Should you buy a Bentley Bentayga?

Yes, as it’s a great all-rounder for your money. The Bentley Bentayga is a 2.4-tonne SUV capable of 0-62mph in as little as 3.6 seconds while cocooning you in a bubble of luxury that few other vehicles even aspire to, let alone deliver. Yes, it’s going to cost you nearly £200,000 (or well over if you go for the EWB Mulliner), but it’s a quite remarkable piece of automotive engineering and an experience nearly no other off-roaders come close to offering.

Ultra-posh Range Rover variants and the ultra-expensive Rolls-Royce Cullinan are the obvious rivals, but they aren’t as good to drive. So if you want an SUV, you want luxury and you want to enjoy driving yourself, the Bentayga is the car you should be looking at without question. It fully embodies all the grand-touring aspiration and capability the Bentley marque holds dear if you avoid the Speed version.

And don’t forget, the Bentayga can do comfort, too – something the EWB version takes further still. The interior, while arguably not as elegant as a Bentley Continental, is a fabulous place to spend time. Plus, with so much personalisation available, you have a rare opportunity here to create a motoring environment that is entirely bespoke to your tastes. It’s not a subtle car, but is a lovely one.

What’s new?

19

Though thoroughly overhauled in 2020 and revised again for 2025, the  Bentley Bentayga has been with us since 2016, and it’s interesting to see how our attitudes to it have changed in that time. At its original launch, it seemed almost heretical that a company like Bentley should build an SUV. And here we are now viewing it in just the same way as any other super-premium luxury car.

That’s partly because none of the core Bentley attributes have been lost in the Bentayga – it’s monstrously fast with a well-appointed cabin and levels of comfort and build quality that set it far above rivals. But also because more and more prestige brands have moved into the SUV space, including most recently Ferrari with the Purosangue.

Such are the Bentley Bentayga’s wide range of skills, that the selection of direct rivals is rather broad as well. The upper echelons of the Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover line-ups are either as quick or luxurious, but neither simultaneously. At a similar price point is the amazing Lamborghini Urus, which is fast and drives like a sports car. If you fancy something with a price tag of twice as much, you could splash out on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

On the other hand, you might also be considering luxury cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series. To more directly compete with the limo-like rear space these (and long-wheelbase versions of the Range Rover), Bentley launched a stretched version – which you can read more about in our separate Bentley Bentayga EWB review – as well as the edgier Speed and plug-in hybrid, taking the total number of variants to five, if you include the Azure.

Regardless of version, the Bentayga is based on the same underlying technology as the Audi Q7, which is a good start. However, apart from a bit of shared switchgear that no amount of leather trimming can hide, the Bentayga feels a way beyond any other VW Group SUV in terms of premium quality.

As with all Bentley models, the Bentayga comes with an interior finished with thick carpet, outstanding leather and a remarkably wide choice of top-class veneers. The options list is vast. How your Bentayga looks will be ultimately down to how far you’re prepared to go with the personalisation, which is nearly limitless.

There are two engines to choose from: a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 in two states of tune, with either 550hp or 650hp, and a slightly more eco-conscious 3.0-litre V6 plug-in hybrid, which still has a minimum of 449hp. These were previously distinct models, but as of September 2022 are now available across all three UK trim levels: Bentayga, Bentayga S and Azure.

There are no diesels on offer as Bentley is moving towards an all-electric future, and the firm’s tremendous W12 motor has now been completely killed off.

Over the next few pages we’ll be thoroughly reviewing all aspects of the Bentley Bentayga and rating them on the summary page. Our scores will take into account the driving experience, how pleasant the interior is, the practicality on offer and what it’ll cost you to run. And don’t forget, you can find out all about how we test cars on our dedicated explainer page. Here’s why you should trust us, too.