We’ve seen the Bentley Bentayga being put through its paces and having its high-quality features explained in several reviews, but how does it feel in the real world?
Harry Metcalfe is the man who answered this question after driving the world’s most luxurious SUV on a 1,500+-mile (2,414 km) tour across Europe that started just before the 2017 Geneva Motor Show opened its gates, earlier this month.
Embarking on a journey to the Swiss city meant finding the first flaw of the Bentayga, which is its ‘smart’ cruise control. This is said to be simply too clever for its own good, as even if it sounds right on paper, having the traffic sign recognition system constantly reading road signs and adjusting the speed accordingly can be a pain, especially when it sees limits that don’t apply to normal traffic and gets confused.
For the next leg of the trip, Mr. Metcalfe took the Bentley SUV to the French Alps, where the twisty mountain roads proved that due to positioning the W12 engine in front of the wheels, understeer will happen. However, once the road opens up ahead, it’s easy to forget that you’re sitting in a 2.5-ton vehicle, and its massive output will eventually put a smile on your face.
Cruising on the German Autobahn is where the Bentayga shined in three important categories: comfort, incredible acceleration, and amazing headlights, which might just be the best to have ever been fitted onto a production vehicle.
Before jumping to conclusions, though, we’d better let the founder of Evo magazine do what he does best and take us through every part of the most expensive SUV on sale today.