Bentley Bentayga

Bentley Bentayga
Overview
Production	2015–present
Model years	2016–present
Assembly	Crewe, England, United Kingdom
Body and chassis
Body style	5-door SUV
Layout	Longitudinal front-engine, four-wheel drive
Platform	Volkswagen Group MLB
Related	Audi Q7 Audi A4 Audi A8
Powertrain
Engine	6.0 L twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission	8-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,992 mm (117.8 in)
Length	5,141 mm (202.4 in)
Width	1,998 mm (78.7 in)
Height	1,742 mm (68.6 in)

The Bentley Bentayga is a four-seat (with the option of having five seats), five-door luxury SUV built with unibody construction, a Volkswagen Group W12 engine and full-time all-wheel drive. It is based on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform, the same platform used in the second-generation Audi Q7 and the future third-generation Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg, but 80% of the parts are unique.^[1]

The Bentayga is Bentley's first production SUV, and it is an evolution of the 2012 Bentley EXP 9 F concept car. It was formally unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2015 and production began on 27 November 2015 at Bentley's Crewe factory, as a 2016 model.^[2][3]

Development

Bentley EXP 9 F concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show

Bentley's first production SUV was first previewed as the Bentley EXP 9 F concept car at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The car was based upon the Volkswagen Group MLB platform, powered by a 6.0-litre W12 engine producing 600 hp.^[4] The production version was announced on July 2013. It has since been redesigned to sport a more conventional look, due to the design not being received well by critics.^[5]

Name

Bentley officially unveiled the name Bentayga in January 2015. The name was inspired by Taiga, the world’s largest transcontinental snow forest, and is composed of the first four letters of Bentley and an altered spelling of Taiga. Bentley also drew inspiration from the rugged peak of the Roque Bentayga in Gran Canaria, the subtropical Canary Island.^[6] Bentayga also means "carried interest" in Swahili.^[4]

Powertrain

The 2016 Bentayga will be the first to receive Bentley's new twin-turbo W12 engine. Initially, the W12 will be the only engine option for the Bentayga, capable of bypassing a cylinder row if needed.^[1] The 6.0l, twin-turbo will have an estimated 600 hp (608 PS; 447 kW) and 664 lb·ft (900 N·m) of torque and will move the Bentayga from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in under 5.0 seconds.^[7]

Bentley has officially confirmed the 2017 Bentayga will be Bentley's first production plug-in hybrid, while company executives have stated in interviews that the Bentayga would also get a diesel engine.^[8][9] A V-8 version is planned for 2018.^[1]

The 8-speed transmission splits torque with 60% to rear, and 40% to front.^[1]

Performance

The W12 Bentayga will have a top speed of 187 mph (301 km/h).^[10] The Bentayga uses a 48 volt electrical system to control its electronically controlled active anti-roll bar (EWAS), which helps the heavy SUV reduce body roll.^[1]

Production

Originally slated by Volkswagen to be produced at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant in Slovakia, the factory where all other models based on the platform are produced, an agreement was reached with the British Government for the model to be produced at the Crewe factory.^[11] Bentley has invested £800 million in a new facility in Crewe and hired 1000 new employees to meet the demand for 3000 to 4000 SUVs annually.^[12]

Although production of the Bentayga was moved to Crewe, production of the Bentayga's body shell remains at the Bratislava facility.^[13]

A total of 608 units will be made for the first edition, 75 of them to be sold in the US market.

Marketing

Soon after it was announced that Bentley had begun developing a production SUV, the company promoted the Bentayga by printing the official URL on the side of the early camouflaged test cars to leverage the press coverage by automotive photographers.

References

1. "2017 Bentley Bentayga First Drive Review - Motor Trend All Pages". Motor Trend. 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
2. "Bentley boss discusses 4x4 and sports car plans". The Telegraph. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
3. Ramsey, Jonathan (30 November 2015). "First production Bentley Bentayga rolls off the line". Autoblog.com. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
4. Neil, Dan (12 March 2016). "Off-Road in a Bentley SUV? At Your Own Risk". The Wall Street Journal. p. D12.
5. Huntingford, Steve (8 March 2012). "Bentley SUV redesign due". What Car?. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
6. Kalogianni, Alexander (12 January 2015). "Limitless Luxury: Bentley Bentayga is the name of the luxury brand’s SUV". Retrieved 10 September 2015.
7. "2016 Bentley Bentayga - Passenger Ride". Autocar. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
8. "Bentley Unveils Plug-in Hybrid". Pursuing W.O. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
9. "Bentley Bentayga SUV to come in hybrid, diesel variants in 2017". Autoblog. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
10. "Bentayga: Exploring The Limits Of Performance". Bentley Motors. Retrieved 4 Sep 2015.
11. "Bentley's new luxury car to create 1,000 jobs". BBC News. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
12. "Bentley to build SUV in Crewe". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
13. "Bentley Bentayga Bodies To Be Built Alongside Its Cousins". Pursuing W.O. Retrieved 4 May 2015.

External links

• Official website points to subpage
• Specifications
• Early test by Car and Driver, November 2015