The 2021 Bentley Bentayga remains a luxurious behemoth

Yo know the phrase, there's no accounting for taste, or one man's meat is another man's poison. I've always thought that sort of poses interesting questions for the journalist trying to review something Let's say the film critic who doesn't like musicals. Does that mean that they shouldn't sit all the way through lala land? Maybe there's a restaurant critic who had a bad experience with garlic. early in life does that mean they now shouldn't take Taste the chicken Kiev [UNKNOWN] You just have to be objective but your own tastes to one side because others clearly do like these sorts of things. And with that, I give you the new Bentley Bentayga. Here in flame orange paintwork, not I have to say to my taste, but that doesn't mean I can't review it. Objective, of course, now this is a face of the same so we've got the bigger grille at the front, the lights have this class effect here to fit in more the Continental GT moving down the side while we've got normal 22 inch wheels, which is why the 400 millimeter brake discs look nearly adequate. The rest of this car well it's got the bike pack on it, so That's a that's an extra 14,000 pounds to you. This being a first edition, that's another 31 32,000 pounds, which you get some really quite delightful little badges just up here. Can we also have a moment for the carbon fiber, rail wing, which is as I say Important I think you'll agree in terms of lowering the center of gravity on a car that weighs two and a half tons. Run the back of the car. Well, it's a bit like the Aston Martin DB x in terms of stamping a sports car identity onto the rear of an SUV with the new lights Mechanically This is a not much has changed 20 millimetres wider on the rear axle and no w 12 launch anyway. So this is the petrol turbocharged V eight but to go for drive One thing before we go anywhere [BLANK_AUDIO] I go this [BLANK_AUDIO] Bentley momentum, not a fragrance but hand sanitizer. [BLANK_AUDIO] My husband washes hand sanitizer. See The times we live in a so with germ free hands we headed off into the countryside. [MUSIC] The bigger changes to the bentayga are really taking place inside the car. And it's it's just a sort of light refresh of the whole interior cabin things like this new 10.9 inch touchscreen in the middle which is very nice That's very reactive and looks lovely. We've also got the clock moved up here with us under the wing motif, which is rather Art Deco>>. The other interior changes include things like the digital dash and a wireless charging cradle. Don't worry though, it's not all touchscreen tech fest. The delicious the tactile organ stop vent controls. Remain. And the first edition pack that I mentioned is the reason for all the orange stitching, and more importantly, the upgrade to the fabulous named stereo. Nearly 1800 watts it's capable of pumping out, Impressive. Perhaps the biggest physical change to the interior of the Bentayga, though, is not actually something that you can feel from the driver's seat. [BLANK_AUDIO] Your mobile devices is still in the vehicle. [MUSIC] To get the full benefits you have to be back here because well, they've increased the room for passengers. So there's 100 millimeters more knee room than was Neil bentayga. There's also this down here. Through screens you can fiddle with your heart's content. Back to the drawing. [MUSIC] The actual drawing experience is what's most impressive. Certainly in a straight line. I can see why people like this, because there's an imperiousness to. Tank really, no matter what the road surface. Is like, this just seems to sort of steamroller over at all. Whatever the road surface there is a poshness to the air suspension. I do quite like that. There is an almost unparalleled serenity to the big Bentley that is very befitting of the Flying beanbag. Feeling of resolute calm however turbulent the tarmac beneath the 22 inch wheels.>> I do like the feeling that you get with this car in terms of its its luxury through heft. You pick up an item like a paper knife, does anyone use a paper knife? I don't know. But if you pick one up and they have this really incredibly weighty handleless sort of ornamental but they they have a luxury Return because of the sheer weight in your hand. This is the same. It's this feeling of quality through weight that then makes it seem a little odd having lightweight looking carbon fiber trim on the inside. Think don't stick with something from the range of wood for us. In terms of pace Do you miss having the w 12? Not really 542 brake horsepower says 550 ps and 568 pounds for the talk is ample. Certainly for naught 60 and 4.4 seconds naught to 109.9 which is every bit as fast as you When it was launched, the bentayga was touted as the fastest SUV ever capable of 187 miles an hour. It was then shown of that title by the Lamborghini ORS before swiping it back with the speed version. This v eight one will do 180 miles an hour flat out, which is quite unless your route to work is down a runway. Which I suppose it might be if you're buying a bentayga of more interest to most I suspect is its performance in the bends.>> Because they come off the corners. And it is a big, big car, keep within its limits and it's okay, but Try and push harder that even if you put it into sport and there is just no disguising that weight even with its 48 volt anti roll system. This is not a car for the twisty stuff and though it still breaks barely. Feel adequate sometimes. [MUSIC] Even though the V8 versions of Bentley's have always felt keener than the W12 variants when it comes to diving for an apex, nonetheless, you will still need to manage the weight of the nose and thus giving it time to turn and not asking too much of the tires. This is certainly not the sportiest of SUVs and hustling it reveals a much contrast to the Aston Martin DB x that I drove recently. But then some would argue that for most customers, that's not the point of a luxury SUV. The point is to feel stately, secure, superior and for some to make a statement. And the bentayga can be very successful at fulfilling all these desires. Designs that quite a lot of people clearly have, which is why this exists. If people didn't buy this, then Bentley wouldn't build it. But people do buy it in their droves, really, but he's relatively speaking. 20,000 ben Tigers have been. Been produced so far. And 45% of Bentley sales in 2019 were made up by bentayga. And that's Yeah, it was an old car by that point. Hence the mid life facelift of this model. So this new one will probably sell like hotcakes, and I can see why No, this bright orange 197,000 pound behemoth might not be my cup of tea. But then apparently not everyone shares my love for sports cars work windscreens or hot hatches with bucket seats each, as they say, to their own. And it doesn't mean that I can't appreciate some of the things that has been taken does some of the feelings that it elicits. It's been like that film critic that doesn't like musicals. Just because you don't like the idea of a story being told through song doesn't mean you can't appreciate the quality of the singing. [MUSIC] [MUSIC]