Snared a job in Silicon Valley? Here’s why you need a Bentley Bentayga Hybrid
If I lived in California I’d own a Bentley Bentayga Hybrid. No question.
You see, should I up sticks and make the move to America’s west coast, it’d only be for my $10 million-per-film Hollywood commitments or to be CEO of a $20 billion-valued tech company in Silicon Valley.
Each is about as likely as Donald Trump winning the Tour de France, but the above two scenarios (and the cash involved) would be the only reasons I’d consider moving permanently to California.
Last I checked I’m not Chris Hemsworth, so let’s imagine I’m a Silicon Valley slicker able to afford the plug-in version of Bentley’s challengingly-styled SUV behemoth. Not only would I be virtue signalling my eco credentials (a favoured hobby of the modern California elite), but the deluxe cabins in these Bentaygas are suitably palatial to remind a bit of excess never hurt anyone. Except the cows responsible for the wall-to-wall leather inside.
The Bentayga SUV has graced Australia’s Bentley showrooms since 2016. It was the brand’s highest selling model in 2018, and doesn’t lag too far behind the Continental GT coupe/convertible in more recent sales figures.
In late 2019 the plug-in Bentayga Hybrid went on sale in USA, Europe and right-hand-drive-demanding UK, but not here. With the steering wheel available on the correct side, it’s a pity the Hybrid hasn’t featured in our showrooms as yet, but not entirely unexpected considering our relatively small Bentley market – 191 sales in 2019 against North America’s 2,913.
That should change when 2021’s updated Bentayga arrives. Luxury buyers are increasingly accepting of EVs and hybrids (partly because they have the cash to indulge), and you only have to look at the recent proliferation of six-figure plug-in and full electric SUVs to prove it. The Tesla Model X, Mercedes-Benz EQC, BMW X5 45e, Jaguar I-Pace, Audi e-Tron, Range Rover PHEVs and Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid all now compete for your Australian dollars. These models didn’t exist five minutes ago.
In 2020, therefore, a brand offering a luxury large SUV without an electrified version looks both backward thinking and even irresponsible. And Bentley’s committed to a very electric future. Its CEO Adrian Hallmark has stated the plan is to have hybrid versions of all existing models by 2023, then the first full electric Bentley by 2025.
My test of the Bentayga Hybrid was a brief affair during a trip to California – before Covid-19 destroyed international air travel. The drive was in the Silicon Valley suburb of Atherton, America’s most expensive postcode. Those doing rather well in boardrooms at Apple, Tesla and Facebook call Atherton home, so there’s a bit of coin around.
In this town, you’d think the local zillionaires would ensure their neighbourhood roads would be veritable nirvanas to enjoy their four-wheel toys. Sadly, the reverse is true. Which is why I’d plump for a Bentayga Hybrid if I lived here, rather than Bentley’s V8 Continental Coupe.
The streets and driving experience in Atherton are mind-numbingly terrible, meaning the cossetting Bentayga Hybrid (in lieu of a full EV equivalent) would be my daily driver. The McLaren F1 would probably gather dust in my gold-plated garage.
I don’t think I’ve ever driven somewhere with quite so many red traffic lights, forced stops at junctions and dawdling traffic than in Atherton’s leafy suburbs. In America you must come to a complete halt at each red STOP sign (at every intersection) even if you see the ahead road is clear. The Bentayga Hybrid silently going about this task makes the drive just about tolerable.
The big plug-in uses a single 90kW electric motor and 17.3kWh lithium-ion battery pack, alongside a 250kW 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 petrol – the same configuration seen in the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid.
It combines for 330kW and 700Nm, offering a 0-100km/h sprint of just 5.5-seconds – fair return indeed for something weighing 2626kg.
It offers an electric-only range of roughly 39-kilometres, which I’d imagine would be greater than a typical daily commute in these parts. Drive any further, endlessly stopping, and you may do a Michael Douglas in Falling Down.
There’s no regenerative braking to slow you when you lift off the throttle. For energy to be sent back to the battery you need to apply the brakes, but as you do that every six seconds in Atherton, the pure electric range stayed true to the distance travelled. Importantly, the Bentley drive experience isn’t compromised by any vulgar retardation. The harvesting back to the battery is imperceptible as you apply the brakes.
In true hybrid fashion, it’s best to pick your drive mode to suit conditions. If you ever do make it on to a California highway the Bentayga chews through its battery life at speed, so best to leave the e-driving to town and let the V6 do its thing on fast roads. A simple button on the centre console does the job here, offering EV-only, Hybrid (where petrol and electric power are used), and Hold for internal combustion only.
Rather cleverly, 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.
Word of warning through. The V6 can’t deliver the level of refinement or delicious notes enjoyed from the Bentley’s W12 or V8 engines, which is why the Bentayga Hybrid’s an easier vehicle to love in pure electric mode.
The sound insulation and cossetting nature of the interior is unquestionably superb. Acceleration from standstill is as close to silent as I’ve experienced in a vehicle, and while I find the lack of a proper engine note hard to abide in something like an EV Porsche, the whisper quiet inside a Bentley marvellously suits the expectations of the badge.
Only four seats inside (other Bentaygas can be optioned with seven), but each individual hand-stitched leather chair is an enviable place to kick back. Twelve-way electrical adjustment, heating, ventilation and massage functions, while the finish is your choice between the likes of rare wood veneers and high-gloss carbon fibre.
As expected you can open your wallet and chuck plenty of bespokeness at the piece. There’s an option of some 100 paint colours, 15 seat hide types and an oligarch-pleasing list of pricey extras. Absent on our test car was any active safety kit, radar cruise control or a hands-free tailgate (really?!), which is challenging considering the over $300,000 price tag, should it have gone on sale in Australia.
The Bentayga Hybrid can only be AC charged, but as part of the purchase price Bentley chucks in a 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.
There was no time to explore the hybrid SUV’s handling qualities on anything like a decent bit of road, but as this plug-in is most relevant in town, it fulfilled its primary role of effortless, bump-absorbing waftiness with aplomb, despite its mighty 22-inch wheels. The Bentley Dynamic Ride brings active anti-roll bars to the party, so rest assured there’s much trickery afoot to flatten out those corners.
And off-road? It has the smarts, but you’re as likely to see one of these leave the urban jungle or polo field as Trump is to back up his Tour de France win with an Olympic high jump gold.
When the updated Bentayga lands in Australia, probably in very early 2021, will the Hybrid version feature? “The next Bentayga Hybrid is being evaluated for the Australian market, but no launch date is yet set,” offered Wayne Bruce from Bentley UK, while Bentley Australia said it couldn’t comment on unconfirmed future product.
I’ll peer into the crystal ball for them and suggest a plug-in will join the line-up, meaning a stable consisting of a petrol W12 ‘Speed’, petrol V8 and V6 petrol Hybrid. You can buy a diesel version of the current Bentayga, but it’s proved unpopular and could be subtly withdrawn for the Hybrid to fill the void.
On the pricing front, the current V8 petrol costs $334,700, the V8 diesel $341,500 and 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 $432,700, all before those tasty options and then on-road charges.
For now, Bentley’s having something of a last hurrah with celebrating the good ol’ large displacement petrol engine. The updated Bentayga includes the new Speed – “The Ultimate Bentayga,” Bentley states – with its 6.0-litre W12 and ludicrous 0-100kmh time of 3.9-seconds.
The updated Hybrid is expected to boast an improvement on all-electric range, which would be welcome, but it’s apparent the model is something of a halfway house before a fully electric SUV lands in Bentley’s range. But until one does, in 2025, I’ll cope with the Bentayga Hybrid in my Californian garage.
