2017 Bentley Bentayga Puts the “Extra” in “Extraordinary”
Be Extraordinary. If you pay attention to Bentley’s social media presence these days, you’ll often see that phrase associated with its newest model, the 2017 Bentayga SUV. In fact, it was on the license plates of the show vehicle the company was kind enough to invite me to see in person recently.
On the patio of the Uptown Park McCormick & Schmick’s location in Houston, Texas, the chardonnay flowed and the waitstaff made its rounds, distributing fried lobster bites and bacon-wrapped scallops. The silky, black, form-fitting cover was pulled off of the Molten Bronze Bentayga to gasps and murmurs of satisfaction. James Pillar, Bentley’s head of marketing for the Americas, would later tell me that the thing he’s noticed the most from the quilted and grooved leather passenger seat of the Bentayga is how strongly the public reacts to it, such as when he traveled in it through New York’s Times Square. The Bentayga seemed to be getting a similar reception from Bentley clients down south.
By taking a walk-around of the vehicle with Erin Bronner, Bentley’s communications manager for the Americas, and interviewing Pillar, I learned the ways in which the Bentayga is intended to be extraordinary within the high-end automobile segment as well as within Bentley’s product portfolio.
One of the most obvious ways in which the Bentayga embodies the definition of extraordinary (according to Merriam-Webster), “very different from what is normal or ordinary,” is in terms of price. With a base MSRP of $229,100, the Bentayga outprices even the most expensive Range Rover, the $199,495 limited edition, long-wheelbase SVAutobiography.
For that lofty sum, Bentayga buyers will receive the results of 130 hours of craftsmanship. For instance, the aluminum front fenders are precisely shaped using a process known as superforming, in which they’re heated to a high temperature and forced against a mold. The adaptive LED headlights fit seamlessly within them.
Depending on how it’s specified, each Bentayga’s cabin may be adorned with up to 15 separate pieces of veneer. The Bentayga’s interior also features a wealth of entertainment and connectivity technology, such as an optional 18-speaker Naim for Bentley audio system, an available pair of 10.2-inch detachable tablets that double as TV screens in the backs of the front headrests, a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, and Apple CarPlay.
Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, which anticipates corners and speed-limit changes, Night Vision, Pedestrian Warning, and Park Assist are just a few of the Driver Assistance Systems that are available on the Bentayga.
The Bentayga’s twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 generates an epic 600 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, which, when routed through the SUV’s eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, enables it to hit 60 mph from a standstill in just four seconds flat and top out at a stratospheric 187 mph. Bentley’s very unusual (aka extraordinary) third-generation power plant features reduced internal friction, direct and port fuel injection, a fuel-saving Variable Displacement system, start/stop functionality, and a variety of other hardware and software changes.
Although the Bentayga lacks the low-range four-wheel drive gearing of the Range Ranger, it’s no slouch in the rough stuff. In Off-Road Specification, it offers four on-road settings (Sport, Comfort, Bentley – a blend of the first two options, and Custom) and four off-road settings (Snow & Grass, Dirt & Gravel, Mud & Trail, and Sand Dunes) through its Bentley Drive Dynamics Mode setup. Bentley developed the Bentayga and its all-wheel drive system in wildly different and challenging environments, ranging from the frigid cold of Finland to the deserts of the Middle East, where it was able to scale the 300-foot-high “Big Red” sand dune of Dubai.
Bentley expects Bentaygas to primarily take their drivers and passengers to equestrian events, marine and snow sports, and hunting grounds. A towing capacity north of 7,700 pounds will aid in trasnporting anything else, whether it has four legs or four wheels. The available diamond-quilted leather rear Event Seat should be useful for what Pillar called “posh tailgating.”
A good portion of the people who will be behind the wheel of the Bentayga will be of the fairer sex. Pillar told me female buyers typically are responsible for roughly 18 percent of the company’s sales; so far, the female-order rate for the Bentayga is 24 percent. Additionally, Bentayga buyers are younger than they have been in the past – and new to the brand. In fact, 48 percent of the orders placed for the Bentayga have come from people who don’t already own Bentleys.
Production of the Bentayga will begin November 27 and ultimately generate a first-year total of 5,000-5,500 vehicles; the United States should get a third of them after North American deliveries begin rolling out in late May/early June. Buyers will be able to order theirs with a four- or five-seat configuration. A seven-seat version is in the works, as is a V8-diesel-powered Bentayga and a plug-in hybrid. Pillar said that by 2017, the Bentayga will make up 30 percent of Bentley sales.
You could say that number is impressive, but perhaps a more fitting word is extraordinary.
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