Vehicle Spotlight: The 2019 Bentley Bentayaga, Crafted with Elite in Mind
The all new 2019 Bentley Bentayaga SUV performs like few others, though it’s a divine purchase only a select few can experience. And even so, telling someone who can buy one to actually buy one is still intimidating. This isn’t some middle-class performance. It’s Bentley doing what Bentley does best: high-end quality, customized luxury, and ultimate class… for an elite kind of customer at an exorbitant price.
Record Breaking Performance
Bentley, unlike many luxury automakers, is making attempts to broaden its market, albeit incrementally. The new V-8 Bentayaga starts around $165,000. And while such a number incites heart palpitations for just about anyone reading this, it’s a figure that is $34K cheaper than the next most “inexpensive” model (the Bentayaga W-12). Additionally, there’s an upcoming plug-in hybrid version of the SUV, which is the company’s first step toward electrification. While its price tag is expected to more closely resemble that of the W-12, Bentley’s green approach demonstrates a semblance of conscience.
Let’s get down to it. This model, like the automaker badge it wears, is nothing shy of inspiring. It has a reported top speed of 187 mph (V-12), making it the fastest SUV in the world. At least until a battle of semantics and the Lambo Urus introduce themselves into the conversation, anyway. The record-setting W-12 is a twin-turbo 6.0-liter capable of 600 hp with the ability to go from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds. The V-8 option is impressive as well, with the 4.0-liter found in many upper end VW models cranking out 542 hp. Each model generates 664 lb-ft and 569 lb-ft of torque respectively. Did we mention it has an AWD option? The European market anticipates an approximate 25 mpg for the 2019 Bentley Bentayaga, a generous calculation since most test drives estimate that figure to be somewhere in the late teens.
The Ins & Outs of the 2019 Bentley Bentayaga
Ho-Hum fuel economy—that’s because, frankly, the 2019 Bentley Bentayaga W-12 tips the scale near 5,800 lbs. Its counterpart V-8 managed to shed a few hundred pounds, but still registers around 5,400 lbs. With such weight comes a few perks as well. For starters, the Bentayaga is nature-proven. It’s got chops for navigating snowy and icy conditions as good as any SUV on the market. And according to many first drives of the all new Bentayaga, it’s relatively graceful for being such a hulk, surprisingly gliding through turns with ease thanks to eight driving modes. Four of the modes are on-road settings and four are off-road intensive—you know, just in case you want to take your $200K investment and bomb it over some rocks. In which case, Bentley also offers an optional 48-volt Dynamic Ride anti-roll bar system for increased control and function.
The Bentley’s interior pulls out all the royal stops for the 2019 Bentayaga, as there are no bench seats to chap your bottom. Each passenger within the Bentayaga gets his or her own chair, upholstered in custom leather. The infotainment system and accompanying audio accoutrements feature an elaborate 20-speaker setup. What else did you expect, honestly?
The outside of the Bentayaga is just as decadent and grandiose. New to the model are 22″ wheels to carry its substantial frame. And in place of the typical dystopian, chromed-out everything, Bentley opted to use a glossy black finish that is both contemporary and tasteful.
If You Really Wanna
Despite the significant price cut to the 2019 Bentley Bentayaga, it’s an unlikely purchase for most. And that’s just the hard truth, no matter how much you believe in the American Dream. Bentley knows how the game is played though: luxury is a lucrative business until innovators cheapen its worth. Luckily for Bentley, that’s as likely of a scenario for their nameplate as it is for me to ever afford one.
