Bentley supersizes the Bentayga

Bentley has its sights set on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Range Rover LWB with the new Bentayga EWB (Extended Wheelbase) – a supersized version of its luxurious SUV that’s been stretched by 180mm vis-à-vis the regular model.

All the additional space freed up by the lengthways stretch is for the benefit of rear-seat passengers, who can bask in sprawling luxury – especially with the optional ‘Airline Seat Specification’, which features a pair of reclining seats in the back, each with its own fold-out footrest.

Bentley claims it has introduced a couple of world-firsts in the seats. The first of these is ‘Seat Auto-Climate’, which senses the occupant’s body temperature and compensates by either warming or cooling to bring their torso to the optimum thermal range.

The other first, according to Bentley, is ‘Postural Adjust’, which makes proactive micro-adjustments to the support in the seat (up to 177 changes over a three-hour window), with the aim of stimulating muscles and reducing fatigue. There are also dual ionisers for the rear cabin that filter out airborne particulates to ensure no nasty particles find their way into your lungs.

Even though it’s substantially longer than the standard Bentayga, the EWB is more manoeuvrable than the former, and this is thanks to the addition of four-wheel steering, which trims the turning circle down to a tidy 11.8m – 0.6m less than the standard model requires.

The other new feature the EWB debuts is soft-close doors, while the sheer length and weight of the rear doors has meant the introduction of an electronic opening and closing system, activated via push buttons on the rear centre console.

Among the external changes to the EWB is a new vertical-vane grille in lieu of the usual mesh-pattern unit. However, the crosshatch theme is still retained for the lower air intakes.

We sampled the Bentayga EWB at its international launch in Vancouver, and our maiden drive revealed the newcomer is a surprisingly agile and dynamic drive for a vehicle of its size.

The addition of four-wheel steering not only makes the EWB far wieldier in tight car parks, it also enables the big SUV to carve up winding mountain roads with pace and poise. The 48-Volt active roll stabilisation system plays its part, too, keeping the EWB flat and free of body roll, even if you’re hustling the vehicle through corners.

Motive power for the Bentayga EWB is provided by the familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that thumps out 550hp at 6000rpm and 770Nm from 2000-4500rpm, while drive is sent to all four wheels by a ZF eight-speed auto. The EWB is a beefy vehicle at 2514kg, yet it still manages to sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.6sec and hit 290km/h flat out.

There are plenty of elements that exude seven-star luxury in the Bentley’s cabin – especially the sumptuously upholstered leather quilted seats, plus the immaculately finished veneer trim on the doors and centre console. The chromed door handles and knurled alloy twist knobs are also a delight to hold and behold.

The Bentayga EWB is likely to be greeted by a highly receptive audience in markets such as the Middle East, China and the US, with pricing expected to start around Dh1m when the vehicle goes on sale in the UAE towards the end of this year.