Bentley Bentayga

Look what Mansory just did to the Bentley Bentayga

Some might argue that the Bentley Bentayga was already questionable looking, but now German tuner Mansory has gone ahead and made the audacious SUV completely outrageous with its latest wide-body design and tuning package.

Thankfully this makeover offers a decent power hike to back up the more sinister exterior looks. To that end, Mansory replaced the turbochargers as well as the airbox and fitted a new sports exhaust system with high performance catalytic converters. As a result customers can look forward to outputs of 560 kW and 1020 N.m, which is a useful increase over the 404 kW and 770 N.m produced by the standard version of the Bentayga’s 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine.

On the performance front, the 0-100 km/h sprint now comes up in 3,7 seconds, versus the standard Bentayga’s 4,5 second sprint time, while the top speed increases from 290 km/h to 317 km/h.


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2021 Bentley Bentayga S brings handling focus to luxury SUV

Stiffer suspension and quicker-acting chassis aids come alongside bespoke styling package

Bentley claims to have brought "extra sporting agility to the Bentayga family" with the introduction of a stiffer, more responsive and aggressively styled S variant.

Priced from £179,600, the Bentayga S has arrived as the fourth model in the luxury SUV's updated line-up, joining the plug-in hybrid, the standard V8 and the W12-powered Speed.

The S is marked out from the rest of the range by its unique 22in wheels, bespoke badging and standard-fit Blackline design package. It also gains a larger rear spoiler, black lower-body panels, tinted light clusters and black oval exits for its louder sports exhaust.

Alcantara is used on the seats, gear selector, steering wheel, headlining and other trim elements for a "performance-focused" ambiance, and the seats themselves are available in a cleaner, 'fluted' pattern. The Bentayga S can be specified with four, five or seven seats.

More important are the revisions to the SUV's chassis, which promise "an even more engaging drive" than existing iterations of the Range Rover rival.


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The Bentley Bentayga S is a 180mph seven-seater

The most athletic Bentayga yet may also be the fastest family bus in the land

Bentley will be a fully electric car company by the end of the decade. But for now, it’s doing what it’s traditionally done best: mighty, petrol-powered luxury cars, the latest of which is the Bentley Bentayga S.

It’s a new badge for the firm’s SUV range, joining a line-up that increasingly echoes that of the Continental GT coupe. It’s not the fastest nor most powerful Bentayga – those honours remain with the W12-engined, 190mph Bentayga Speed – but it may be the sportiest.

That’s because it uses the lighter 4.0-litre V8 turbo engine familiar from a wealth of really quite quick VW Group stuff – Audi RS6 included – here producing 542bhp and 568lb ft peaks, good for a 180mph top speed and 0-62mph in 4.5secs. That’s half a second behind the Speed, but we frankly doubt you’ll either notice nor especially care in the real world.

Not least because the S gets a brand-new sports exhaust, a unique Sport tune for the suspension and a more easy-going ESP setting. Whether big luxo-SUV buyers strictly need malleable corning attitude we’re not sure, but nor are they likely to be craving the wealth of off-road modes that remain intact for the S.

 
Bentley Bentayga S unveiled as a sportier alternative

The new Bentley Bentayga S has been unveiled as an SUV for those seeking something a bit sportier than the regular V8, but without going to extremes with the Speed model.

Although it attempts to plug the gap between the two models, its 4,0-litre twin-turbo V8 is still in the same state of tune as the base model, with 404 kW and 770 N.m on tap. This means the same 4,5 second 0-100 km/h sprint time and 290 km/h top speed.

However, the Bentley Bentayga S is set apart from the regular V8 by a raft of sporty features, including a new sports exhaust system that promises a “more sporting soundtrack”. Clients can also look forward to a unique ‘Sport’ calibration for the Dynamic Ride suspension system. The new Sport mode claims to reduce body roll and deliver an improved steering feel. Bentley has also re-tuned the Torque Vectoring system to improve overall agility.

“For the first time since the launch of Bentayga in 2015, an S version is now available – reflecting feedback from the huge number of customers that enjoy the dynamic performance of their Bentayga on-road,” Bentley says.

