2017 Bentley Bentayga Rental Los Angeles
The quickest and fastest gas-burning SUV ever. And the most expensive.
Bentley calls the Bentayga the fastest, most powerful, most luxurious, and most exclusive SUV in the world. That’s a big claim, and Bentley is correct except where “most powerful” is concerned. The British luxury company seems to have forgotten about the Austrian brick with Stuttgart parents conceived in Affalterbach: the Mercedes-AMG G65.
The 621-hp Mercedes-in-a-box outmuscles the 600-hp Bentley, but if you line the two trucks up for a stoplight drag, you’ll soon find that many of the AMG’s horses have already been sent out to pasture. The Bentley rips to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds—1.9 sooner than the Benz.
Best yet, the Bentayga returned truly impressive fuel economy. Indicated mid-16s on the mpg scale is unheard of territory for a 5,653-pound large SUV with a 6.0-liter engine and a lead foot at the wheel. (The EPA has not yet rated the Bentayga.) The new direct-injection system and cylinder deactivation, which can disable one VR6 bank under light loads, certainly helped. Try as I might, I never felt so much as a stumble from the engine, so either the system wasn’t active, or it’s just that good. I suspect the latter.
This might be the fastest, quickest internal-combustion SUV ever, but just like the ability to seat seven people (which will be an option), the 187-mph top speed is a marketing tool that most will never take advantage of. The reality is that the Bentayga isn’t going to sell on its cornering behavior; it’ll sell on its price and its looks.
With a claimed top speed of 187 mph, Bentley boasts that the Bentayga is the fastest SUV in the world. The claim is made possible by a twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 that makes a mighty 600 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque; an eight-speed automatic drives all four wheels. The interior can be configured to seat four or five; only the finest leather will cosset those lucky posteriors. Diesel and hybrid powertrains will be offered in the future; the Bentayga goes on sale in early 2016.