Whether it’s an established automaker trying something new or a freshly-funded startup looking to find its niche, electric cars present more questions than which battery supplier or charging standard to use. They give automakers a chance to define — or redefine — themselves.
But while self-reinvention can be invigorating, it’s not always necessary. In this century, Bentley has crafted a distinctive and appealing identity for itself, and its ultra-wealthy customers aren’t exactly the best target audience for EVs. Yet the automaker does still plan for an all-electric lineup by 2035. A recent drive of the storied British automaker’s current lineup shows that an electric Bentley can still be a Bentley.
Big cars with big personality
After decades in the shadow of Rolls-Royce, Bentley has enjoyed a renaissance under the stewardship of the Volkswagen Group. Ornate yet aggressive, modern Bentleys maintain the brand’s high-end status while offering a sporty driving experience that nods to its legendary racing exploits.
Epitomizing that is the new Bentley Bentayga Speed. This latest version of Bentley’s only SUV is appropriately kitted out for a roughly $280,000 car, with soft leather, carpets that wouldn’t look out of place in your living room, and a refined ride. Riding in the back seat for the trip from the hotel to the airport was just as comfortable as the first row, a sensation best described as the automotive equivalent of wear noise-cancelling headphones.
But slip behind the wheel and put your foot down, and the Bentayga Speed provides a completely different experience. Despite looking inside and out like a cartoon caricature of a rich person’s country-club shuttle, The Bentayga Speed devours tarmac in a way that would make its distant race-car ancestors proud. Rear-wheel steering, torque vectoring, and the biggest brake rotors on a production car (at 17.3 inches, they’re bigger than the standard wheels on a Toyota Corolla) help the Bentayga defy its considerable curb weight in corners, while a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 does the same for the straights.
Last of the (non-hybrid) V8s
An upgraded version of the engine used in others versions of the Bentayga, this V8 generates 641 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. That propels the Bentayga Speed from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 193 mph, according to Bentley. That makes this the quickest-accelerating and fastest iteration of the Bentayga yet, but a Lucid Gravity matches its zero to 60 mph time with a pair of electric motors (which generate even more power).
With the rest of Bentley’s lineup switching to plug-in hybrid powertrains, the Bentayga Speed will likely be the brand’s last volume-production model without some form of electric assist. Bentley representatives said this imbues the non-hybrid Speed with a better power-to-weight ratio, but based on previous experience in the plug-in hybrid Continental GT Speed coupe and a quick spin in a Flying Spur plug-in hybrid sedan, it’s hard to imagine hybrid system not making up for any deficit. And while the Bentayga handled impressively well for a heavy vehicle, there’s nothing technically keeping the Bentley engineering team from imbuing an EV with similar qualities, as the sharp-handling Gravity again demonstrates.
What really sets the Bentayga Speed apart is its soundtrack. The roar of a V8 is the quintessential automotive sound, and it plays here without any artificial augmentation, and enhanced by an available titanium exhaust system. Perhaps it’s the conditioning of endless television and movie sound effects, but it’s hard to separate the sound of a V8 from the act of driving. So much so that, even though it’s perfectly pleasant to cruise along on electric power in one of Bentley’s plug-in hybrids, it’s all too tempting to fire up the engine just to hear it — even if that defeats the purpose of these hybrid powertrains.
Engaging the senses
Future Bentley EVs may be quieter, but the automaker will still be able to engage the senses through its artful interiors. The quality of the leather upholstery and wood trim, or the imaginativeness of the color palette, aren’t dependent on the powertrain, after all. And Bentley’s experience with making big, heavy vehicles handle properly should give it a head start on developing vehicles upwards of 1,000 pounds of batteries crammed into them. In fact, there’s very little about the Bentley character that can’t be applied to an EV — if the automaker chooses to.
Bentley announced last year that its first EV would be a “luxury urban SUV” that won’t replace any of its existing models, and will be smaller than the Bentayga. That hints at an entry-level model slotting below the current SUV, so the real question isn’t whether an EV can be a Bentley, but whether Bentley will make this one a watered-down model designed to hit a certain price point or volume. That’s essentially the same strategy it took with the Bentayga, and on versions that aren’t fully kitted out, the parts sharing with other Volkswagen Group brands that made that happen is apparent. Bentley should really be moving in the opposite direction.
Electrified performance vehicles continue to show their stuff
While few EVs reach the heights of luxury Bentley is known for, performance is an EV specialty. This week, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the AMG GT XX concept, previewing the first dedicated EV from its AMG performance division. A low-slung four-door with a trio of axial-flux motors producing 1,341 horsepower, it features battery tech created with lessons learned from Formula One racing, and 850-kilowatt fast-charging hardware that would dramatically cut charging times if implemented on a production car.
The annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has become a showcase for EV performance, and this year was no different. A modified Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and a purpose-built racer loosely based on the Ford Mustang Mach-E both won their classes. Competitors aim for the best time over a 12.4-mile course that climbs to the 14,115-foot summit of Colorado’s Pikes Peak, an altitude high enough to affect the performance of internal-combustion engines. That’s not a concern for EVs though, which is one holds the overall record.
Speaking of records, Porsche proved that its latest Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid plug-in hybrid is faster around a track than its non-hybrid Turbo S predecessor. The 621-hp plug-in hybrid shaved half a second off the old model’s lap time at Road Atlanta with a 1:30.9-second time that Porsche claims is a new record for production sedans at the Georgia track.
