It's no Flying Spur, though.
When it comes to lavishly equipped SUVs, few are more opulent than the Bentayga. Actually, only the Rolls-Royce Cullinan springs to mind, but Bentley has figured out a way to make its luxobarge even fancier. The four-seat configuration is now more limo-like than ever as rear passengers get to enjoy additional legroom, even though the wheelbase has remained intact.
How was that possible? The all-new rear seats now have a maximum recline of 40 degrees (up from 32) while the fore and aft travel has also increased by 35 millimeters (1.37 inches). These changes translate into a boost in knee room of 100 mm (nearly 4 inches) compared to the pre-facelift Bentayga.
Crewe's Obese Cash Cow:
Bentley gave special attention to the four-seat variant because about 4,000 of the 20,000 SUVs built have what the company refers to as the Four Seat Comfort Specification. These tweaks in the back have prompted the company to say the four-seat Bentayga is now "the limousine of SUVs."
Going for the four-seat variant has other benefits as Bentley will throw in ventilated rear seats, six massaging functions, and what looks to be a comfy headrest. One-percenters can order the 2021 Bentayga with the optional Mulliner Console Bottle Cooler encompassing a cooler that can hold a 750-ml bottle and two crystal flutes.
With no center seat in the back, Bentley installed a large center console providing additional storage and two extra USB sockets to charge your smartphone. You know this is a truly luxurious vehicle when even the ski hatch has been bathed in diamond-quilted leather. Playing around with the multiple seat options, sunroof blind, electric windows, and the mood lighting is done via a five-inch tablet inherited from the new Flying Spur.
Bentley is not done updating the SUV as for the time being only the V8 variant has been revealed. The folks from Crewe have promised to unveil the thrifty plug-in hybrid and the majestic W12 in the coming months.
Unsurprisingly, there's no word about the return of a diesel-fueled variant in Europe where emissions regulations and slow demand forced the company to retire the TDI shared with the Audi SQ7 / SQ8 and Volkswagen Touareg V8 towards the end of 2018.
NEW BENTAYGA IN DETAIL: FOUR SEAT COMFORT SPECIFICATION
Four-seat version of new Bentayga provides ultimate luxury SUV rear cabin space for two occupants
Building on the success of first generation Bentayga with 20% - 4,000 cars - including the Four Seat Comfort Specification
Up to 100mm more rear leg room over previous generation
Rear seat feature content provides luxury for all occupants
Additional stowage and charge sockets located in rear centre console
Exquisitely finished quilted back board with handcrafted detailing
(Crewe, 16 July 2020) The new Bentayga has the greatest breadth of ability of any car on the road, and with the Four Seat Comfort Specification, the Bentayga’s abilities as the limousine of SUVs comes to the fore. With the four-seat version of the car now available from launch along with both a five-seat configuration and the option of a full seven-seat interior, the interior of the new Bentayga is configurable to the demands of any family.
Building on the success of the previous generation where one in every five cars (4,000 vehicles) was specified with the four-seat configuration, rear legroom has been improved to enhance the chauffeur-driven experience through careful design and relocation of the backboard separating the cabin from the boot area. The maximum recline of the rear seats has been increased from 32° to 40°, and the fore and aft travel has been increased by 35mm. This combination delivers a 100mm improvement in knee room in the reclined position, helping to make luxury travel even more comfortable.
All the seats in the new Bentayga have been completely redesigned and now have a more sculptured shape, particularly around the shoulder area, to provide an even greater level of comfort that further improves on the industry-recognised benchmark for seat comfort.
The Four Seat Comfort Specification also adds further rear seat content including seat ventilation (in addition to seat heating as standard), a selection of six different massage programmes, and a winged comfort headrest. With the Four Seat Comfort Specification the Mulliner Console Bottle Cooler can also be chosen, housing a fully integrated drinks cooler for a 750ml bottle, and two handcrafted Cumbria Crystal Flutes.
Between the two rear seats, a rear centre console provides additional stowage and two further USB charging sockets. While a beautiful leather trimmed backboard containing a diamond quilted ski hatch, separates the cabin from the boot space.
To access the additional seat functionality, rear seat passengers benefit from a technology upgrade for the new Bentayga with the new, larger Touch Screen Remote control tablet, similar to that introduced in the all-new Flying Spur. The five-inch display uses more contemporary graphics and has extra processing power through an onboard quad-core processor and 1 GB of RAM. The unit can control a range of functions, from rear seat heating and massage, to the media system and navigation, to mood lighting, and electric windows and sunroof blind.