Bentley Bentayga V8
Bentley Bentayga V8 £136,200
WE SAY: THE W12 IS THE DADDY, THE DIESEL IS SENSIBLE, BUT THE V8 IS THE ONE YOU WANT
Fresh of the back of launching its frst new veneer in fve years (wood hunting is obviously a time-consuming business), Bentley has also dropped an all-new petrol bi-turbo V8 into the Bentayga.
Facts for you: it’s an all-new 4.0-litre V8 that also appears in the Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus. In Bentley spec, it produces 542bhp and 568lb ft; it does 24.8mpg (thanks to cylinder deactivation tech) and 0–62mph in 4.4secs, and it has twin-scroll turbochargers and will rev to 7,200rpm (Bentley’s highest ever red line).
With those sorts of power fgures, it’s plenty fast enough. There’s hardly any turbo lag thanks to the twin-scroll turbos, and the 8spd auto will ping you at the horizon as quickly as you’ll ever need.
It also sounds lovely. While we all appreciate the W12 for its pace and sheer unusualness, it’s arguably just a bit too subdued. Not so in the V8. There’s a lovely burble that starts softly in the lower revs before becoming throatier as you wind it up. Don’t get me wrong – it’s hardly a hot rod like the Jag F-Type, but there’s a hint more character here that makes the car endearing. You want to engage with it.
And it encourages you to enjoy making the most of the clever 48-Volt active roll control. OK, so there are fundamental laws of physics here in that this is still a 2.4tonne SUV, but the way it sits so fat through corners is remarkable. And, entirely in the interests of science, we now know it’s also possible to get it doing a Scandinavian Flick. Yup, a Bentayga can be made to hustle like a rally car (if you’re in an icy feld – it’s probably best you don’t try this outside Harrods).
What you should try is the Custom setting on the Bentley Drive Dynamics Control. Go with the steering and exhaust in Sport, and the suspension and transmission in Comfort. That way, you get the best of all worlds.
Which is largely what you’d say of the V8 full stop. It’s designed to sit between the diesel and the W12 and it combines the best of them. It’s the Bentayga to get.