BENTLEY Bentayga Hybrid
Despite the global difficulties, the subsidiary company of Volkswagen concern continues to perform successfully. In 2022, the company sold 15,174 cars, a record in its history. The year 2021 was also solid for them. The largest share of sales falls on the Bentayga SUV model. Its main novelty is a modification with an extended 180 mm wheelbase EWB, which opens with a particularly spacious and elegantly furnished rear part of the passenger compartment. It is also the only model version equipped with rear-axle steering. The long version can only be ordered with a V8, while the short one is also available with a W12 engine, as well as a plug-in hybrid with a system output of 449 or 462 hp, which relies on a three-liter V6. With its 17.3 kWh battery, it travels up to 40 kilometers on a single charge.
The more powerful version of the plug-in hybrid is used in the Flying Spur limousine, which has similar drive technology, but significantly more power (544 hp) and an 18 kWh battery, enough to travel 41 kilometers on electricity.
The range remains the four-liter V8 (550 hp) and the six-liter W12 (635 hp), which are also available for the smaller Continental GT, built on the same technological basis. The twelve-cylinder engine is available on the sportier Coupé and Convertible only in the Speed version with 659 hp. Alongside the models listed, Mulliner's special edition division was given the preferential task of producing twelve replicas of the legendary Speed Six model that won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930.
After the V8 and Speed versions, it's the Bentley Bentayga Hybrid's turn to hit the table. The brand, which has promised that all its models will be hybrid in 2026 and then 100% electric from 2030, is thus taking "a new step towards a sustainable future"
Under the hood, we still find a 3.0 turbo V6 mated to an electric motor for a total of 449 hp. and 700 Nm, compared to 550 hp. and 770 Nm on the Bentayga V8. Despite these generous figures, the interest of this version is not in its performance, but in its 100% electric mode, offering 39 km of WLTP autonomy thanks to a 17.3 kWh battery. According to Bentley, "almost 100%" of owners of the first version of the Bentley Hybrid use this EV mode on trips that allow it. In 100% electric mode, the Bentayga has 128 hp. and 350 Nm, enough on city trips to move this light weight of just 2.6 t. 340 hp and the V6's 450 Nm comes as a boost 'when more torque is needed or speeds above 135 km/h are required.
All these figures are identical to those of the first version, although Bentley has refined the hybrid control with tactile feedback from the gas pedal in EV mode (which hardens as the threshold approaches the start of the thermal engine) and a revised pedal feel on the brake for more naturalness without sacrificing energy recovery. That's why the real novelty lies in the restart itself, and that's already a lot: refined proportions that give energy to the appearance, a strong family resemblance to the latest Continental GT, a tailgate that now includes the taillights and the passenger compartment, also significantly redesigned, integrating the latest onboard technologies from the Volkswagen Group.
