Bentley’s much-awaited SUV, the Bentayga, is expected to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September but meanwhile prototypes are out testing in steadily less camouflage.
The Crewe-UK based luxury brand has been adding to the anticipation with a series of teaser videos, giving glimpses of the interior, emphasising the off-road capabilities with a short film showing a Bentayga climbing a massive desert sand dune, and most recently cold-weather testing in Sweden.
While the videos maintain some distance from the car so as not to reveal the final shape of the production Bentayga, it is clear from both the films and cars with less and less cladding spotted in general testing that the SUV is very different from the original EXP 9F concept that was shown and roundly derided at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Bentley is also yet to give any figures for the Bentayga, so far having only said that it will have in excess of 542bhp and 519lbft of torque, a sub five-second 0-62mph time, and a top speed of more than 170mph – it is notable that the speedometer in the teaser video is rated to 200mph.
The Bentayga will be built on a new line at the Crewe works and Bentley is said to already have more than 4,000 serious expressions of interest in the car from customers. The brand is also believed to be considering producing a smaller sister to the model.