The Bentley Bentayga Is Simply Astounding
Bentley didn’t sacrifice any of its luxurious reputation with its SUV, the Bentayga. But is the vehicle worth its six-figure starting price?
Written by Andrew Koole
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
When you buy a Bentley, you know what you’re getting. The British
luxury car
maker has one of the strongest brands in the business. The Bentayga, its first mass-market SUV, fits into Bentley’s opulent image perfectly.Introduced in 2015, the Bentayga continues to offer the top-tier interior refinement people expect from Bentley while also providing the sporty edge of a legitimate SUV.
The Bentayga holds and breaks the Bentley mold
Most people identify Bentleys as the type of car that would carry the Queen. And they’d be right—two of the five State Cars used by Queen Elizabeth II are made by the company. But neither of them are Bentaygas.
The Bentayga’s list of specs likens it more to luxury SUV rivals like the Land Rover Range Rover or the Porsche Cayenne. All three powertrains, whether the 542-hp twin-turbo V8, the 626-hp W12, or the 443-hp turbocharged hybrid V6, provide ample power to all four wheels.
It’s inside where you’ll find Windsor-level comfort and quality. You won’t find any plastic here.
Carwow
says the SUV is decked out in premium leather, wood, and metal trimmings. With all those lavish details, it’s no wonder the Queen reportedly took Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer up on its offer to have the first Bentayga reserved for her, as per the
Sunday Times Driving
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Yes, it's luxurious, but is the Bentley Bentayga worth its price tag?
The Bentayga offers all the excess expected in a Bentley. But a glance at the luxury SUVs competing with it would make anyone think twice before hopping in the driver’s seat. Starting at about $187,600, the Bentayga costs far more than SUVs with similar interior specs and outputs.
The Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q8, for example, can be bought for under $70,000 and $80,000, respectively, and
CarBuzz
says they both happen to share the same twin-turbo V8 platform with the Bentayga, thanks to their mutual parent company, Volkswagen.Both of these German-made rivals have their six-figure trims, but those prices are reserved for performance models like the Cayenne Turbo Coupe and RS Q8, both of which don’t even match the price of the base model Bentayga.
One of the only SUVs that come close to the Bentayga price-wise is the Lamborghini Urus which also uses the VW-built V8. It starts at $225,500, but its top trim stops short of the priciest Bentayga by roughly $10,000.
Luxury is in the eye of the beholder
Yes, the Bentley Bentayga delivers on the grandiose style of its nameplate, but after crunching the numbers, most of what it offers can be found in other SUVs for far less money. Like any Bentley, when you buy a Bentayga, half the value comes from being seen in a Bentley.
Car insurance for a Bentayga won’t likely give you any breaks, either. Average coverage for the luxury SUV sits at nearly $4,800 a year. That said, Jerry can help you lower your premiums, no matter what model you drive.
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