Bentley Bentayga Speed in the works

Performance-oriented version of ultra-luxury sporty SUV to feature significant design changes; expected to get more powerful W12 motor.

Published On Jun 18, 2018 08:00:00 AM

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The current Bentayga Hybrid sold in international markets.

The Bentayga broke the mould for Bentley, marking the British luxury brand’s entry into the lucrative ultra-luxury sporty SUV segment. The Bentayga was the first of many such models, followed by the Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

While the carmaker’s typical opulence is on display quite prominently on the SUV, it isn’t a slouch. Despite weighing nearly 2.5 tonnes, the 608hp W12 motor helps achieve a claimed 0-100kph time of just 4.0sec!

Recently speaking to our sister publication, Autocar UK, Bentley design head Stefan Sielaff confirmed that the luxury carmaker is currently working on a faster version of the Bentayga SUV, aptly suffixed with the Speed moniker.

The design head said that the Bentayga Speed would feature a “big change” in terms of design as compared to the standard model. He said to expect “typical” design-based tweaks seen on other Speed models, like the Continental GT Speed or Mulsanne Speed. Both these models got more aggressive styling and larger (and lighter) alloy wheel options.

Under the hood of the Bentayga Speed, expect to find the current W12 engine re-tuned to produce more power. In the standard model, the Bentayga’s 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 makes 608hp and 900Nm of peak torque and is mated to an eight-speed automatic that powers all four wheels.

While there is no word on when the faster Bentayga will arrive in India, Bentley did recently launch the more frugal 549hp, 4.0-litre V8 version of the SUV in the country at Rs 3.78 crore (ex-showroom, India) and has recently unveiled the Hybrid (which combines a 3.0-litre V6 engine with an electric motor) for international markets.

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