priced at
$433,200.
A Breitling clock on the dash
costs an extra $8318. There is
already a digital clock in the car’s
instrument display. Bentley claims
Breitling can only build four of
these particular in-car clocks each
year. Maybe they’re still learning ...
Other options include a $4557
picnic table and a $15,660 rear

seat entertainment system.

You can design your own colour

scheme for your Bentayga, with

exterior satin paint, in any colour

your like, adding just $70,991.

Radar cruise control is part of

a $17,222 “touring” pack, while

shag pile fl oor mats are $1081. A

cigarette lighter is $1283. It’s all

a bit ridiculous, really.

You can order your Bentayga

as a four- or fi ve-seater. Either

way, you get the full London

gentleman’s club lounge

treatment with quilted leather

upholstery — the fi nest bull

hides, apparently, sourced only

from cool climates (no sweat

stains ...), naturally tanned and

never overprinted.

It also includes 22-way

adjustable front seats with a six-

mode massage system, highly

polished metal on the dash,

centre console and doors, and

your choice of seven different

timber veneers.

The twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12

uses two V6s mounted back to

back in the shape of a W rather

than a V. Paired with an eight-

speed automatic transmission

and all-wheel drive, it’s one of

the key reasons Bentley can

move 2.4 tonnes rather quickly.

Bentayga has a claimed top

speed of 301km/h, making it the

world’s fastest SUV. For now ...

We tested Bentley’s claimed

0 to 100km/h time of 4.1 seconds

and were gobsmacked when our

timing equipment fl ashed up with

4.2 seconds. That’s comparable

with the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.

Funny thing is, the Bentayga

does not feel particularly fast.

Layers of sound-deadening make

the whole experience almost

hush quiet, and the smoothness

of the engine means the power

doesn’t build like a crescendo;

it’s instantaneous.

The next surprise that defi es

the senses is the Bentayga’s

razor-sharp cornering ability

— for a 2.4-tonne SUV, that is.

The massive 22-inch wheels

wrapped in sticky Pirelli P Zero

tyres work wonders, as does the

well-sorted air suspension.

Downsides? There is still a

question mark about reliability on

any vehicle made by Volkswagen

which, in the end, this is.

Our test car, a pre-production

model, had an error warning

light for the suspension but we

were assured nothing was wrong

and it drove OK.

If it’s any consolation,

customers get free business-class

travel to their destination if the car

breaks down under warranty.

I went into the Bentley

Bentayga with low expectations

and came away dumbfounded

by its breadth of capability —

with the exception of actually

taking it off-road. It only has a

space-saver spare.

For all its merits, however,

you can’t rationalise such an

insane price. And as for the

options, well, if you have so

much money that the concept of

value is entirely meaningless,

go right ahead.

By Joshua Dowling

BENTLEY BENTAYGA FROM $334,700

THINGS WE LIKE

 Agile handling for such a

huge beast

 Awesome acceleration

 Luxurious massage seats with

cooling and heating

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

 The price is absurd

 No full-size spare

 Stodgy, old-school design

 It’s a VW, so reliability could be iffy

SPEX (W12)

 Made in England

 6.0-litre twin turbopetrol W12/eight-

speed automatic/all-wheel drive

 447kW of power at 5250rpm/900Nm

of torque from 1250–4500rpm

 0–100km/h in 4.1 seconds (claimed)

 9.6L/100km highway; 19.0L/100km

city; 98 octane premium; CO 2

emissions are 296g/km; fuel tank

85 litres

 Warranty: Three years/unlimited

kilometres

 Max towing weight 3500kg

 Standard: Stability control, six

airbags, blind spot monitoring,

21-inch alloys, heated and cooled

seats with massage function,

leather, sunroof, Bluetooth,

navigation, tri-zone air

 Redbook future values: 3yr: 55%;

5yr: 40%

compare with ...

Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne Turbo,

Range Rover Autobiography

Safety

Not yet tested

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money



Overall



STARS