Bentley’s first SUV is getting into the realms of affordability, is now the time to take the plunge?
A used Bentley Bentayga is now a more attainable used SUV, with some 2016 and 2017 cars teetering around the £50,000 mark.Of course, you must add running costs to that. How about, for the popular 6.0-litre W12 petrol version, £700 a year road tax and 19mpg, plus servicing?Still, read Autocar’s summary of the 600bhp W12 and you may still be tempted: “The 6.0 W12 must simply be acclaimed as one of the most complete and compelling luxury products in the world.”Launched in 2016, this version was the first Bentayga out of the traps. The 2.4-tonne SUV, which has four-wheel drive, dispatches 0-62mph in 4.0sec. Standard-fit, adaptive air suspension, active anti-roll control systems and a range of driving modes ensure it rarely feels flustered, although it can get a little unshapely near the limit.The following year, a 4.0-litre V8 diesel version arrived. If our road testers liked the W12, they loved the Bentayga Diesel, awarding it five stars. The Audi-sourced engine produces 429bhp and develops the same torque as the W12, only sooner. The result is even better in-gear acceleration and towing ability.Thanks to its extra weight and bespoke air suspension settings, it rides slightly more comfortably than the W12. It’s more economical, too, of course, returning around 35mpg, and, at just £190 per year, is cheaper to tax.Fewer were sold than petrols, but today a used diesel Bentayga is around the same price as a W12, even though they were about £25,000 cheaper originally.The twin-turbo 4.0 petrol V8 was the next Bentayga to be launched, in 2018. Its engine produces 543bhp and 568lb ft and it can do 0-62mph in 4.5sec. Thanks also to cylinder deactivation, it can return 24.8mpg. Road tax is just £180.It cost £30,000 less than the W12 and we reckoned it rendered that model redundant. It was certainly popular, such that today there are almost as many V8s for sale as W12s. The sporty V8 S version is rare but worth seeking out.The later, 443bhp 3.0 TFSI V6 plug-in hybrid of 2019 wasn’t much admired, and there are few for sale today.It was followed by the 626bhp W12 Speed, generating sufficient thrust to earn it the title of ‘fastest production SUV ever’ at the time.The facelift came in 2020, which is where this guide stops.A Bentayga could be ordered with four, five or seven seats, the extra seating coming at the expense of boot space (for example, 484 litres on five-seat cars and 215 litres on seven-seaters).Obviously the model is extremely comfortable in any form and beautifully constructed.The first 608 examples (that number refers to the W12’s output in PS) were produced in luxurious First Edition spec, while the equally plush W12 Mulliner arrived in 2017.Otherwise, there was only one well-equipped trim level, but the options list was long, so compare cars carefully. Popular packs included Touring (adaptive cruise and night vision), All-Terrain (skid plates and surround view) and City (additional safety kit).As we’ve already noted, a Bentayga is expensive to run but worth it for the sheer experience of owning and driving something that totally confounds your expectations of what a big, 2.4-tonne SUV feels like.
