Bentley is getting closer and closer to the production debut of its first SUV with the firm’s engineers continuing tests near the Nürburgring in Germany.
Crew’s SUV remains undercover with some trick camouflage on both ends of the car that succeed in hiding the design changes Bentley made to the ill-received EXP 9 F Concept from 2012. Bentley’s recent sketches, however, point to a less divisive look that’s more akin to the Continental GT styling.
A quick check of the license plates tells us that this tester is wearing Bentley’s 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine, which will be the most potent powertrain in the range and could come in two flavors, regular and Speed with over 600hp.
The SUV will be the first Bentley to be offered with a plug-in hybrid option, possibly even with two variants, one with a petrol-electric solution and the other with a diesel-electric combination. The technology will likely be shared with Porsche and Audi.
We also hear that the firm’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 petrol found in the Continental and Flying Spur models could be a candidate for the entry-level version of the SUV.
Underpinning the Bentley SUV will be the VW Group’s new, lightweight aluminum architecture bound for the next generations of the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, VW Touareg, and Lamborghini’s new SUV.
We should have our first look at the production car late next year before it begins arriving in showrooms in 2016.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
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