According to reports, the first ‘engineering simulator’ of the new Bentley SUV has started testing ahead of launch late next year.

Because production tooling for the Bentley body is not yet available, engineers are using the Audi Q7's  structural base to start work on the new SUV’s running gear, particularly calibrating the complex electrical system, which will feature well over 50 ECU control brains. With vital functions controlled electronically, engineers can calibrate the key items, like transmission, steering, damping, stability/traction control and air conditioning from inside the car via a laptop.

The Bentley is expected to be equipped with a twin-turbo W12 motor.

One of the major engineering jobs on the new Bentley will be evaluating aerodynamic performance, engine cooling and tyre longevity at the planned top speed. The air suspension, for example, will have to be controlled electrically to lower itself automatically as the speed rises.

While the engineering work to set the optimum height can be done in the design lab, the engineering simulator is needed to prove that the real-world performance matches the calculations.

Development work can proceed promptly thanks to Bentley’s ability to exchange data gathered in the engineering simulator with engineers at Crewe from a boot-mounted data logger. Because today’s cars have so many ECU control units and monitoring systems, the boot-mounted hard-drive collects information from the production electrical system, via the diagnostic plug. This data can be emailed overnight back to engineers at Crewe to monitor progress. In turn, any changes to the control code can be emailed back and uploaded into the ECU for evaluation on the test track.