First drive: 2022 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid

You have to look hard to pick the Bentley Bentayga Hybrid from its regular internal combustion engine siblings. There’s a tiny Hybrid badge in the lower corner of the front doors, and a flap on the left-hand rear quarter panel for the charge cable. And that’s about it. Like all Bentleys, the Bentayga Hybrid is a glittery brute in a smart suit; heavy, fast, and expensive. But it’s also a Bentley of the future.

By 2025 the entire Bentley lineup will have hybrid powertrains of some sort. And by 2030, of course, Bentley has committed to be building nothing but pure electric vehicles. A plug-in hybrid with a pure electric range of between 30km and 50km, the Bentayga Hybrid signposts the greener, more eco-conscious Bentleys we’ll see in earnest next decade. Even though a hulking, 2.6-tonne SUV costing well over $300,000 seems hardly the sort of vehicle you’d drive if you wanted to save the planet.

25

It’s all about the duty cycle. The previous generation Bentley Hybrid was introduced in 2019 to replace the diesel-powered model in the aftermath of the VW Group’s grubby Dieselgate scandal. Since then, Bentley has learned that while more than 90 per cent of owners use their Bentayga Hybrids nearly every day, half drive them predominantly in EV mode on journeys of 50km or less.

Bentleys have long been cars for rapidly crossing continents in refined luxury. The Bentayga Hybrid is the Bentley for those who never leave town.

Under the bonnet is the same VW Group plug-in hybrid powertrain used in the first-generation Bentayga. The internal combustion engine is a 250kW, 450Nm single-turbo 3.0-litre V6. A 94kW, 350Nm permanent magnet synchronous e-motor is mounted between the block and the eight-speed automatic transmission to bring the total system output to 330kW and 700Nm. The e-motor is powered by a 17.3kWh battery – usable capacity is 13.3kWh – located under the rear load space floor, behind the rear axle.

25

The 210kg battery’s location means the Bentayga Hybrid is not available with the optional seven-seat interior. Other options not available on the Hybrid are a tow bar, powered side steps, the 48V active anti-roll system, and the All-Terrain Specification package, which adds off-road drive modes and underbody protection. The electrification hardware also makes the Bentayga Hybrid more than 230kg heavier than the Bentayga V8, which has more power and more torque.

All the added weight impacts performance, though the Bentayga Hybrid could hardly be described as a slug. Claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time is 5.5 seconds, a second off the V8, while claimed top speed is 254km/h, down from the V8’s 290km/h.

That battery’s not all bad news. In addition to allowing the big Bentley to waft smoothly and silently around town, its location behind the rear axle also means the Bentayga Hybrid has better weight distribution than the V8, with 49.6 per cent of its mass over the rear axle, compared with the V8’s 43.6 per cent. The Hybrid thus handles corners better than expected when you do take it outside the ’burbs, feeling more responsive to steering inputs and not working its front tyres as hard to keep everything on the tarmac.

25

The Bentayga Hybrid’s default start mode is EV Drive, one of three E Drive modes actuated via the controller on the centre console, and the e-motor is able to propel the big Bentley at speeds of up to 135km/h. Mild haptic feedback through the accelerator discourages the driver from putting too much pressure on the pedal and firing up the internal combustion engine. The pedal will also vibrate underfoot when approaching a lower speed limit area or a road junction to encourage the driver to lift off and conserve energy.

Hybrid mode mixes and matches the power and torque outputs of the internal combustion engine and the e-motor to deliver the best efficiency. Hold mode maintains the battery's existing charge level to allow for pure EV running at the end of a journey. The transitions between the e-motor and internal combustion engine are seamless, but there’s a graininess to the V6 between 2500rpm and 3000rpm that’s at odds with the Bentayga Hybrid’s otherwise quiet progress.

The transitions between the e-motor and internal combustion engine are seamless, but there’s a graininess to the V6 that’s at odds with the Bentayga Hybrid’s otherwise quiet progress.

25

Working with data supplied by the nav system, Hybrid mode dishes out doses of power and torque from the e-motor to help the little V6, one of the smallest engines ever fitted to a Bentley, to keep the big Bentayga moving as efficiently as possible.

It works well: We arrived at the end of our 89km drive loop precisely as the indicated range remaining in the battery dropped to zero. The trip computer suggested the Bentayga had averaged the equivalent of 6.5L/100km for the distance, well under the 13.0L/100km WLTP combined fuel consumption figure quoted for the Bentayga V8.

Of course, the e-motor’s assistance becomes less meaningful over longer distances as the battery’s level of charge is inevitably depleted. Even so, based on WLTP test numbers, Bentley claims the Bentayga Hybrid has a cruising range of 693km, 39km more than the V8, despite its 75L fuel tank being 10L smaller.

25

Hardcore Bentley enthusiasts will prefer the Bentayga V8. The twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 is a thrusty, mellifluous engine that’s entirely in character with the marque’s tradition, and you can get it with seven seats if you have a big family and an off-road package if you’re feeling adventurous.

Given that very few Bentaygas are ever taken very far from the urban jungle, the Hybrid, supremely smooth and silent in city traffic, is a genuinely compelling alternative.

Given that very few Bentaygas are ever taken very far from the urban jungle, the Hybrid, supremely smooth and silent in city traffic, is a genuinely compelling alternative.

25

2022 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid specifications