Skip to main content

Bentley’s prototype SUV will live to hit roads, probably not too many trails

Bentley SUV
Image used with permission by copyright holder

At the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, Bentley unveiled an SUV concept vehicle called the EXP 9F. And, well, people hated it. We, on the other hand, rather liked it. We see it as the epitome of the Bentley brand: huge and unapologetic.

After the automotive media and fans resoundingly slammed it, we assumed it would never see production. We were wrong, however. News is coming from Autocar this morning that the massive Bentley 4×4 will in fact be built – and sold.

The yet-to-be-named SUV will be based on the same platform as the new Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. No surprise there, as Bentley, too, is owned by Volkswagen. We suspect the hulking luxury SUV will be powered by either a V8 or Bentley’s infamous 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine.

No matter the engine, Bentley will undoubtedly fit the SUV with its close-ratio eight-speed automatic, which features what Bentley calls “Block Shifting.” Block Shifting allows the transmission to quickly downshift from eighth gear to fourth, making for faster acceleration should the driver choose to really goose it.

Based upon the pricing of other Bentley models, we expect the SUV to run somewhere in the mid-to-upper $200,000s.

For that money, though, buyers will get a luxury SUV unlike anything else on the planet. Bentley is proud of its bespoke heritage, arguing that while many other automakers attempt to replicate it, only Bentley truly embodies it.

The fact that the vast majority of people hate the looks of the Bentley SUV is irrelevant. They’ll sell them – and that’s what matters. The real question remains, however: How many will Soulja Boy order?

Nick Jaynes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more
Audi Q6 e-tron ushers in the automaker’s next EV phase
2025 Audi Q6 e-tron front three quarter view.

Audi doesn’t get enough credit for getting luxury car buyers comfortable with EVs. While Tesla took care of the image-conscious types, the German brand unveiled its e-tron electric SUV in 2018 with the tagline “electric has gone Audi” in hopes of getting loyal customers excited about (or, at least, acclimated to) electric cars by pitching the e-tron as an Audi first and an EV second.

The e-tron wasn’t a one-off, either. It’s since evolved into the Q8 e-tron and has been joined by the sporty e-tron GT and entry-level Q4 e-tron. So, while some car brands are only just introducing their first electric models, Audi is ready for round two.

Read more
Rivian R2 vs R3: Will one be ‘better’ than the other?
Rivian R2, R3, and R3X

Rivian has finally taken the wraps off of the Rivian R2, its latest SUV. It's designed to be smaller and more affordable than the much-loved R1S. But alongside the R2, Rivian also pulled off another surprise reveal -- the new Rivian R3.

The Rivian R3 is even smaller and aimed at being even more affordable than the R2. In fact, while the R2 is only a little smaller than the R1S and still an SUV, the R3 isn't really an SUV at all -- it instead wanders into crossover territory. It's designed to be Rivian's answer to cars like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and, yes, the Tesla Model Y.

Read more