You used to know where you were with an SUV. Five seats, maybe seven; plenty of space for luggage; and most likely all-wheel drive: in short, something perfectly functional to take the family on a cross-country vacation. These days, though, the SUV has morphed into something altogether different.
Bentley's sumptuous Continental GT was always going to spawn a droptop version, but the Continental GT Convertible still wows all the same. Revealed in advance of the LA Auto Show 2018 this week, the new open-top grand tourer bares the Continental GT's class-leading cabin to the elements, courtesy of a special Z-fold fabric roof.
Eyebrows were raised when Bentley announced it was making an SUV, but the Bentayga proved the skeptics wrong. Weaving together performance, luxury, and unmistakable curb presence, the only thing it lacked was subtlety. Now, with the arrival of the 2019 Bentayga V8, it's getting a little brother - one who may just overshadow the original altogether.
The VW Group has inside its luxury and sports car division some of the most famous marques in the automotive industry. These include Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Bugatti. Porsche has been handed the reins to the entire division and word is that it will coordinate all future activities and control where revenues go for Audi, Lambo, Bentley, and Bugatti.
The VW I.D. R Pikes Peak may have grabbed the overall top time and set a record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb but it's not the only record holder at this year's event. Bentley has announced that the Bentayga SUV that it prepared for months ahead of the hill climb has taken the SUV class record for the event. The big SUV was piloted by Rhys Millen.
Bentley has announced that after six months of getting its racing SUV (yes you read that correctly) ready for the big day, the Bentayga is ready. The big Bentley SUV will be blasting its way up America's Mountain at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this coming weekend. Bentley says that the six-month development program is now complete and piloting the Bentayga will be two-time champion Rhys Millen.
Faced with a cross-country jaunt, the super-rich - those for whom the 2019 Bentley Continental GT's six-figure price tag would not be a deal-breaker - have an enviable choice. Flying privately is, of course, the go-to for the 1-percent. Yet the allure of a super-luxe grand tourer, combined with the right road, could be enough to make you leave the Learjet behind.
Bentley owners wanting a secure nook to leave their watch, diamonds, or that Fabergé egg they refuse to travel without now have the option of a fingerprint-locked safe in the automaker's super-luxe SUV. The Bentley Bentayga was already fairly outlandish in its vision of luxury, but at the hands of personal commissioning division Mulliner it takes a leap for even greater superlatives.
As opportunities for design excess go, the humble electric car charger might not seem like the most obvious option, but clearly nobody told Bentley that. The car company didn't just bring along the new Bentley Bentayga Hybrid SUV along to the Geneva Motor Show this week, but a custom-designed accessory: a charger designed by the legendary Philippe Starck. It might just be too pretty to put in your garage.
A six-figure luxury SUV might not be the first model we'd expected to get the Bentley hybrid treatment, but then again the Bentayga has always been a surprising car. Making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2018, the Bentayga Hybrid takes the huge, leather-filled SUV and gives it a new, electrified drivetrain.
The Bentayga has been rolling the streets for the well-heeled SUV buyer to enjoy since it first launched with a W12 engine under the hood. That engine made 600hp and 664 lb-ft of torque making the big SUV very fast, we should know because we took it to the track. Bentley has now unveiled a new V8 version of the Bentayga that packs in a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine that runs on gas and makes 542 bhp and 568 lb-ft of torque.
All you need to do is hear the Bentley name and you know you are in for something luxurious and over the top. This particular Bentley convertible is even more luxurious and over the top than normal. This is the Bentley Grand Convertible by Mulliner and it will set you back $3.5 million.