 
Bentley Bentayga gets 22-inch carbon fibre wheel option from Mulliner

For those looking to decrease the kerb mass on their Bentley Bentayga, Mulliner has created a carbon fibre wheel that boasts considerable weight savings and enhanced dynamics. Built in conjunction with renowned specialists Bucci Composites, this is the largest carbon fibre wheel to be produced.

Measuring 22-inches in size, Mulliner claims that the carbon fibre wheel for the Bentley Bentayga is about 6 kg lighter per wheel comparted to an aluminium example. The design took five years of engineering to perfect and is the first example of its kind to pass the TÜV (Technischer Überwachungsverei – Technical Inspection Association) testing standards. This includes biaxial stress, radial and lateral impact testing for simulating potholes and cobblestones, tyre overpressure and excessive torque tests exceeding the permitted limits.

The most severe test conducted by this association is the impact test in which the carbon wheel displayed impressive results. After a severe impact, which would crack or shatter an aluminium wheel and cause the tyre to collapse explosively, the carbon fibre rim translates a slow tyre deflation thanks to the intricate layering of fibre weaves. This allows the vehicle to come to a controlled and safer stop.


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Under the skin: Bentley's amazing carbonfibre wheel​

Six years in the making, Bentley has shaved 6kg off its old aluminium alloy with a new carbonfibre composite

Shaving significant amounts of unsprung weight from a car has a real effect on its handling, roadholding, braking performance, steering and agility. Unsprung weight means just that: the weight in a car that isn’t supported by the suspension springs. A large chunk of that on any car is the wheels and tyres, especially if they’re larger sizes.

Bentley’s bespoke division, Mulliner, has developed a carbonfibre Bentaygawheel that, at 22in in diameter, is said to be the largest composite wheel anywhere. The weight saving is a substantial 6kg per wheel – a reduction from 17.4kg for the aluminium alloy original to 11.4kg. Making large-diameter carbonfibre wheels for big, high-performance cars is no mean feat, and Bentley’s engineers have been working on the project together with its supplier, Italian specialist Bucci Composites, since 2015.

Bucci holds its own patent on the manufacture of carbonfibre wheels and has the necessary know-how to make them using high-pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM). The carbonfibre cloth is cut and laid up in a hefty steel mould, which is closed before the resin is injected at high pressure.

The direction of the weave in the various layers of carbonfibre makes a significant contribution to how the wheels hold their shape under heavy braking and cornering. For example, a conventional alloy wheel can deflect (bend) under hard cornering to the extent that negative camber is reduced by as much as 1deg – a lot in camber terms. The carbonfibre wheel is so rigid that it doesn’t deflect at all, and that reflects in a good way on the grip, contact-patch stability and wear of the tyre with which it is shod.


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Bentayga and Flying Spur receive state-of-the-art rear entertainment​


Bentley’s Flying Spur and Bentayga models are to receive a new “cutting-edge onboard entertainment system with integrated Bentley Rear Entertainment available as an option. Offering the latest connected technology, the system is highly flexible, paired with class-leading Naim for Bentley audio which is already available in both models.

Much like an Apple TV or Chromecast system, the new Bentley system offers a ‘bring your own device’ concept which allows customers to stream content from their own smartphone, computer or tablet directly to the Bentley Rear Entertainment system, without the need to connect by cable.

The system incorporates two 1920 x 1080 HD 10.1-inch removable touchscreen tablets attached to the back of the front seats and feature crystal clear graphics for clear viewing in all lighting conditions.


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B&B Automobiltechnik gives the Bentayga 1 150 N.m and some big wheels

German tuner B&B Automobiltechnik has been at the forefront of high-end vehicle tuning for over 35 years and their latest creation reaffirms their expertise when it comes to squeezing the most out of the world’s most advanced powertrains.

The Bentley Bentayga range forms the basis for their new tuning program which sees the flagship big brit’s 450 kW W12 being fettled to an impressive 559 kW and 1 150 N.m. Performance figures are impressive for the 2,4-tonne SUV with the 0-100 km/h sprint being dealt with in just 3,7 seconds and the top speed now “over 310 km/h.”

Tuning packages are available for all three of the Bentayga models, the W12 and both the V8 petrol and V8 diesel models.

Stage 1 sees the ECU being tuned and the boost pressure increased, as well as changes to the torque limiter.

