Bentley targeting Range Rover with 12-cylinder SUV

Wed, 18 Sep 2013

The eventual arrival of Bentley's upcoming SUV in 2016 will likely prove the most pivotal new product to come from Crewe since the debut of the Continental GT in 2003. And Bentley isn't messing around.

The British automaker is taking aim directly at the Range Rover, saying that it will be just as capable off-road. That's a mighty big claim for a company that has never made an off-roader before, but comes with good reason: Bentley estimates that nearly 30 percent of its customers have a Range Rover as well, and the company is keen to take a slice of that pie.

There are, however, several elements that will elevate the Bentley Falcon (as it's expected to be called) above Range Rover territory. For starters, according to Automotive News Europe, which spoke to Bentley marketing chief Kevin Rose at the Frankfurt show, the Falcon will be more expensive. The sticker price in Europe is expected to hover around 180,000 euros – double the flagship Range Rover's starting price. It'll also be available with four-, five- and seven-seat configurations. And it'll offer more power. A lot more power.

While Bentley was previously said to be evaluating V8 and even hybrid options – which could potentially come later – the latest intel has the Falcon boasting twelve cylinders (likely in W form) in two states of tune: 575 or 650 horsepower. That'd make the base model more powerful than the 510-hp Range Rover or even the 550-horse flagship Turbo S version of the Porsche Cayenne, the replacement for which will share its platform, along with the next Audi Q7 and Lamborghini Urus.

By Noah Joseph