2020 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid SUV

Bentley is the epitome of luxury in the SUV market and that 6-figure price tag just confirms it. 2020 Bentayga comes in 3 trim levels but we are to discuss the Hybrid variant and it gets the least powered engine among the lineup but the standard features are almost similar throughout the trim levels. The SUV comes fully loaded with features and the options list is just too vast. This is the thing about luxury brands, there isn’t anything that isn’t available for a buyer. 

The specialized interior division called Mulliner lets you customize the cabin with hand-stitched leatherwork and diamond patterns in a color and the kind of leather you want. For a standard SUV, we have everything from 3-zone climate control to memory function for even the headrests and steering wheel. With the base price of more than $160,000 plus any options you get which you will, sends the price through the roof. It shouldn’t be a problem for its exclusive buyer base though.

Which Trim should you buy?

Bentley Bentayga is a top-of-the-class luxury SUV with some better and greener technologies inside. For the base price though, the SUV is pretty loaded but you always have multiple customization options if you are ready to spend. Everything in the cabin can be customized to give your Bentayga an exclusive look. 

The 2020 Bentley Bentayga has been the best and most powerful luxury SUV out there until Lamborghini came with the URUS. But that still isn’t going to shake its place. Lambo is a super aggressive sporty SUV and this is an uber-luxurious lifestyle vehicle. There's a big difference. Bentley has all the engine options a buyer could possibly want including V8’s and very exclusive W12 engines. Only the fastest of the fast hypercars some SUVs sport a V12 and only Bentley makes them in W12’s. 

In the hybrid variant, we have a rather modest 3.0L, Intercooled turbo, V-6 engine with a 94-kW electric motor which produces a combined power of 443 hp & 516 lb-ft of torque. The engine sure will suffer a little to propel this massive SUV forward quickly but still, the 5.5 seconds time for 60 mph drag is nothing short of impressive. What the electric motor does best is to provide that initial seamless power till the turbo kicks in. The SUV can travel for up to 24 miles on electric power alone and that too at 80 mph speeds. Imagine cruising on empty country roads in eerie silence.

Bentley isn’t the quickest of the bunch but it is impressive considering its heft. The Porsche Cayenne E-hybrid gets just a little more oomph of power. But they have always built smaller vehicles compared to their competition and that lets them achieve crazy accelerations, nothing new. The Land Rover has managed to squeeze out quite a bit of power from that tiny engine and that itself puts some limitations on its performance as you can see above.

How well does the 2020 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid handle?

Bentley has been present in the motorsport racing community for a long and their expertise in that regard have reflected in this big SUV. For a general user, the accurate and responsive steering wheel is all that matters and Bentayga gets a surprisingly light steering wheel, which makes driving it an effortless job. Though the SUV won't handle like a performance car and there will be some amount of body roll but everything is within acceptable limits. The air suspension system takes care of all the undulations and with the constantly adjusting damper things never feel out of control. 

This one asks for good surfaces every time you take it out because there’s a lot of unsettling going on if you don’t slow down on some rough patches. The adaptive suspension should have taken care of that but the weight and size recipe makes things difficult for the springs. Being an SUV means it should have some off-road abilities even if it’s a luxury one, the suspension setup can be adjusted for height, clearing it from any unwanted object on the road. Overall, the 2020 Bentayga hybrid seconds is like a boat ride on calm lake waters, it is smooth on good surfaces.

2020 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid Braking Performance

Brake rotors on the Bentley are decently big and they should have been because this behemoth weighs a lot. The 15.8-inch rotors on the front and 15 inches at the rear are capable of stopping this SUV in time. Although there isn’t any precise data to talk about we are pretty sure that Bentley isn’t going to compromise on civil lives and certainly don’t wanna see their lovely creation getting crashed.

The braking setup on the Range Rover is a little less competent due to some obvious reason but we have seen vehicles do much better even with smaller brakes so let’s assume that the Rover can stop in the nick of time. The regenerative braking on these hybrid engines will also help in slowing down the SUVs quite effectively while charging the batteries, win-win.

Till now no one bothered about fuel economy in the luxury segment as the buyer who can afford an expensive SUV sure can bear fuel prices. But now as it is evident than ever, pollution just keeps rising and while most of the budget segment has shifted towards electric power Bentley has made a decent effort with the 2020 Bentayga Hybrid. 

Even if it’s a hybrid they couldn’t skimp on built quality and interior material and all that keep adding to the heft of the SUV, coupled to a weak V6 engine the fuel economy and electric range are bound to suffer. The SUV returns 24 miles of pure electric range and the gasoline mileage is lesser than the rivals.

Porsche has the best fuel economy in the segment. But the Land Rover has managed to get better mileage thanks to its much smaller gasoline engine and it still weighs in more than the Bentley. Land Rover has been in the SUV business longer than anyone else and that expertise and experience will show somewhere, here it is in the economy. With that 24-gallon fuel tank, the Rover gets a best-in-class driving range as well.

Well, isn’t this the best part of buying an expensive SUV, the interior of the 2020 Bentayga is much better than what we would usually have at home? Some will find this statement exaggerated but when it comes to interior and quality Bentley takes no chances. The cabin of this SUV is not for vegan people, it is so full of leather. Every inch of the interior is covered in leather of the highest quality and the variety of choice is just insane. Adding some aluminum or wood or even carbon fiber trim pieces inside is in the trend nowadays but the Bentley ideology is a bit different than others, a user must get a soft feel on anywhere he/she touches in here. Well, there are wooden trim pieces installed but those are away from your interaction, most of the time.

