$267,000 Bentley Bentayga SUV is the shape of luxury’s future

Forget the meek. SUVs have inherited the earth, or at least the roads. The biggest, baddest, and best, the most important and impressive luxury vehicles in the world today are SUVs. Ultra-luxe brands like Bentley and Rolls-Royce know it, though some other prestigious brands have yet to catch on.

Ironically, U.S. luxury brands Cadillac and Lincoln stumbled onto this truth years ago, despite the fact that they were an afterthought in the global luxury market.

The U.S. brands discovered that big SUVs are the real flagship luxury automobiles inadvertently. Lincoln and Caddy got in early when the Navigator and Escalade, respectively, rescued their parent brands from a wasteland of uninspiring sedans in the late ‘90s.

Bentley was the first of the top-shelf global brands to cotton on, introducing the powerful and sumptuous Bentayga in 2015.

Contrary to what their apologists would have you believe, the super-rich aren’t generally big on understatement. Every inch of the Bentayga screams power and prestige.

The 2022 Bentayga S I recently tested stickered at more than a quarter-million. It was nowhere near the top of the line, but it made a statement, and that’s the name of the game.

How much?

Bentayga prices start at $180,500 with a “modest” plug-in hybrid engine, last sold as a 2021 model, but expected back for ’23. Powered by a 3.0L twin-turbo V6 and electric motor, it has 443 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid is expected to return for 2023.

All Bentaygas have all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission

The 2022 model line began at $193,400 for the Bentayga V8, powered by a 4.0L bi-turbo V8 that produces 542 hp and 568 pound-feet of torque. The same engine powers the Bentayga S, which adds features and starts at $226,600.

The current top model is the Bentayga Speed, with prices starting at $259,400 and boasting a 6L W-12 (a name unique to the Volkswagen family, where two V6s are paired in a “w” shape) that produces 626 hp and 664 pound-feet of torque. All prices exclude destination charges.

A long-wheelbase model joins the lineup this fall. Called the Bentayga EWB, it will add about 7.1 inches of wheelbase, all of it for rear legroom, and is powered by the V8. Prices haven’t been announced.

I tested a Bentayga S with features including Naim audio, sport pedals, deep pile wool mats, metallic paint, and 22-inch wheels. It stickered at $267,140.

Like most ultra-luxe vehicles, the Bentayga’s competition isn’t other vehicles as much as yachts, kitchen and bathroom rehabs and other high-end accessories.

The most nearly direct automotive competitor is the Rolls-Royce Cullinan,  a chrome grille that dwarfs the attached SUV and starts at $349,500.

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Bentley Bentayga prices and trim levels

2021 Bentayga plug-in hybrid: $180,500

2022 Bentayga V8: $193,400

2022 Bentayga S: $226,600

2022 Bentayga Speed: $259,400

Prices exclude $2,725 destination charge

Source: Edmunds.com

Power and handling belie SUV’s size

The Bentayga S I drove came within a first-class passenger’s luggage allowance of three tons, but felt almost nimble, thanks to its extravagant power and finely tuned steering and suspension.