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W12-powered Bentley Batur coupe shows its swept-back profile

Bentley's Mulliner division is nearly ready to introduce the Batur, a limited-edition coupe designed to preview a new design language and to celebrate the W12 engine. The big coupe remains shrouded in darkness, but a new teaser image gives us a better look at its silhouette. Viewed from the side, the Batur (which is named after a crater lake in Bali, Indonesia) looks like it's longer than the current-generation Continental GT. Its front end wears single-piece swept-back headlights rather than the twin oval units fitted to the Continental GT and its rear lights look thinner. We're told that the coupe "showcases a new design language for Bentley," one that puts a new spin on classic styling cues and relies "on contrast to provide definition." This design language will permeate the EVs that Bentley will launch starting in 2025. While the Batur's sheet metal previews a range of upcoming battery-powered cars, its drivetrain is very much rooted in the present. The model will benefit from an evolution of the familiar twin-turbocharged W12 that delivers more torque and horsepower than any variant of the engine to date. Bentley stresses that "advanced chassis systems" will ensure that the Batur is engaging to drive even on a twisty road. Bentley will introduce the Batur in Monterey, California, at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time on August 20 (that's 11:00 p.m. in New York City). Full details will be released when the veil comes off, and we wouldn't be surprised if every build slot is spoken for by the time of the unveiling — few-off models are in hot demand and the Bacalar unveiled in 2020 was sold-out before members of the public saw it in the metal. And, the odds of seeing two identical examples of the Batur are low regardless of how many Bentley chooses to build. The company notes that buyers will have the option of customizing the color and finish of nearly every surface; 3D-printed 18K gold parts will even be offered. Related video:

Top 10 small cars with the longest total driving range

Editor's Note: Since this article was originally posted in the spring of 2015, much has changed in the automotive landscape, especially among those shopping for small car economy. With thanks to Volkswagen for their blatant cheating – and subsequent cover-up – on diesel emissions, the largest player in the diesel passenger car segment isn't playing – they're paying; billions are going for both car buybacks and federally-imposed penalties. And for a few VW execs there exists the very real possibility of jail. With the absence of a big player and the abrupt entrance – via Chevy's new Bolt – of an affordable EV with 200+ miles of range, we've limited the diesel listings to Jaguar's new XE. And for those wanting an updated look at efficiency and range, Autoblog has it – or the EPA has it. Long before electric vehicles were part of the mainstream conversation, car lovers and skinflints alike would boast about the total range of their vehicles. There's something about getting farther down the road on one tank of gas that inflames the competitive spirit, almost as much as horsepower output or top speed. Of course, the vehicles with the very best range on today's market are almost all big trucks and SUVs; virtually all have the ability to carry massive reserves of fuel. Top up a standard Chevy Suburban and you can expect to travel almost 700 miles (you'll need to stop before the Suburban stops...), while a diesel-fed Jeep Grand Cherokee manages almost as many. But what about vehicles that are smaller? The EPA has, essentially, three classifications for 'small' vehicles: Minicompact, Subcompact and Compact. All three are measured based on interior volume, meaning that some cars with rather large exterior dimensions and engines slot in next to traditional small cars. But even though impressive GT coupes from Porsche, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz may have much larger gas tanks to feed their powerful engines, that capacity is offset by higher rates of consumption... in most cases. We used the EPA's Fuel Economy Guide for model year 2017 cars as a start, calculating the official highway miles per gallon rating with each vehicle's tank capacity. The resulting numbers aren't necessarily real world, but they do offer a spectrum for total theoretical range. The eventual top ten surprised me on a few occasions, and comprised quite a varied list of vehicles. 10.

Bentley teases new Flying Spur's 3D diamond leather upholstery

Playing the long game before unveiling the new Flying Spur, Bentley's published the second teaser for the new "luxury grand touring sedan." The last one homed in on the retracting "Flying B hood" ornament. This one focuses on what Bentley says is "an automotive world-first," three-dimensional textured leather lining the cabin. Created by Crewe's craftsmen and demonstrated on the door panel, the leather adopts a diamond-quilted pattern, but without stitches indicative of quilting. Up close, it looks like the leather simply adheres to a complex relief form. That's trick we expect to be one of many that will supposedly "set new standards for contemporary craftsmanship." The coming third-generation Flying Spur will want to come out of the gate with just such goals. When the first generation arrived in 2005, it became the Toyota Camry for rich people. The second generation — which still rides on that original platform — blanched in the heat of competition from Bentley's own lineup, on top of competition from the Mercedes-Maybach below and cross-country rival Rolls-Royce Ghost. The new model is all new, from the MSB platform shared with the new Continental GT and Porsche Panamera, to a design that will put more separation between the two-door Continental and the four-door Flying Spur. Expect the 6.0-liter W12 with 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque as the marquee engine, and a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 542 hp and 568 lb-ft as the economical choice. Eventual V8 S and Speed models will wring more grunt from those two engines. A plug-in hybrid will debut some point, based around a 2.9-liter V6. We don't know when the debut will happen, perhaps as soon as Pebble Beach in August, or as late as the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, or the Frankfurt Motor Show in between. If you're keen on keeping up in the meantime, you can "register your interest" at NewFlyingSpur.com. As others have noted, the honorifics in the dropdown list at the site include "Lord" and "Sheikh," because titles matter even more at $200,000 before options.