The dashboard design is fine at best but won’t win any awards. We do have those signature knurled pull switches for the air-conditioning unit, and those are made of solid metal with a mirror finish, even the vents feel rock solid. Anything that shines is metal in here, including the radio and volume control knobs. Bentayga is a 5-seater SUV and the seating comfort is the best you can have in a vehicle. The front seats get 16-way power adjustments with power lumbar support with heating and ventilation. The second row gets acres of legroom and headroom with similar power adjustments. If you are to make this even more luxurious you may get the 4-seat variant which will add captain’s chairs and a reclining feature up to 65-degrees. 

The Range Rover also is a British flagship automaker and the interior of the SUV is as pleasant and expensive as of the Bentayga. There is a huge difference in the design ideology though, the Rover looks and feels much more modern and high-tech compared to the classic vibes of the Bentley. In terms of features, the RR comes loaded with everything from 20-way power seats and 3-zone automatic climate control. Porsche Cayenne also has a balanced interior between sportiness and luxury, you just can’t take away the sports factor from a Porsche SUV. Standout interior features in the 2020 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid are:

• High grain leather upholstery
• Contrasting hand-stitching
• Breitling clock
• Picnic tables
• Polished wooden trims
• Memory headrests and steering wheel
• Bentley embroidery on seats
• Naim audio system (1780-watts)
• Dedicated smart controller for the second row

What’s there to keep you entertained?

This is one department where most of the luxury vehicles suffer, while even the budget-oriented SUVs offer huge mini-TV infotainment displays the Bentayga comes with a tiny 8-inch touch screen. The emphasis here is on bespoke luxury but that doesn’t mean that we get robbed in terms of entertainment. The smartphone integration as well lacks features and only gets Apple CarPlay and there is not even an option to get Android Auto. The standard audio system gets a 10-speaker sound system and can be upgraded to a 12-speaker setup with a 12-channel amp. 

For the most outrageous listening experience, there’s a Naim audio system that adds 20-speakers and a 21-channel amplifier for $5100. A rear entertainment system with 2, 10.2-inch tablets is available. Though the Bentayga is far from what we call a high-tech SUV it gets a small smartphone-like device on the second row to control all the features of the infotainment and climate control. It can also access all the vehicle information with just a swipe away. Standout infotainment features in the 2020 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid are:

• 8-inch touch screen
• Apple CarPlay
• Satellite radio with real-time traffic info
• 10-speaker sound system
• 20-speaker, 1780-watt Naim audio system (Optional)
• Bluetooth
• Navigation
• Optional second-row tablets
• Voice commands

Bentley doesn’t have a very diverse portfolio. Bentayga is the only SUV in their catalog and we had expected that Bentley would do something unique. The front fascia doesn’t look modern or a classic either, it is somewhere in between. This front end will remind you of their sedans at a first glance. The combination of a fully blinged-out chrome grille and the LED headlights just dazzle the onlooker. 

The side profile is muscular especially at the rear end with those flared-out body panels. The rear end comes with an LED taillight setup and a chrome strip running along with the bumper. The twin-port exhaust setup does add some sporty character to the SUV. Overall, some might love the curvy understated look and some hardcore will find that Bentley hasn’t really put in the effort in this design.

Among all three SUVs, only the Range Rover has that design and character that most people want in their SUVs. Bentley gets more overall length and that makes the cabin space more habitable. The ground clearance on the Bentayga is nice and it can be increased as well but none come close to the Rover’s extended 11-inch clearance. Standout exterior features in the 2020 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid are:

• Chrome grille
• LED headlights with automatic high beams
• Panoramic sunroof
• Air suspension with adaptive dampers
• Privacy glass
• 22-inch wheels

High-end luxury vehicles don’t get tested for their crashworthiness but in such cases, automakers do include almost each and every safety feature that is available out there. The standard features list includes adaptive LED headlights, a blind-spot monitor, and hill descent control. For more features like adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alerts, 360-degree cameras, and traffic sign recognition, buyers will have to pay extra. Standout safety features are:

• Parking assist
• Pedestrian warning
• adaptive cruise control
• Head-up display
• Lane-keeping cameras
• Night-vision camera
• Top-view camera
• Traffic sign recognition

Bentley Bentayga Hybrid vs Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography P400e

Both the SUVs come from the same place and both offer a great luxury experience but there are some obvious differences. The design of the Range Rover is boxy and sharp, timeless in a sense where the Bentayga is all-around and curvy. Bentley lags behind in the fuel economy as well and the electric range as well compared to the Rovers 105kW battery pack and a small 2.0L engine. You won’t miss out on any luxury or comfort features on either of these SUVs but the Range Rover just does things in a much better and modern way and costs much less.

Bentley Bentayga Hybrid vs Porsche Cayenne Hybrid

In this case, the Bentayga wins in the design and interior department, considering the price difference it should have anyway. But the Porsche has some serious advantages to its side for example the handling of the Cayenne is just great, something Porsche is known for. Another one is solid built quality and the Porsche brand image. The Cayenne even gets much better fuel economy compared to the Bentley and is the cheapest among all. If you are fine with that age-old design then the Cayenne Hybrid is a great performance SUV to consider.

The new Bentley Bentayga Hybrid provides no less than a first-class airliner level of comfort but that’s the first thing expected from a Bentley. On the driving front, you will have a hard time replacing this SUV with something better. Only if you can live with that mileage and the oldish infotainment system. Then again, if a 6-figure sum is what you make in a week or so, you certainly can live with some shortcomings in return for a bespoke luxury experience and the kind of exclusiveness that it offers.