Very few individuals who buy the Bentley Bentayga will ever venture away from perfectly-smooth roads, but eager to give the luxurious SUV a proper test, Harry Metcalfe recently put one through its paces in his farm.
The veteran journalist says that Bentley UK took notice of him testing the current Land Rover Defender on his farm and wanted to give him a Bentayga V8 to show that it too can handle these types of off-roading environments.
Admittedly, the off-road tests aren’t all that difficult and are limited to some driving on wet grass, both up and down steep hills. Nevertheless, systems such as the height-adjustable suspension system do help the SUV tackle different terrain without breaking a sweat.
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The second half of the review is focused on the road where the Bentayga V8 really shines with good handling, impressive performance, and excellent sound deadening. Metcalfe adds that it is extremely refined and a vehicle that you will never get tired of driving, while this engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission also act as the perfect combination for a luxury SUV like this.
Whereas the 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 of the flagship Bentayga Speed delivers 626 hp and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque, the Bentayga V8’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter engine is capped at 542 hp and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) of torque. However, that doesn’t mean it is a slouch as it can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in a touch over 4 seconds and will reach a 180 mph (290 km/h) top speed.