Bentley Bentayga Speed

FIRST DRIVE New V8 powertrain reduces car's weight but performance of world's fastest SUV is made even greater

- Alastair Crooks [e-mail]

THE Bentayga isn’t just a staple of the Bentley range, it’s also the company’s most popular model, making up over 40 per cent of its sales in recent years. That popularity stems from its practical and fashionable SUV roots, of course; the maker confidently claims the Bentayga’s breadth of abilities is wider than that of any other car on sale.

That's particularly bold, given that the car’s powertrain options have narrowed of late; we recently bid goodbye to the legendary W12 that has featured since the car’s launch. Yet while the likes of the Flying Spur and Continental GT have become plug-in hybrids, the Bentayga can still be had with a petrol V8. It’s this that powers the updated Speed.

It isn’t short on firepower. The 4.0-litre twin-turbo unit makes 641bhp and 850Nm of torque. In order to produce those numbers, the 542bhp V8 found in the Bentayga S has been given larger turbochargers and a higher-flow fuel-injector system.

As a result, the straight-line figures are more impressive than ever. When the range-topping S trim arrived in 2019 it became the fastest SUV in the world thanks to its 190mph top speed, but the new one tops out at 193mph and hits 62mph four-tenths of a second faster at 3.4 seconds. Yet while those figures speak for themselves, the brand's focus was to make it “the most dynamic Bentayga ever”.