The part-electric Bentayga bows with the same range of modification and improvements as the rest of its family did in mid-2020.
This means it gets to keep the powertrain of its predecessor that debuted three years ago. Its twin-turbocharged V6 has three liters of displacement and teams up with an electric motor to hit the wheels with up to 449 PS (443 hp / 330 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft). An eight-speed A/T drives both axles, but acceleration lags noticeably behind that of its gasoline peers: going 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) takes 5.5 seconds, and the top speed lies at 254 km/h (158 mph).
A 17.3-kWh lithium-ion battery translates into 50 kilometers (31 miles) of NEDC-rated driving range, but you won’t be able to go past 135 km/h (84 mph) in this mode. Charging takes 2.5 hours, and the combined mixed-cycle range is 863 km (536 miles, also NEDC-rated).
Other than the tech under the hood, the hybrid looks identical to its ICE cousins: the front grille becomes larger, headlights go 30 mm (1.2 inches) upwards, taillights move to the tailgate, and the license plate goes to the bumper.
Inside, there is a digital dash cluster, trapezoid central air intakes instead of the round ones from before, handgrips near the lower center console, and a 10.9-inch touch-enabled infotainment display.
The manufacturer hopes that the Bentayga Hybrid will eventually become the most popular version of the SUV. Flying Spur should also go electrified this year, and the hybridization of the entire range should be complete by 2025. By 2030, Bentley hopes to become a pure EV marque.