Bentley Bentayga review

Climb inside, and the driver is treated to a suitably luxurious driving position; the Bentayga’s standard seats adjust in a wide range of directions (16, if we’re being specific) and the steering column tilts and extends to match. The seats themselves are also beautifully designed – there’s just enough side bolstering to hold you tight in the corners, plenty of lumbar support, and in cooled versions, the venting in the seats extends right to very edges for better coverage. As a car in which to while away the hours, it doesn’t get better. It’s thoughtfully designed, too; in terms of visibility, the Bentayga is easy to see out of for such a big car. It also helps that front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera (with a bird’s eye view) are standard. 

As part of the Bentayga’s comprehensive update in 2020, its interior received something of an overhaul. Changes were mostly detail; gone were the two trademark eyeball air vents, replaced by a winged vent inspired by the Bacalar concept and incorporating an analogue clock. The Bentayga also benefits from digital dials that are great at putting the most relevant information in front of the driver – including the sat nav map or music information – and there’s even an optional head-up display, which projects info such as speed, street names and distance to destination onto the windscreen. 

The biggest and most welcome change, however, was to the infotainment system. At 10.9in wide, its screen is larger than that of  the Aston Martin DBX, and it comes loaded with kit: DAB radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, real-time navigation, and an embedded SIM all come as standard. It also has pin-sharp graphics, is responsive to commands and has menus that are intuitive and easy to use. We also love that it can be controlled via the screen itself or via a number of hard keys located beneath the screen – something not possible in the touchscreen-based Audi Q7. 

This technology, though, is a small part of the Bentayga’s impressive whole – the Bentley ethos is better expressed by the materials that surround you. The rich leather and wood veneer and the turned aluminium air vents and their organ stop adjusters all remind you that a lot of attention has been paid to this interior. There is a tremendous feeling of quality, especially the detail on the chrome bezels and the exquisite stitching on the dashboard and seats. The Cullinan's interior quality is, admittedly, a cut above still, but there’s quite a price jump between the two SUVs. And, while there are still a few clues inside that give away the Bentayga's VW Group roots – such as the electronic controller for the eight-speed gearbox – there are no more than you’d find in other Bentleys such as the Continental GT.