- To the freeway! And canyon roads…
- And how’s the rear-seat accommodation?
- Bentley Bentayga EWB: verdict
- First drive of Bentley’s ultra-luxury, long-wheelbase SUV
- Optional airline-style seat for second-row opulence
- Does this leviathan drive like a Bentley?
When Bentley launched its second-generation Bentayga, in 2020, CAR mused that, if the Bentayga was Crewe’s Cayenne, we’d love to drive its Macan. Magnificent though Bentley’s sales-smash SUV is (especially the gen-two car, with its wider rear track), a smaller, lighter and more agile cousin would be right up our street.
Instead, we get the opposite. Because a bigger Bentley SUV makes sound business sense, and CEO Adrian Hallmark is a stickler for that kind of thing. Since the demise of the imperial Muslanne, Bentley owners have been forced to rough it in the back of the Flying Spur or regular Bentayga… And while the latter is perfectly serviceable in the second row, it’s no match for the likes of the long-wheelbase S-Class or Range Rover.
The Extended Wheelbase Bentayga propels Bentley right back into the thick of this niche but lucrative sector, artfully grafting 180mm between the front and rear axles and lavishing it all on the rear-seat passengers. And artful is the word. So deftly has the additional metal been blended in that you simply don’t notice it at first glance.
In doing so, of course, the Bentayga’s become even bigger and heavier. The EWB weighs in at a shade over 2500kg, around 100kg more than the regular V8 Bentayga.
Can it possibly be enjoyable to drive?
To the freeway! And canyon roads…
Hug the coast north out of LA and you can dig into both sides of the Bentayga EWB’s character at will. The dull but effective highway 101 is absolutely the EWB’s likely theatre of operations, and the Bentley monsters the job of covering miles whether you’re sitting up front or in the back.
Powered exclusively (for now) by Bentley’s twin-turbo V8 engine, performance is effortless, despite the car’s weight. Away from the lights, joining fast-moving traffic from a sliproad, getting out of trouble – this cultured brute of an engine is always ready with the additional speed you seek. That extra weight only blunts the Bentayga’s 0-62mph time by a tenth, after all.
At the same time the EWB’s impressive rolling refinement and solid straight-line stability soon win you over. There’s a little road noise here, likely a product of our test car’s incongruous winter rubber and LA’s notoriously scarred concrete road surfaces. But mostly there’s just the deliciously pliant but composed ride and whisper-quiet progress. The EWB is also a reminder of how nicely Bentley’s SUV rides when it’s not trying to be sporty. The EWB is less fidgety than the Bentayga S, and all the better for it.
And few do interiors better than Bentley, with its best-of-both-worlds combination of VW Group tech and luxury price-point detailing. In the EWB the fit, finish, usability and tactility of all that you lay your eyes and hands upon is first class.
And on those canyon roads? Remarkably capable. Superb though the new Range Rover is, it wouldn’t see which way the EWB went on roads like Deer Creek, which climbs the grass-studded bluffs above the Pacific Coast Highway to soar from sea level to I-can-see-for-miles high in a matter of seconds. Thanks to its deft rear-wheel steering system (surely set to appear on the standard car at some point) and the proven Bentayga go-faster tech of electronic anti-roll control and configurable air suspension, the EWB feels no less keen to crack on than the regular car, with the same wonderful poise and flow to the chassis that only really starts to slip when the corners get really tight and your entry speeds overly optimistic.
No, this thing still drives like a Bentley. Though with all that weight and power, a spirited descent will soon see the brakes a little smokey and smelly, even if you’d never guess from the admirably wilt-free pedal.
And how’s the rear-seat accommodation?
Different gravy. The sheer space in the back is breathtaking versus the regular Bentayga, a car in which riding in the second row always felt like drawing the short straw versus being up front. Predictably, the EWB switches that hierarchy.
Options include four, four plus one (the middle seat folds down into a big armest) or five seats (not seven), and optional Airline Seat specification (£8395). Climbing in, you don’t need to trouble yourself with reaching for the now rather large door – just press and hold the button to power-close. You can then send the front passenger seat forward and yours into a state of blissful semi-recline (up to 40°, with 22-way adjustment), with a footrest for your loafers.
A pop-out tablet gives you control of climate and music, while the screen ahead means you can romp through a good boxset in just a couple of days of commuting. And there’s a world of techy luxury to explore, from seat heating and cooling through the various massage programmes. The seats also claim to actively regulate temperature and subtly shift shape as the miles pass, to avoid pressure points. Do they work? Just know you could snooze back here before you’ve even left your street.
Bentley Bentayga EWB: verdict
A no-brainer for Bentley, the only question mark around the EWB is why it took so long. As ever with cars this big, four-wheel steering is the cheat code. It keeps the big Bentayga from becoming an oil tanker, so it’s not like EWB should be avoided if you’re planning to do the driving. Little wonder Bentley expects the EWB to make up almost half of Bentayga sales going forward.
Keyword: Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (2022) review: bringing up the rear