Item: Used Bentley Bentayga 2016-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

<p>The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/land-rover/range-rover/4x4/used-review/n872">Range Rover</a> set the standards in this class, with its brilliant blending of opulence and go-anywhere ability. It’s great on road and off it, and the interior is a fabulous place in which to spend time. It’s pricey, build quality isn’t the best and push it fast on the road and it can feel cumbersome – but, overall, it’s a remarkable world-beater.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q7/4x4/used-review/n813">Audi SQ7</a> shares its underpinnings with the Bentayga. It offers prodigious performance, thanks to its 4.0-litre diesel engine, as well as excellent handling and a roomy, high-quality interior. It doesn’t carry the prestige badge of the Bentley and the Range Rover, but it is superbly built and, like its more modest Q7 siblings, it’s superbly refined. It should be a much cheaper used purchase, too.</p>

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<p dir="ltr">In many ways, modern Bentleys offer the best of both worlds, blending traditional British craftsmanship with modern mechanicals developed with the help of the company’s owner, Volkswagen.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The Bentayga SUV, for example, is closely related to Audi’s brilliantly engineered Q7 (another VW Group car). Yet the Bentayga still feels every inch a Bentley, thanks to its hand-finished interior and the fact that it’s available with Bentley’s outrageous W12 engine.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Other Bentleys you can buy today include the Flying Spur and Mulsanne saloons and the Continental GT coupé.</p>


BENTLEY

BENTAYGA

<p>The Bentayga excels in performance and luxury, but not by enough for it to make more sense than its cheaper rivals</p>


Used Bentley Bentayga 2016-present

The Bentayga excels in performance and luxury, but not by enough for it to make more sense than its cheaper rivals 

<p>It is worth buying a used Bentayga. New, the W12 will set you back £165,000 in standard trim at the time of writing, whereas a 2016 model can be had for £125,000 – a pretty good saving on a low-mileage, franchised dealer car. Indeed, a 2017 car can be had for £130,000 – another good saving. The popular V8 diesel versions start at around £130,000, which is not so much a bargain but, at these levels, a good saving.</p>

<p>Obviously, it will cost a small fortune to run. The W12 petrol versions have a claimed fuel consumption of just 21.6mpg, so you can expect even less than that in real-world terms. The V8 diesels have a claimed 35.8mpg – good considering the size but, again, you’re unlikely to match that in everyday motoring.</p>

<p>An insurance grouping of 50 means high premiums, while tax bills will be suitably large. Servicing is best carried out by a Bentley main dealer, and that won’t come cheap. Expect four-figure bills.</p>

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<p>The 4.0-litre V8 diesel is our pick. Huge low-down torque helps the diesel feel every bit as quick off the line as the more powerful W12, but it ultimately can’t keep up as the speed rises. It’s massively fast nevertheless and uses less fuel while emitting less CO2. It also doesn't give much away in terms of engine noise or vibration, so the diesel Bentayga still feels luxurious.</p>

<p>The 6.0-litre W12 is a huge petrol engine that can shut off half its cylinders at a steady cruise to improve fuel economy. Even so, you’ll be using gallons of the stuff no matter how gently you drive and it isn’t remarkably quicker than the diesel version.</p>

<p>There’s only one trim. You’re paying a massive amount of money, so Bentley does at least provide a lot of standard equipment. Sat-nav, Bluetooth, a DAB radio, USB connections, automatic LED headlights, auto wipers, heated leather seats, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera are all included.</p>

<p><strong>Our favourite Bentley Bentayga</strong> 4.0 V8 diesel</p>

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Logical and beautifully built interior, with great infotainment</li> <li>More than enough space for five passengers or, even better, seven</li> <li>Strong performance along with impressive efficiency</li> <li>Composed handling that limits any feeling of unwieldiness</li></ul>

<p>We class a luxury SUV as being anything where our pick of the range costs more than £45,000 – and at this price point, buyers' expectations are high. So, as well as all of the qualities that make regular SUVs such well-rounded choices –&nbsp;such as decent space for passengers and luggage, a classy interior and robust materials – we also want a cosseting ride, the latest driver assistance technology and enough space to really stretch out.</p>

<p>The Land Rover Discovery proves that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get a luxurious SUV, but if you've got a bit more to spend, the Audi Q7 is perennially popular among buyers, and with good reason. Or, at the very top of this market, there are newer additions such as the BMW X7 to consider.</p>

Luxury SUV

<p>Bodywork repairs will cost a small fortune, so check carefully for scuffs and alloy wheel damage before you buy. It’s unlikely that many Bentaygas will have been used off road, but it might be worth having a look at the undersides of the car to make sure no damage has occurred as a result of negotiating countryside peaks and troughs.</p>

<p>Perhaps surprisingly, the Bentayga has already been the subject of a recall in the US. Bentley issued one covering 378 examples of the 2017 Bentayga. The affected vehicles have build dates between 1 March and 30 September 2016.</p>

<p>The issue relates to the assembly process. Seat mechanism and instrument panel joints may not have been properly tightened. If they're loose, vehicle vibrations can loosen the parts even further. However, no such recalls have been issued in the UK at this stage.</p>

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<p>At one time, the very idea of a Bentley SUV would have been about as likely as a donkey winning the Grand National, but in 2016 the firm struck out in a new direction and launched the Bentayga. It’s a 2.4-tonne, four-wheel-drive, 187mph SUV laden with goodies and reeking of luxury, and at the front of it is the familiar mesh grille of the Bentley.</p>

<p>The Bentayga catapulted itself into a class that didn't exist a few years ago: the luxury SUV. Now, the Bentayga finds itself up against a crop of similarly huge and opulent cars, such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volvo/xc90/4x4/used-review/n838">Volvo XC90</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/land-rover/range-rover/4x4/used-review/n872">Range Rover</a> and even the car on which the Bentayga's underpinnings are so closely based, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q7/4x4/used-review/n813">Audi Q7</a>.</p>

<p>However, despite being an even larger car than the Q7, the Bentayga isn’t yet available as a seven-seater, although it will be offered as an option further down the line, as will a hybrid powerplant. Bentley offered a 6.0-litre W12 petrol engine at the car’s launch and later added a 4.0-litre V8 diesel – the first diesel in the firm’s history – so performance is very much the order of the day. With either unit, the drive is suave, refined and velvety smooth, and the speed colossal – the sense of isolation is extraordinarily good.</p>

<p>The Bentayga has air suspension and, as a result, rides poor surfaces well. Allowing for the compromises inherent in such a large and heavy car, it actually handles quite well, too. Inside is an interior of rare craftmanship, beautifully made and swaddled with everything you could possibly want, never mind need. It’s a luxury cocoon that feels utterly convincing, even if the space available isn'tas huge as you’d expect judging by its external proportions.</p>

<p>So, the Bentayga is capable, competent and opulent. It’s blindingly expensive, too, but buying used may well be the way to knock a few bob off its outrageous asking price.</p>

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Used Bentley Bentayga 2016-present review

Alternatives

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