Now you can feel like go-anywhere royalty W

HEN a £90,000 Range Rover or BMW X5M just won’t cut it in the large SUV pecking order stakes what do you do? Well I am sure it is a problem many of us have faced… and here is the solution - a £205,000 Bentley Bentayga.

Yes the kings of large sporty coupes and saloons for the very well to do have gone off road with a machine that makes you feel like go-anywhere royalty when you get behind the wheel.

And what a machine it is - our diesel version boasting an all new triple turbocharged V8 that kicks out 429bhp which is good for 0 to 60 in 4.6 seconds and a limited top speed of 168mph. Mind you, there is an even faster (0 to 60 in 4 seconds and top speed 187mph) W12 petrol version for real speed freaks.

So just who is this sumptuous beast aimed at? Well one clue comes from the multi setting drive system which has, as well as the usual sport and comfort modes, a suite of off road options including one for sand/deserts.

So having a few oil wells would seem to fit the owner profile, although it has to be said that for a Bentley this one is quite reasonable on go juice - up to 38mpg on a run and over 35 combined. And, unlike some manufacturers, those claims would seem to be realistic as I managed an average of 34mpg over a week of mixed driving.

I also suspect these are going to appear outside Premiership football clubs in reasonable numbers, combining the, probably never to be tested, go anywhere road dominating ability of the Range Rover with the cudos of that flying B badge.

Yet the Bentayga will be good off road with air suspension which can be jacked up at the flick of a switch and permanent four wheel drive with a locking Torsen centre differential plus a raft of electronic rough terrain driver aids.

Now I said earlier that this car was £205,000 on the road… but good news! The BASIC Bentayga diesel is only £135,000. Our test car had a weighty options list which totaled an eye-watering £69,580.

That included such must haves as special ‘Extended’ paintwork (£4,500), Mulliner Driving Specification (£11,735), four seat comfort specification (rather than five proving that less really is more, £8,675), touring specification (£6,195), a ‘premium’ sound system (£6,615), and Bentley Dynamic Ride (£3,885).

It really had every bell and whistle you can think of… plus some you may not like electric rear side window blinds for those shy VIPs and night vision.

The latter is an amazing feature - a kind of infrared view displayed on the dashboard from the car’s forward camera for particularly dark roads.

So reaching for your cheque book yet?

Well lets face it, the vast majority of us can only dream of owning such a car, which is really a showcase on wheels for the very best of British engineering excellence, design and and craftsmanship (yes I know a lot of the mechanicals are VW).

So what is it like having to drive around in a big Bentley SUV for a week? Well surprisingly easy as, although it looks huge, the Bentayga is really only a fraction larger than a Range Rover or Volvo XC90.

And, as I have already said, it is not an out-and-out gas guzzler (unlike the 6-litre, W12 petrol version which only does around 20 to the gallon).

Also the envy factor is fun in traffic as people look in expecting to see Cowell, Pogba or Rooney at the wheel and are so disappointed when it is just some random old bloke.

Plus it really is a joy to drive luxurious, totally effortless and supremely comfortable - and the Bentagya definitely stands out in the crowd (as I discovered during a quick visit to Morrisons).

So you have to look at it in terms of that elusive lottery win. If you could have one would you? I think the answer would most probably be a great big yes.