• Auto123 puts the 2023 Bentley Bentayga EWB to the test.
• This EWB (Extended Wheel Base) model is 18 cm longer than before - too much of a good thing?
• Opulence comes at a price... but it's also very appealing!
Vancouver, BC – After a lightning trip out to the beautiful West Coast to test drive it, here's our 2023 Bentley Bentayga EWB first drive review, in delightful question-and-answer format.
So, why 180 millimetres more for the 2023 Bentayga in EWB format? The regular version too tiny?
The first SUV from ultra-luxury carmaker Bentley launched in 2015, and its success prompted Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce to enter the fray with the Urus and Cullinan. When designing the second-generation Bentayga (a name inspired by a rocky peak in the Canary Islands, by the way), Bentley surveyed its customers. Many responded that they wouldn't mind having a rear cabin as majestically comfortable as the Mulsanne, the brand’s limousine the SUV replaced.
Bentley listened, and now with the EWB it offers the most generous 4-seat (captain's chairs), 4+1-seat (folding center armrest) and 5-seat (bench seat) configurations in this elite segment.
I have to wonder, do people want to drive it or be driven?
Bentley's figures tell it this: 84 percent of customers prefer to drive it. So no chauffeur, or at least, chauffeur stays home. But this new EWB (Extended Wheel Base) model will likely shake up those statistics, especially in China where a driver embellishes your social pedigree.
Now, you don't choose a Bentayga EWB for the thrill of driving it, but for the extra space in the back. Unless you're the kind of person who's very altruistic and thinks about the comfort of your passengers. That said, whichever way you prefer to enjoy your Bentayga, you can't be disappointed.
This thing moves
What do you mean?
If you're at the wheel, you have a 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8 engine at your service. Coupled with an 8-speed automatic transmission, it gives you 542 hp at 6000 RPM. With that, you can go from 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and do up to 290 km/h.
Is that fast?
Yes. And for a behemoth like this, it’s really fast. The EWB version weighs 2,514 kg, about a hundred more than the shorter Bentayga. I put my foot down and tried it out. The reaction was overwhelming! You have to grab the steering wheel with three hands as you make like a bat leaving hell.
I must admit, however, that the effect is not the same as with most other cars. I think it's because in the Bentayga, you feel a little small. I mean, the size, the luxury, the price paid, it all kind of crushes you. I mean, when you're like me and you're, you know, a common man. I guess millionaires and billionaires react differently. For them, it's just a vary fast tank. Their garage is full of Ferraris and other exotic creatures.
For me, I could not stop drooling over the exquisite materials chiseled to perfection by the craftsmen at the Bentley factory in Crewe, England.
Those magicians do things like hand-engineer .07-mm-thick metal strips into the wood to create arabesques. In the doors, LEDs shine through tiny perforations.
By the way, guess how many option combinations there are for the Bentayga?
I don't know. A hundred?
Twenty-four billion! Not million. Billion! All buyers fully customize their vehicles according to their whims, and Bentley obliges - as long as those buyers have the means.
Knowing all this, I have to tell you, I didn't exactly feel at home in this universe of extreme luxury. So when I finally dared to push the button making my palace on wheels come to life, I had the impression for a split second that I wasn't the one controlling the machine, but the other way around.
Yikes... I think I prefer my Honda Civic. Less stressful.
A reassuring drive
Fortunately, confidence quickly returns. The trajectory of this tank as it shoots forward is straight. The feeling of stability is reassuring. All Bentaygas, regardless of wheelbase length, include a four-wheel drive system with a selection of drive modes to suit road conditions.
And fuel economy? Although owners probably don't bother with that kind of trivia…right?
Not so sure. The value of money, and all that. Anyways, despite the performance powertrain and the vehicle’s weight, the combined rating (city/highway) of the EWB is around 13L/100 km. Plus the Bentayga hybrid will make a comeback this fall.
All’s good then?
Well, braking takes some on-the-fly practice. As soon as you touch the brake pedal, the huge discs bring the 22-inch wheels to a halt with a snap of the fingers. You have to learn how to modulate them to avoid sending your passengers windshield-ward.
Okay, what you're describing is when you're accelerating like a moron. But the rest of the time, how does it behave?
Like velvet. It's soft, it's smooth. There's the air suspension. There's the Dynamic Ride, an electrified (48V) pitch control system that produces superb balance at all times, whether you're running like a gazelle or moving like a turtle in a crowded parking lot. Oddly enough, the turning radius is...
The what?
The turning radius. When you have to make a sharp turn, sometimes you get it on the first shot, but sometimes you have to do it twice because the maneuvering space is too tight, the vehicle is too long, or you miscalculated. Despite the Bentayga EWB's length, its turning circle is 7-percent shorter (11.8 meters) than that of its shorter version.
How is this possible?
Thanks to Electronic All Wheel Steering, which turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels by up to 4.1 degrees.
It pampers
So for the second row, since this is where the EWB version tries to distinguish itself, how is it?
Uh, spacious. I’m six feet tall and I could cross my legs like I was in my living room. There’s more space than in the longer Cullinan. On the other hand, there are huge doors that open wide and are difficult to close once you're seated.
There’s a solution to this: a button on the rear console that closes them automatically. The same console that holds a detachable mini-tablet. With it in your hands, you can adjust everything in the cabin.
But the Oscar for opulence goes to the Airline Seat. When you check the option for this, know that we’re not talking about a regular, economy-class airplane seat of course. No this is more First Class.
In Business mode, the 22 possible adjustments lets you work from the tilting table of the backrest in front of you. In Relax mode, your own backrest reclines up to 40 degrees, and the front passenger's seat, from which you have just kicked out the passenger, curls up on itself while a footrest deploys.
All you have to do is lounge on the headrest. And it's not just a headrest wrapped in the softest leather. It's more like a pillow. In fact, it's a cloud. Your head is resting on a cumulus cloud. You don't want to get off.
Bentley should market it as a line of office furniture.
Volvo has already done that. But anyways, I haven't told you the best part yet. All EWB thrones can automatically adjust their temperature and hold to better pamper you.
What are you talking about?
As you know, more and more cars are offering heated and even ventilated seats. The Bentayga takes the concept a step further. Its seats analyze your body's temperature and humidity and then release the heat or coolness needed to keep you comfortable. Imagine driving with a fever: the seat acts like a thermometer and adjusts its functions to cure you!
That's sick!
Har har. But that's not all. To prevent you getting sore from not moving during a long drive, the seats have been divided into six zones, which stimulate 177 different pressure points to massage your body. It's like sitting on a chiropractor!
Ok ok, you don’t need to pile it on, I’m sold. I'm getting up to grab my chequebook. So how much does this thing cost?
Better sit down. It starts at $274,500. But tell me, did you record our conversation with your phone?
You think I'm a journalist or something? Of course not!
Too bad. Now I have to go write everything down.
