2017 Bentley Bentayga: First Drive

Our test drive of the world’s most expensive—and fastest—SUV reveals a powerful machine wrapped in a new level of luxury.

What it is: 2017 Bentley Bentayga

Price Range: Starting at $229,100 and rocketing up from there

Competitors: Upcoming Rolls Royce SUV (nicknamed Project Cullinan), Land Rover Range Rover SV Autobiography Black

Alternatives: Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, Land Rover Sport SVR, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, BMW X5M and X6M, a median-priced home in the United States.

Pros: Bentley looks and refinement, as comfortable driving or being driven; bespoke packages that include the ultra-rare nearly $170,000 Breitling Tourbillon, 600 hp, loads of torque and some minor off-roading ability.

Cons: A price tag that can quickly reach $300,000.

Would I Buy It With My Own Money: Sure, If I had tens of millions stashed away in some foreign bank account and I was adding the Bentley Bentayga to my growing fleet of luxury vehicles, yep, I’d totally buy it. I would also buy a ski chalet, a cabin in the woods and a beach house with nothing but sand dunes so I could drive it off-road.

For years, a Cold War-style stand-off has kept super-luxury automakers from treading on each other’s domain, with ambition limited by resources. That fragile peace has been shattered, and let history show it was Bentley which fired the first missile. The 2016 Bentley Bentayga makes the phrase “Bentley SUV” a credible reality—and gives Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz another competitor from on high.

In just 48 months from final concept to production, Bentley created something special for those who want the Bentley nameplate on an SUV. When Bentley first made the well-coifed foray into the SUV space with the EXP9 F concept in 2012, the idea and design both seemed overly challenging. After focus grouping to make sure their well-heeled buyers wouldn’t jump ship, and some refinements to the package, Bentley decided to go to market with the all-new super-luxe SUV.

You may ask, exactly, what does Bentley offer in the Bentayga (pronounced “ben-TAY-guh,” named after a mountain in the Canary Islands) that can justify a price which begins at $229,100? Start with the typical Bentley combination of a brand-new W-12 engine that makes 600 hp and 663 ft. lb. of torque. Each Bentayga takes 130 hours to handcraft; that’s anywhere from three to six times as long as it takes to build a more ordinary automobile. And beyond the luxury cues, Bentley had to engineer an off-roader for the first time.

From behind the wheel, the Bentayga proves pure Bentley. The torque is unbelievably linear; when you step on it, the eight-speed automatic ZF transmission ticks off gears as smooth as silk. Concerned about how many polar bears are drowning as a result of your fossil fuel consumption? Fear not, concerned eco-citizen, Bentley has you covered—the redesigned engine can run seamlessly as a six-cylinder under certain conditions making it more fuel-efficient. The engine runs in the more efficient mode below 3,000 rpm and the car is in gears three through eight. The Bentayga also has a “sailing” mode: in fifth through eighth gears, when you ease up on the throttle, the torque converter opens and the engine idles until the car detects a speed increase, at which time the transmission re-engages.