Should a Porsche Cayenne, or even the raging Audi RS Q8, seem a tad pedestrian for your tastes, Bentley, the U.K. branch of that family tree, provides the mildly audacious and hyper-luxurious Bentayga. It’s a sharp-looking and distinctive five-passenger SUV that captures the brand’s essence of old-school luxury—Bentleys have been in production since 1919, with the Bentayga offered since 2015—but takes advantage of that shared Germanic platform and high tech to produce a go-anywhere vehicle.
Sadly, Bentayga’s fulsome W-12 engine is no longer available, but a 456-horsepower 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 plug-in hybrid setup makes this handsome automobile a more efficient option. It’s still capable of hitting 158 mph on a race track, as well as making 20-plus-mile all-electric jaunts. Its large SUV profile is somewhat reminiscent of its Volkswagen Group siblings, but striking details such as oval brake lamps, LED matrix headlights, and a chrome mesh grille set it apart. Classic black-and-white Bentley emblems, church organ-styled vent controls, and a gleaming analog clock face on a walnut dash up the glossy appeal.
Bentley’s luxurious superpower is customization, from 22-inch wheels and a carbon fiber body kit to 60 available paint colors, as well as options including a range of wood veneers or individualized contrast stitching and highlights for the leather interior. The 180-mph-capable V-8 model can add an electrified dynamic ride system or be ordered as an extended-wheelbase Azure edition, with Maybach-styled reclining executive seats and Rolls Royce-inspired remote-closing doors.
