Bentley upgrades Bentayga

The global luxury SUV market continues to expand, with the forecast increasing toward the end of the decade across all regions. However, this isn’t the same from the E-segment, which is declining.

The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase has the potential to raise the ceiling of the D-segment, as one of the spiritual successors to the Mulsanne.

Introducing the Extended Wheelbase

The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB) builds in the latest second-generation Bentayga, extending the wheelbase and rear cabin by an extra 180 mm.

This increase results in the wheelbase of the car stretching from 2,995 mm to 3,175 mm, with an overall length of 5,322 mm. The increased length is all in the rear door, creating a luxurious rear cabin area.

With a larger cabin space than any other luxury competitor, an emphasis on wellness and the introduction of the world’s first auto climate and advanced postural adjustment rear seat, extraordinary journeys are guaranteed.

With Body-in-White changes to the underfloor, side panel, door and roof, Bentley’s design team have ensured the lines and proportions continue to exude style and presence.

The new Bentley Airline Seat Specification is the most advanced seat fitted to a car yet, with 22 ways of adjustment and world-firsts in a new auto climate sensing system and postural adjustment technology.

In Relax mode, the seat can recline to 40 degrees, while the passenger seat is motored forward and a beautifully leather-trimmed footrest deploys from the back of the front passenger seat.

In Business mode, the seat moved into its most upright position to make working on the move more comfortable.

The auto climate seat technology senses occupant temperature and surface humidity and then determines whether to apply heat, ventilation or both to keep the occupant at optimum thermal wellbeing.

Meanwhile, the postural adjustment system automatically makes micro adjustments to the occupant’s seating positing and pressure points by measuring pressure across the seat surface.

“The Bentayga EWB is our first car truly dedicated to the onboard wellness of its occupants,” said Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors.

“Every Bentley gets you to your destination feeling more relaxed than when you started the journey and yet with the EWB we’ve been able to go even further thanks to the adoption of world-first wellness technology embedded within our unrivalled interior cabin design.

“In combination with the incredible skills of the craftspeople at our carbon-neutral factory in Crewe, these advances make the Bentayga EWB the ultimate luxury SUV to drive or be driven in.

Comfort and wellness in detail

The Bentayga EWB offers the ultimate rear passenger indulgence, with the most advanced seat ever fitted to a car, three different seat configurations, new dual air ionisers and increased cabin space.

As standard, a four-plus-one seating configuration is offered with two outer seats providing 16 ways of adjustment, heating, ventilation and five massage programs. An occasional middle seat accommodates a third adult and provides access to a ski hatch in the backboard.

Other features benefitting rear passengers include a 40-degree recline controlled by a touch screen remote, heated rear door and centre armrests, footrests, carpet and leather touches and Bentley Airline Seat Specification, providing seat auto climate and postural adjustment.

What’s more, for the first time on a Bentley, power closing doors can be specified.

Interior design

Bentley’s recognisable diamond quilting has been reimagined in a dramatic and contemporary design, with an obsession to detail that encapsulates all that is unique about Bentley interiors.

A symmetrical pattern at the top of the seat backs stretches the diamonds as they move away from the centre line of the seats, while the doors boast an asymmetrical pattern.

Within each diamond, the leather is perforated with holes of less than 1 millimetre in diameter.

The diamonds can be further enhanced through the Bentley Diamond Illumination feature, which uses LEDs to emit light through the small perforations in the leather. The intensity and colour of the LEDS can be controlled by the touch screen remote.

Fitted as standard to the EWB are new waterfall illumination interior lamps, providing subtle lighting to the rear cabin.

Exterior design

Four detailed exterior changes mark the new model: the longer profile, a new front grille, a new polished 22-inch 10-spoke wheel and a repositioned sunroof.

The new cabin is longer than any other luxury SUV competitor by over 40 millimetres, allowing for an extra 10 millimetre of headroom compared to a Mulsanne.

A 180-millimetre wheelbase increase results in a more spacious rear cabin, significantly increasing legroom for passengers.

Moved rearwards in the car by 125 millimetres, the new sunroof is panoramic, bathing the rear cabin in natural light. The sunroof can also be controlled by the touch screen remote, as well as the front cabin console.

Electronic All Wheel Steering is also included with the Bentley EWB. At highway speeds, the system makes small adjustments to the direction of travel of the rear wheels, increasing high-speed stability and making overtaking and lane changing more assured.

At low speeds, the system reduces the turning circle, increasing the agility in tight urban environments and making parking easier.

The Bentayga EWB is powered by Bentley’s 4.0-litre, 32-valve dual twin-scroll turbocharged V8 petrol engine, which combines power and fuel economy. Mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, a top speed of 100 km/h can be reached in 4.6 seconds.

Over 2,500 new parts have been introduced for the new Bentayga EWB, leading to new manufacturing processes and layout changes.

Nearly 2,000 weeks of collective testing occurred to give the Bentayga EWB its exceptional credentials.

bentleymotors.com