Bentley Bentayga 2020 Review - Prices, Specs, Variants, Features and Mileage

2020 Bentley Bentayga’s Variants and Features

The Bentley Bentayga is one of those cars that has no distinction in the form of trims. The only thing you have to choose is the power plant that you want sitting under the bonnet and then start checking boxes and rummaging through the sheets to make the Bentayga completely your own. This car is going to burn a hole in your pocket with its pricing. The price of the Bentley Bentayga starts from Rs. 3.57 Crores and goes as high as Rs. 4.34 Crores (both ex-showroom) in India.

A Slew of other optional extras that makes it difficult to put the Bentayga in a variant tabulation as all the Bentaygas are bespoke to the customer’s requirements.

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If you are able to afford having one of these in your garage, then you certainly don’t need help in deciding which engine option you need to go for. To be really transparent the Bentayga is one of those vehicles that doesn’t really have a clear recommendation to the audience as it really offers different things for different people. If you want the Bentayga in a super-fast guise that is going to lead all the plebeians to part out and give you the right of passage, Go with the V8 Petrol and call it a day. But if you want the crème de la crème and the utmost bragging rights, then the W12 is your only option. It is relative to every person.

If we were being a little objective about the choice though, we would suggest you go for the V8 and save yourself those extra 90 odd lakhs because rationally thinking it is a lot of money for not a lot more horsepower or cylinders. But the Bentayga is no rational vehicle Sir.

The one thing that we would definitely steer clear-off is ticking the box that options up the Special Breitling Timepiece commissioned for 4 Bentaygas a year that is almost 80% of the car’s cost as an optional extra.

2020 Bentley Bentayga Engine and Performance

The Bentley Bentayga is a scorcher of a vehicle. It is going to wreck both your bank account and your internal organs. No matter which engine option you go with, The 4 Litre Twin-Turbocharged V8 spitting out a mind-numbing 542 bhp and 770 Nm of torque or The 6 Litre Twin Turbocharged W12 that churns 600 bhp and 900 Nm of torque that is really going to question if you are slowing down the earth’s rotation every time you mash the accelerator pedal, you are bound to be left breathless with the amount of performance on tap. Just looking at the sheer amount of grunt that is on offer on either of the two engines, makes one gasp at what the automotive engineering prowess has come to.

Acceleration

The Bentley Bentayga has a masterpiece under its hood in the form of both the V8 and the W12. The Bentayga runs drag times that is certainly going to put supercars to shame much less other SUVs. The biggest shock that was delivered to us was in the form of acceleration times on the two engine configuration as both of them were identical in their acceleration runs as they clocked in the ton right under the 3.6 seconds mark.

3.6 Seconds… For a Luxury SUV…LUXURY and SUV. What is freaking happening to this world?

We have SUV’s outrunning supercars. Are we complaining though? Absolutely not.

The fact that both the engine configurations are just as fast to 100 kmph proves our initial point of the V8 being the smarter choice. It is above 160 kmph, that the W12 generates any sort of substantial lead on its V8 Counterpart and in all frankness, you are never going to regret going for the V8 instead of the W12 simply because you are a couple of tenths of a second slower from 160 and up. What a first-world problem to have.

Ride and Handling

The Bentley Bentayga is one cheeky vixen when it comes to fooling people in broad daylight. One look at the vehicle and you would never in a million years expect it to be as athletic as it is. Maybe for the amount of money you have to pay to own one, The Bentayga does have to deliver on every front, even if it’s primal form factor doesn’t allow it.

Even though the Bentayga is a high riding SUV, it is surprisingly agile to drive and pretty direct to steer. The Clever Air Suspension, Active Anti Roll Bars and Torque Vectoring system sees the Bentayga out handle its weight and its class. The amount of grip that is on offer is simply staggering and is certainly going to make a couple of your passengers, so always keep that trash bag handy because you definitely don’t want to spoil the interior.

The Bentayga also comes with quite decent off-roading capabilities, but are certainly on the optimization front instead of brute hardware. For the person who is going to muster up the courage to take their 4+ crore SUV mudding, I salute you Sir, and the Bentayga will be able to cross anything that your heart would allow to prowl through.

The V8 variant is certainly the better handler of the two as it offers a lighter front end that aids in improving the already stellar handling characteristics of the Bentayga.

