Bentley Batur review

Bentley looks to continue its success with another ultra-exclusive Mulliner Coachbuilt car, writes

- Matt Prior

With the Bentley Batur, you're not paying just for metal, carbonfibre or leather. You also get the chance to take a look behind the door, access what others can’t and, importantly, own something nobody else does.

All Bentleys offer some of this — which is why there are 46 billion ‘curated by Mulliner’ option combinations for a Bentley Continental GT alone and why new Bentley buyers spend on average £30,000 (1,326,884 baht) on them.

You can double that amount for those who opt into the next-level ‘Mulliner bespoke’ line-up. This is one of the reasons why Bentley posted its biggest-ever profits in 2023, up 82% on just a 4% increase in vehicle sales: do a bit more work, earn a lot more money.

But for some people, even these increasingly exclusive option combinations aren’t enough. And this is where the highest echelon of Bentley’s Mulliner division comes in, the old-fashioned coachbuilding part.

When we tested the Batur, there were only two in existence, both working prototypes of a limited-edition Continental GT Speed-based coupé that signalled the future of Bentley design, the end of the W12 engine, and the pinnacle of the bespoke coachbuilding programme that Mulliner offers. The programme was launched with the Bacalar in 2021; this Batur is the follow-up.

WHAT'S IT LIKE?

Bentley says there are three things to note about the Batur’s design: the ‘resting beast mode’ stance, like a lion sitting down, around the rear haunches; an ‘expression of strength’, or the upright grille, like a horse’s chest; and an ‘endless bonnet, which is why you'll note the Batur's side-profile bonnet line smoothly extending to the rear window, to accentuate what's under the hood, to which we will come.

Ultimately, it's meant to be reminiscent of the 1950s R Type Continental, arguably Bentley's, and one of the world’s, most beautiful cars.