Australia-bound Bentley Bentayga Hybrid revealed
Bentley has revealed an updated version of its Bentayga Hybrid uber-luxe plug-in SUV, and the new model is confirmed for Australian shores.
Bentley Motors Australia/NZ spokeswoman Emma Ireland told EV Central: “We are expecting the Bentayga Hybrid within Australia as it supports our strategy with electrification and Beyond100 plans, we just don’t have the timings right now.”
Could the PHEV be in our showrooms in 2021? The updated MY21 V8 petrol Bentayga arrived in Australia – early – last November. It was originally slated to land this month. “At this stage we won’t get the Bentayga Hybrid this year (2021), but we did get the V8 early, so things can change,” Ms Ireland added. It’s expected on sale in the UK in the third-quarter of this year.
The new version carries over the outgoing car’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo 250kW V6 petrol partnered with a 94kW/350Nm electric E Motor – the same configuration seen in the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid – for a combined 330kW and 700Nm. We can therefore expect the 0-100km/h time to remain at 5.5-seconds (not bad as it weighs over 2600kg), while it can travel at 135km/h on pure electric – any faster and the V6 kicks in.
It means, perhaps surprisingly and disappointingly, no improvement on its pure electric range using the carried-over 17.3 kWh lithium battery. Bentley quotes the Hybrid’s range at 31 miles (50-kilometres) using the old NEDC method. If we apply the more “real-world” WLTP cycle that number drops to 24 miles, or about 39-kilometres.
Australia missed out on the previous Bentayga Hybrid model (customers instead given the choice between a V8 petrol, V8 diesel or W12 petrol), despite the PHEV being sold in the UK – a fellow right-hand-drive market.
Australia’s ever-improving acceptance of plug-in and full-electric vehicles means offering the new Bentayga Hybrid PHEV here is now more palatable for Bentley.
The British brand said it predicts what it calls “the only electrified true-luxury SUV in the world” to be “the best-selling member of the new Bentayga family.”
Despite not speculating on Bentayga Hybrid pricing for Australia, or sales expectations versus its full petrol stablemates, Ms Ireland said “we expect it (the Hybrid) to perform very well here given our plans to become hybrid electric and then fully electric.”
The Bentayga range starts at $334,700 (before on-roads) in Australia for the V8 petrol version, and we’d expect the new Hybrid version to closely mirror this price, as it’s done in other markets.
Electric majority
Bentley’s research has shown 90 per cent of first-generation Bentayga Hybrid owners used it on a daily basis or several times a week. “Nearly 100 per cent of customers use EV mode, with half of them consistently undertaking journeys less than 30 miles (48-kilometres),” it said.
“In real world terms, this means that the majority of the journeys, whether office commuting or school runs, can be achieved predominantly whilst producing zero emissions.”
Our brief test of the first-generation Bentayga Hybrid on congested stop-start Silicon Valley streets showed, like most PHEVs, it’s at its most relevant in such urban environments.
Smart tech
The Bentayga Hybrid’s exterior, while still polarising, has been sharpened. There’s a larger front grille, smaller and higher-set cut crystal-design headlights, and elliptical tail lamps (replacing rectangular ones) within a completely redesigned full-width tailgate.
The interior’s been refreshed with an updated 10.9-inch high-res screen, there’s fully digital instruments and wireless Apple CarPlay is standard, together with Android Auto. Four and five-seat layouts are offered.
There are three drive modes, switched with a centre console button: EV-only, Hybrid (where petrol and electric power are used), and Hold for internal combustion only.
There’s also Bentley’s Hybrid Efficiency Navigation system where if you input a destination in the sat-nav, the car calculates the optimum combination of electric motor and engine for the trip, finding the most effective use of the hybrid power.
Then, using predictive data, the Hybrid Efficiency Accelerator Pedal (yep, that’s a thing) vibrates when approaching a junction or speed limit decrease, advising the driver to lift off the throttle to save energy and give maximum regeneration opportunity.
The smart pedal also gives haptic feedback through your foot if it switches between the E Motor disengaging and the V6 firing up. Again, this is to encourage you to stay in EV Drive for as long as possible.
Home charging
Bentley’s PHEV can only be AC charged (no DC fast charging), but as part of the purchase price they chuck in a branded home wallbox charger. This gives you full battery boost in about two-and-a-half hours, or if you use a conventional socket, seven-and-a-half hours.
It is also delivered with “market specific cables” so you can charge it at work or in public car parks.
We’re told the My Bentley in-car and remote connected car services have been improved so in-car services are delivered through an embedded SIM (your phone’s data won’t be used).
The updated My Bentley app gives Hybrid owners access to trip and electric consumption details, battery charging (including remotely initiating charging), pre-heating or pre-cooling the cabin and charge point locations.
The Bentayga Hybrid is one of two PHEVs Bentley plan to introduce this year, the other expected to be a plug-in version of its Flying Spur large sedan.