Stage 2 consists of new intake routing and alterations to the air ducts, as well as a further increase to the boost pressure and changes to the ECU.

Stage 3 is only available for the petrol models and consists of a sports exhaust system in order to reduce exhaust back pressure and exhaust gas temperature, as well as further increases to the turbochargers’ boost pressure and an ECU remap.


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So far, so good: 500 miles in a Bentley Bentayga Hybrid

Bentley is a couple of years into its electric journey – but another awaits our man: crossing England in a Bentayga Hybrid without refuelling. Is it achievable?

Chew on this problem for a moment. How do you go about highlighting the special virtues of a vehicle that brings a new level of fuel efficiency and climate-friendliness to the super-luxury SUV class (a sector not known for such priorities) when its creators’ main aim is to make it drive exactly like its conventional brethren?

This is the difficulty we faced with Bentley’s first plug-in model, the Bentayga Hybrid. Despite being packed from stem to stern with new equipment – a relatively small (3.0-litre) V6 petrol engine, a 126bhp electric motor sandwiched between engine and gearbox, a lithium ion battery under the boot floor with 13.3kWh of usable power and 25 miles of EV range, plus lots of mysterious black-box gadgetry connected under the skin by thick, brightly coloured high-voltage cables – this electrified edition of the world’s most successful super-luxury SUV had been configured to feel just like all the rest.

The official fuel economy and CO2 figures were no help, either, serving only to advertise the inadequacy of lab figures. A conventional Bentayga V8 returns 21.7mpg on the combined test cycle and pumps out 294g/km of CO2. Corresponding figures for the Hybrid are 81mpg and 79g/km, stats so hopelessly unlike real life that Bentley doesn’t even bother to quote them in its otherwise comprehensive technical presentation on the Hybrid. I mean, nobody’s really going to get 81mpg out of a Bentley hybrid, are they?

he one and only worthwhile comparator is that the electrified Bentayga concedes 0.8sec on 0-62mph acceleration to its V8 sibling, hardly a disaster when the PHEV’s test-track journey takes only 5.2sec. But what about the other stuff? If not 81mpg, what fuel mileage can Bentley hybrid owners expect in real life? How far will their fuel tank truly take them? Critically, will the hybrid deliver the same magic carpet progress as conventional models after you’ve spent hours behind the wheel? There was only one way to find out: take the Bentayga PHEV to the road on a very long day’s drive, including (safe levels of) journey fatigue in the equation to punctuate the mere statistics.


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Bentley Bentayga Speed Collection pays hommage to Russian Ballet

Bentley Mulliner has created the world’s first car collection paying homage to one of the most graceful and emotive expressions of human artistry – Russian ballet.

The six car collection opens the first chapter of an annual project to create exclusive thematic versions especially for Russian customers, dubbed the Russian Heritage Editions. All six of the models are based on the flagship Bentayga Speed which is powered by a 466 kW/900 N.m twin-turbocharged W12 motor. As such, performance is impressive for a vehicle of this size – the 0-100 km/h sprint happens in 3,9 seconds and the top speed is a remarkable 306 km/h.


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Bentley Bentayga Mulliner Collection unveiled for outdoor enthusiasts

A new Bentley Bentayga Mulliner Collection has been uncovered with three outdoor purist specifications. These are centered around angling, equestrian activities and dog walking. Only 11 cars in total will be handcrafted at the Crewe facility.

Each Bentley Bentayga Mulliner combines a number of unique trimmings such as a woodland embroidery scene that has been stitched to the interior and a chrome overlay to the passenger fascia. A new woven wool finish within the doors, seat back pockets, grab handles and further detailing around the instrument panels has been included for additional depth.

Sand Herringbone Tweed has been selected to complement the interior design, with natural colour with both the main and secondary leathers throughout the cabin. Paint colours include Havana, Cumbrian Green and Magnetic.


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Bentley Bentayga S 2022 review

Should I buy one?

While few Bentayga buyers are likely to put dynamic focus at the top of their list or purchasing priorities, the S’s improved handling and soundtrack are significant upgrades.

A £182,300 price tag represents a substantial £24,500 supplement over the standard V8, but it isn’t much more than the combined cost of the extras it offers as standard when fitted to the regular car. If you want the best Bentayga available in the UK, this is it.


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