Braking

Brakes are going to be a crucial aspect of an SUV that does 0-100 kmph in under 4 seconds because it is going to take quite a lot of brute strength to stop a 2400 kilograms vehicle that is barreling down a highway doing triple digits that see the first digit turning to a 2. The Bentayga thus in its V8 guise comes in with a very respectable 400 mm disc rotors front setup that runs 6 piston calipers from Brembo making the car stop in just 112 feet. That is certainly going to pop your eyes out of your sockets.

But if you really want to make headlines with the Bentley, you go for the optional 440 mm carbon-ceramic discs that are mated to a humongous 10 piston caliper setup. The Bugatti Chiron comes in with a 420 mm Disc Rotor, making the Bentayga have the biggest brakes to be put on a production car till date and rewrite the phrase of ”Stopping on a dime”.

Fuel Economy

When shopping for an ultra-luxurious petrol-powered SUV that has more litres in displacement than most cars have cylinders, fuel economy shouldn’t really be kept on a pedestal. The Bentayga thus, is going to be no fuel sipping magical marvel, after all, it has to drive all the wheels with a 2.4-ton body on them and that requires quite a bit of energy but still deserves appreciation for what it manages to deliver. With its clever cylinder deactivation, stop-start system and variable displacement system, the Bentayga returns a healthy 10.1 kmpl if you are barely grazing the surface of the accelerator. The moment you step into the floor, you can wave Adios to your fuel tank.

In the real world, you can expect the Bentley Bentayga to return anywhere from 7-9 kmpl if you are being sane about it and that is just about as good as it can get for what the Bentayga is.

Bentley Bentayga Exterior

The Bentley Bentayga is one big hunk of sheet metal going down the road with it’s long and wide proportions and a hefty 2.4-ton curb weight. The Bentayga in no way shape or form tries to skimp out on opulence in the name of lightness and it shows. The fact that the Bentayga comes with adaptive air suspension really makes this Bentley one that wouldn’t fret being driven on our broken roads.

The Bentayga, although seemingly nice looking to our eyes, has received a lot of flak from the enthusiast community as some seem to find it’s design unlike what a Bentley should be. This argument, however, is purely subjective and is better left to you to decide.

However, for the amount of money you plonk in, a general acceptance of the exterior design would have been appreciated.

Exterior Features

Some of the notable exterior features are:

• Dual Barrel LED Headlamps

• LED Tail lamps with integrated B logo

• Aluminium Roof Rails

• 20-22 Inch Alloy Options

• 100+Colour Options

• Headlamp Washers

• Request Sensors on all the doors,

2020 Bentley Bentayga Interiors

The interiors on the Bentley Bentayga are certainly a regal affair, and at this price point, they better be. Everywhere you look inside the cabin, there are acres of the highest quality materials being used currently in the Automotive market. While optioning out the Bentayga, one can go about even choosing what kind of secondary contrasting hide they want alongside the main hide, that is the level of customization that is on offer. 

The front seats are one of the plushest and most comfortable seats to have been put in a production car and can be had with either 16 or 22 way powered adjustment along with heating, ventilation and massage functionality to really make you think twice if you even need that kind of adjustment factor, but for the money you are paying, yes you do. The Ventilated seats are eerily quiet and no matter which hides option you choose, it is going to be the most supple leather anywhere on the market. With it’s knurled knobs, aluminum inserts, and heavy leather upholstery, the Bentayga’s interior is a celebration in itself.

Getting in the rear though might bring up a few questions though as the rear bench that come in as standard feels a bit on the basic side in terms of overall comfort and for this price is simply not acceptable. They can most definitely be upgraded to a set of captain seats with similar adjustability in the front but are a paid option and certainly makes you ponder if Bentley is just ripping you off.

The Bentayga also comes with acoustically laminated glass all around that really seals of the cabin of the Bentayga from the outside world as you can whisper inside and still be heard even if the driver is going bonkers over the throttle.

The Bentayga can essentially be had with whatever feature or material that you want inside the cabin albeit for a price.

Infotainment

The infotainment system on the Bentley Bentyaga might just be one of the only places where it is quite easy to make out that it is still a VAG Group car after all as the 8-inch touch screen seems right out of the VAG Parts Bin. We are not complaining though as the UI is simple and intuitive to operate and everything is laid out in a logical manner. The central touch screen is the hub to controlling all that the Bentyaga has to offer, from its ride height to it’s driving modes, everything can be toggled from up here without a hassle. 

