Bentley Bentayga Speed blasts into Geneva with 626 hp
With a top speed of 190 mph, it takes the fastest-SUV crown.
The Bentley Bentayga adds a sportier new variant at the Geneva Motor Show. It's the sportiest version yet, and like all prior Bentley Speed models -- e.g., the Continental GT Speed -- it's ludicrously powerful and fast. Specifically, Bentley says the luxury SUV will sprint to 62 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and top out at 190 mph. That's 0.2 second quicker and 3 mph faster than the regular Bentayga.
Bentley also claims a speed record for the Bentayga Speed. Its terminal velocity, translated from 306 kilometers per hour, makes the Bentayga Speed the fastest production SUV you can buy today. It just barely pips the Lamborghini Urus, which has its terminal velocity quoted at 305 kph -- or so close that there's essentially no difference between the two. But, hey, bragging rights are bragging rights.
Providing all that performance is a reworked version of the Bentayga's 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine, in this case dishing up 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, the former an increase of 26 hp over the existing Bentayga W12. It's also an 84-hp gain over the available Bentayga V8. The SUV's Sport mode has been retuned, Bentley says, for better throttle responses, sportier exhaust sounds and a firmer ride from the Bentley Dynamic Ride active anti-roll system.
A big SUV traveling at 190 mph needs a lot of stopping power, so the Bentayga Speed is available with carbon-ceramic discs that Bentley claims are the largest on any production car. They were tested to withstand temperatures up to 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit and save 44.1 pounds versus the standard stoppers. The brakes hide behind 10-spoke 22-inch wheels.
Bentley designers restyled the Bentayga for Speed duty with a bigger roof spoiler, tinted headlights, darkened exterior trim pieces and subtle "Speed" badges. The cabin features Alcantara trim and illuminated "Sport" door-sill plates, though as with any Bentley, customers can personalize the cabin to their liking. No pricing has been announced for the Speed just yet, but based on past experience with the Continental GT Speed, it'll be a pretty penny.
