Plug-in option reintroduced for new-look Bentayga, paving the way for Crewe’s second PHEV later this year.
The updated Bentayga Hybrid is predicted to be the strongest-selling variant of Bentley’s luxury SUV, arriving as the first of two plug-in models from Crewe in 2021.
The facelifted Hybrid arrives just a year after the original version was launched, following a raft of styling, interior and technology updates for the wider Bentayga range mid-2020. It will help pave the way for Bentley to achieve its goal of offering exclusively plug-in hybrid and battery-electric cars by 2026, and will be joined later this year by a hybrid version of the Flying Spur saloon.
Like the standard car, the Bentayga Hybrid adopts a new-look front end with a larger grille, LED matrix headlights and wider wings, while elliptical brake lights inspired by the brand’s Continental GT coupe and a repositioned numberplate distinguish the rear end from that of its predecessor.
Updates to the cabin are centred around the infotainment system, which forgoes the outgoing model’s button-heavy arrangement for a predominantly touch-sensitive set-up with a 10.9-inch high-resolution central display, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto equipped as standard. USB-C ports and wireless chargers are also now standard fitment, and the My Bentley connectivity services function via an inbuilt SIM card, so can be used without a phone connected.
The new Bentayga Hybrid takes its power from the same petrol-electric powertrain as its predecessor, mating a 330kW 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with a 94kW electric motor for combined outputs of 330kW and 700Nm. The 17.6kWh lithium battery pack is carried over, too, giving a claimed NEDC EV-only range of 50km, though this will likely be closer to 32km on the WLTP cycle.
Bentley claims more than 90 per cent of current Bentayga Hybrid owners use their car “on a daily basis or several times a week” and around half consistently drive less than 50km at a time. Based on these statistics, the majority of journeys, Bentley said, “can be achieved completely in electric only”.
The battery can be fully charged in two and a half hours at speeds of up to 7.2kWh, and is topped up via regenerative braking in EV and Hybrid modes. The Bentayga’s ‘Hybrid Efficiency Navigation’ system can automatically switch between combustion and electric power at different stages of a planned route for maximum efficiency, and the accelerator pedal will vibrate to encourage the driver to coast towards junctions for optimal regeneration.
EV mode is activated automatically on start-up, but the Bentayga Hybrid can also be driven exclusively using the petrol motor in Hold mode. Performance figures have yet to be confirmed, but the updated Hybrid should match the previous car’s 5.2sec 0-100km/h time and 255km/h top speed.
Felix Page