The Infotainment system comes in as standard with:

• Apple Car Play Connectivity

• Digital Radio, FM, AM

• Voice Command

• Navigation with Live traffic update

• Bluetooth and USB connectivity

• TPMS

The Car can also be had with the very desirable 20 speaker Naim Audio system that pumps out a whopping 1920 Watts of audio output and includes a 300-watt subwoofer. This configuration then makes the audio system on the Bentayga one of the most powerful factory fitted audio systems in a car and boy does it blow your socks off. From clear voluptuous highs too deep bassy lows everything and anything is distinguishable in the audio system’s wide sound-stage and really makes you appreciate the amount of punch it offers for being a car audio system.

Interior Features

• Four Zone Automatic Climate Control

• Push Button Start

• 16/22 way Power Adjustable Ventilated, Heated and Massaging Seats all around

• Ambient Lighting

• Panorama Glass Roof

• Surround View Camera with Bird’s Eye View

• Rear Seat Entertainment Screens

• Touchscreen for Rear Climate Controls

• Infinite Combinations for Material Choices

• Acoustically Laminated Glass

Boot Capacity

The Cargo Space on offer on the Bentley Bentayga comes to the tune of 430 litres of cargo volume inside the power-operated hands-free liftgate. The cargo capacity thus does come off as a bummer as there are much cheaper SUVs that have much bigger boots but we suspect that the Boot should be enough for all your weekend trips. It is also notable that the rear seats if optioned out as a bench configuration, can be folded down to open up even more space to the tune of 1700 litres but I would be highly doubtful if anybody is really going to use there Bentayga for heavy cargo lifting.

The boot of the Bentayga can also be optioned out with an event seat that folds out and over the loading lip of the Bentayga, providing it with a leather upholstered seat for you to enjoy the tailgating parties if you ever visit one. There are also customization options to the tune of picnic tables with champagne flutes if you so desire.

2020 Bentley Bentayga Safety Ratings and Reliability

If you ever have the chance to own a Bentley in your lifetime, make sure that you have extensive insurance coverage! And also don’t be the one that crashed a Bentley.

For a car that costs north of 4 crore rupees, the Bentayga certainly is not going to get crash tested as no one’s pockets are deep enough to turn all that money into a pile of disfigured metal. The Bentayga then much like all other cars in this price bracket does not carry an official Euro NCAP score as none have been crash tested, and neither will in the near future.

Though if safety is one of your concerns, Bentley has you covered with advanced active and passive safety features coupled with a solid build quality that is certainly going to keep your mind at ease. Standard safety features in the form of:

• Active Front Headrests

• Front and Side Airbags for Driver and Passenger

• Overhead Airbags for all the 4 Passengers

• ABS with Brake Assist

• Cornering Brake Control

• Electronic Parking Brake

• Side Impact Protection

• Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert

• Night Vision

• Active Lane Control

• Forward Collision Warning

Ensures that you have your money’s worth when rolling in your baller machine.

2020 Bentley Bentayga Competition Check

Bentley Bentayga vs Rolls Royce Cullinan

At this price point, it really becomes tough for one to be able to pick and choose the perfect rivals, similar is the case with the Bentayga as the only proper competition it has is in the form of the much more expensive Rolls Royce Cullinan,

The Cullinan is longer wider and has more interior room than the Bentayga thanks to the Rolls ideology of the three-box design that creates a wall between the luggage compartment and the passengers. The Cullinan also is just available in a 5 seater configuration whereas the Bentley can be optioned up with 3rd-row seating.

It is pretty well known that you buy a Bentley if you drive and a Rolls if you get driven and same is the case with the driving dynamics of both these cars as the Rolls simply does one thing which is waft over everything and nothing else whereas the Bentayga can be quite spritely if you want to have some fun.

For the people who are the targeted audience for these vehicles, it is going to be a very subjective matter choosing between one but is the Rolls Royce badge worth the extra 2 crores over the already painful price tag of the Bentayga is something for you to decide.

Final Verdict for the 2020 Bentley Bentayga

The Bentley Bentayga is essentially what a raised up Bentley should be. It has great on-road manners, stunning off-road capabilities and bespoke nature of customization that could only be found at such prices. The Bentyaga thus proves to be Bentley’s answer to move with the times and the sales figures don’t lie as Bentley is selling way more of these Bentaygas as they originally envisioned. In 2019, Bentley reportedly sold a total of 11,006 cars around the globe with Continental GT being the best-selling car and Bentayga getting the second spot.

The Bentayga then is a symbol of opulence and even old money for the selected few that are going to have these in their garages. Everyone is going to envy you but secretly, also want to be you.