2022 Bentley Flying Spur V8 on 2040-cars

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Updated Bentley Bentayga spotted testing in the snow

It seems that the Bentley Bentayga is up for a refresh. These spy shots, fresh in from frigid-looking Europe, show us a Bentayga that’s adopted a front end thatÂ’s much closer to the Flying Spur and the slinkier Continental GT. That means larger secondary lamps up front, a revised lower fascia, and slimmer taillights with a pronounced oval element thatÂ’s echoed in the dual exhaust pipes. Unlike the last Flying Spur we spotted, which was a prototype of a likely plug-in hybrid variant, this Bentayga doesnÂ’t appear to have dual filler doors, one for gas and one for a plug. ThatÂ’s not to say one isnÂ’t coming; the Bentayga will almost certainly get an updated version of the PHEV powertrain that failed to win us over on our last drive. Hopefully that, too, will get an update to make its groaning V6 less sad-sack and provide a little more oomph to its pure EV mode. As with the expected PHEV variant, we think that the Bentayga will get the rest of the Flying SpurÂ’s engine options Â… which for now is a singular W12 sporting twin turbos. We believe a V8 should follow in both models. Inside, expect changes to mirror the tech and interior features of the latest Bentley models. Maybe itÂ’ll even get the quilted leather found on the $15,000 Mulliner package. WeÂ’ll know for sure when Bentley pulls the sheet off the revised Bentayga soon.

2016 Bentley Bentayga First Drive [w/video]

There was once a barrier that separated our Arcadian, four-dimensional space from an uncanny cosmos where a $229,100 SUV makes irrefutable business sense. That wall is gone, and the Bentley Bentayga broke it. We're accustomed to powerful SUVs. The Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG makes the Earth weep on account of its 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. The Bentayga is shy of those figures, with 21 fewer horses and 74 fewer pound-feet. We're also accustomed to quick SUVs; the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S hits 60 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds. The Bentayga runs that race 0.2 seconds slower. And of course, we are accustomed to luxurious SUVs that fear no obstacle or load. The Range Rover Autobiography can swim its leathers and veneers through 35.4 inches of water, surmount nearly 12 inches when toiling off-road, and tow 7,716 pounds. The Bentayga can 'only' manage 19.6 inches of water, 'only' gets to 9.64 inches on its tippy toes, and is 'only' rated to tow 7,714 pounds. None of these facts are listed to harp on the Bentayga. It isn't Bentley's way to make rank by being the best in every category. Instead, the Crewe brand brings all the boys to the yard by merely being excellent across the board. The Continental GT isn't superlative at any one thing, but no other vehicle that can carry four people is as fast and as capable and as dynamic, and only Phantom-level Rolls-Royces can touch it for luxury. The Bentayga is not the Continental GT of SUVs, it is "the Bentley of SUVs." But here's an important clarification: The Bentayga is not the Continental GT of SUVs, it is "the Bentley of SUVs." The automaker describes the mission as, "driving, luxury, performance." The interior advances the current design language with a two-piece instrument panel – an upper portion that slides through the center console in a "U" shape, and a lower portion that connects the console to the center tunnel. Bentley poses this as a riff on its flying wing badge, but it actually comes from interior designer Darren Day's wish to fit an IP with a steeper rake. The size of an instrument panel is limited by the width of the door openings because the dashboard doesn't go in until after the body is welded together. Day wanted passengers to be able to rest their legs on the buttresses tying the IP to the center tunnel, but his one-piece design was too large to fit through the doors.

VW may make Bentley a subsidiary of Audi

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen plans to make British luxury carmaker Bentley a subsidiary of its Audi division as it seeks economies of scale among its top-end brands, German trade publication Automobilwoche reported. Bentley, for now overseen by the head of VW's Porsche business, Oliver Blume, will from next year be part of Audi, where VW group Chief Executive Herbert Diess believes it has more potential, Automobilwoche cited company sources as saying. Synergies could include using Audi technology for a new Bentley SUV, it added. Volkswagen, which declined to comment on the report, is reviewing the future of its high-performance brands Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ducati motorcycles as part of broader quest for more economies of scale as it shifts to mass producing electric cars. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters this month that Volkswagen was working on plans to prepare Lamborghini for a stock market listing. Related Video: Audi Bentley Volkswagen