Bentley burst onto the motoring
scene in the 1920s as a performance marque. Under the famed Bentley
Boys they dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans – the ne plus ultra of
endurance racing – for an incredulous four years in a row. Better
still, the Boys would drive their cars to France, race them at Le
Mans, and then drive them back to England. Well built, bespoke,
expensive and fast, Bentley became a synonym for the playboy
lifestyle of the English elite. Then came the sale of Bentley to Rolls-Royce in
the 1930s followed by decades of boringness. Luxurious? Sure. But
nearly indistinguishable from its Rolls-Royce siblings and mostly
stripped of its sporty DNA. Around the turn of the millennium
Bentley was bought by Volkswagen – a surprising acquisition for the
“People’s Car” company but a move that would prove supremely
transformative for Bentley, perhaps largely due to the nearly
$2-billion investment it received. The makeover included
state-of-the-art production facilities, engineering and, best of
all, a strategy that put performance back at the forefront. The
brand even returned to Le Mans after a 70-year absence and, in
2003, won. Harkening back to its roots, Bentley was once again
high-performance.
Suspicious of trends and dubious
of another ‘luxury’ SUV, I took the keys of the Bentley Bentayga.
The interior was extraordinary: quilted leather from floor to
ceiling, burl walnut, chrome accents, climate controlled seats and
consoles, sky roof, 3-setting massagers in the rear seats,
passenger foot rests, every comfort and amenity imaginable.
“Surely, though, a car that’s this focused on luxuriating can’t
possibly have proportionate performance,” I reasoned. That was my
second mistake. On the
road the Bentayga felt solid and sure, like a 4x4 should. And
weighing in at over two-and-a-half tons, it’s heavy. Equipped with
a W12 motor supplying 600 horsepower, it’s also very powerful and
soon I would learn why the low profile I once mocked is not just
necessary but inspired.
On the highway the
twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder engine controlled by optional-use
paddle shifters hurled the Bentayga to an instantaneous and
effortless triple-digit speed. Within seconds the speedometer read
150mph (241kmh) and cornering through the mountains felt not unlike
driving a Continental GT. Off-road, where I felt the Bentayga had the
most to prove, was just as impressive. Four on-the-fly driving
modes and a height-adjustable suspension gave supreme control over
the conditions, which in my case was dirt, rock, mud, slush and
snow – even crossing over a large aspen that had fallen across the
trail. Traversing terrain and obstacles at elevations up to 11,000
feet (3350 meters) felt simply invincible.
By the end of two days in the
Rockies it became evident that this automobile was the best of both
worlds and I had become a believer. Typically, ‘multi-purpose’
means something is decent at many things but never adept at any one
thing. This is what’s so unique – no, radical – about this vehicle.
In creating the Bentayga, Bentley seized upon the ‘sport’ in Sport
Utility Vehicle and perfected it. With high performance on road and
off, wrapped in a lavish package, it’s unlike any other automobile
and warrants the superlatives.
Of course, 99% of all Bentayga
owners will probably never use it to its full capability but as a
friend of mine remarked, “It’s not that you would, but that you
could.”
Follow the photographer on
Instagram at @sinuhexavier.
