Bentley Bentayga extended SUV test: instead of children, the owners will fit in the back

The Bentayga got the Extended Wheelbase version only with a recent modernization. From the standard 2995 mm between the axles, you now measure 3175 millimeters. Thanks to this, the length already reaches a respectable 5305 mm.

From a body perspective, the car is extended from the center pillar to the rear c-pillar. Basically a longer rear door. A certain disproportion can indeed be seen from the side view, but it simply wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

We are used to longer rear doors in extended limousines, but in the case of SUVs with a higher pontoon, it may be even more difficult.

Anyway, the Bentayga benefits from a very successful modernization. As we have already described during the test of the facelifted version in standard length, the designers of the Bentayga got rid of the special expression of the front and the bulky rear, the model is visually significantly more balanced after the modernization.

The main benefit of the variant with an extended wheelbase is, of course, more longitudinal space in the back. In the extreme position, the front and rear backrests are separated by up to 1120 millimeters in the upright position. So the back seat can be folded down and stretched out without an average height adult touching the front seat with outstretched legs.

One quickly realizes how important a luxury element is space. And the SUV has another advantage over limousines. Even older passengers can easily get into the back. You also perceive greater airiness in all directions, including around the head. So it’s not just about stretched legs, limousines can often disappoint when it comes to headroom.

Due to the high seating position and generous glazing, the tested piece would have suited at least slightly tinted glass at the back. After all, one is sitting here a bit like in a showcase.

The rear seats are essentially identical to the front seats. And not only in shape, but also in equipment. There is no heating, ventilation or massage.

A specialty of the extended version is the electrically operated rear door. They can be closed by pressing a button on the center console, but also manually, which requires a little more force than you are used to at first.

All this, plus other functions such as lighting or blinds, can be controlled using a small tablet located in the charging station on the center tunnel, which can also be held in the hand at the press of a button. Its display quality, touch sensitivity and logical ordering are just as perfect as in the case of the front display. Infotainment after modernization is one of the best ever in terms of comfort of use, although it does not follow the latest fashion in high-tech.

In some ways, this car is beautifully conservative in its approach. It does not lack buttons for key functions and shortcuts, including circular ventilation controls. Only the icons in the integrated Apple Carplay could be bigger. After a week with Tesla, it’s overall a balm for the soul.

And you haven’t even smelled the top-quality leather and felt all the parts of the interior that are perfectly serviced. While the first cars from Bentley, which were created under the baton of Volkswagen, did not manage to disguise their affinity with the VW concern very well, the current generation is top in terms of interiors and this also applies to the Bentayga.

An example above all is the used wooden paneling made of Koa wood, i.e. one of dozens that can be selected during configuration. It is an open-pore design, where the manual application of ultra-thin layers of varnish allows the natural texture of the wood to be maintained.

The koa is mostly found in the Hawaiian Islands and loves the volcanic ash slopes of the island’s volcanoes. The Hawaiians used it for canoes because of its good strength-to-weight ratio, and now the wood is prized for making guitars.

Although Bentley calls the extended Bentayga its new top model, it has only one engine left. The 12-cylinder petrol is gone, as is the 8-cylinder diesel. The offer remains a plug-in hybrid unit with a six-cylinder, and the core of the offer is still the four-liter eight-cylinder that also powers the tested car.

However, if in the recently tested Lamborghini Urus this engine was the most theatrical and aggressive in its expression, here it is the exact opposite. Even though this four-liter appears across the entire Volkswagen concern, you can have very different feelings about it.

The 550-horsepower unit just rumbles and almost nothing gets into the interior if you keep it at low revs. And that this is no problem for the eight-speed automatic transmission, because the peak torque of 700 Nm is available from 2000 revolutions per minute and the flat curve continues up to 4.5 thousand.

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The engine also has the option of deactivating half of the cylinders, thanks to which the fuel consumption can be kept at reasonable values ​​just above 10 liters per 100 km, if you try a little and it is at all important to you behind the wheel of such a car.

The smooth performance of the car’s engine is seconded by the aforementioned gearbox from ZF, it anticipates perfectly, can almost always offer the ideal gear and at the same time keeps the acceleration in that pleasant uninterrupted cruise – not as much as its former relatives from Rolls-Royce are still able to do, but even the Bentayga gets going very fluently.

The steering is supple and precise at the same time. The suspension has improved for the first time in terms of comfort after modernization, and it is also helped by the extended wheelbase. In most cases, the Bentayga is comfortable, but there are situations when it gets thrown around easily.

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In comfort mode, it can be relaxed, the body sways intoxicatingly on the waves and you feel as you should in a Bentley. But on Czech roads, there are not a few unevennesses that the air suspension does not deal with as much, the wheels can trip and make themselves known all the way to the cabin.

However, from the MLB platform, which allows the installation of active anti-roll bars and advanced air suspension, the Bentayga is surprisingly stable both on the highway and in corners. The brand’s sportier gene will certainly show if you’re in a hurry, the Bentayga doesn’t get out of control for a long time by the standards of giant SUVs and maintains a neutral demeanor.

The extended wheelbase opens up new possibilities for the Bentayga. SUVs have already become so established among luxury brands that even those clients who often or occasionally use the services of a chauffeur, do not have to look at tall cars only as family cars that are not afraid to get dirty.

However, even this may not be a unified argument for the EWB version. After all, extended versions dominate even among limousines, and you can’t even buy a “short” one like a Lexus LS or a BMW 7 series. According to sellers, it often doesn’t even have to be because the owner lets himself be driven, but simply wants the best not only for himself, but also for other passengers.

The Bentayga itself is not far removed from its cheaper siblings on the same platform, namely the Audi SQ7. Not always a perfect ride and the overall performance will point to the fact that the extra millions spent on an even more luxurious Rolls-Royce Cullinan is not just on paper. A more direct competitor for the Bentayga may be the Range Rover in top form.

But the Bentayga has its own aura. The details and their processing will please all fans of English luxury. And it is the EWB version with all the elements for the rear passengers that is another specialty.

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