SUVs are big business for luxury automakers. Nowadays, not even Lamborghini, Aston Martin, or Ferrari can afford to do without one in their fleet, and the likes of Porsche, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley have all had to succumb to the market demands. Bentley has now revealed a new version of the Bentayga in the form of the Extended Wheelbase. As it says on the tin, the 2023 Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase adds more space between the front and rear axles - 7.08 inches more space to be precise - to create, in Bentley's words, "Bentley's next sector-defining grand tourer."

However, the British marque says it's more than just an extended wheelbase, but the byproduct of a nine-figure investment to create a rear-cabin experience better than anything else on the market since the Mulsanne.

Based on the second-gen Bentayga, the Bentayga EWB's wheelbase swells from 117.91 inches to 125 inches and its overall length to 209.52. All of the extra length is added to the rear doors and the rear of the passenger compartment, creating more space than any other luxury competitor - Rolls-Royce Cullinan included. But what do you do with all that space? Bentley has made available three seating configurations for the Bentayga EWB. Standard four- and five-seat options are joined by a new 4+1-seat arrangement, but the new Bentley Airline Seat specification is the company's pride and joy.

In place of standard 4+1 seating with 16-way adjustment, the folks at the Flying B call it the most advanced seat ever fitted to a car, boasting 22-way adjustment with world-first technology including auto climate sensing and postural adjustment technology. The seats have various modes, with Relax reclining the seats to 40 degrees, pushing the front passenger seat forward, and deploying a footrest from the back of the front perch. Business Mode sets the rear seats in their most upright position for the businessperson on the move.

The auto climate sensing technology uses a variety of sensors to detect occupant temperature and surface humidity and then automatically turns on the seat heating, ventilation, or a combination of both to maximize comfort. Additionally, the door armrests are heated in addition to the inboard armrests. This tech is joined by a postural adjustment system applying 177 individual pressure changes across six pressure zones based on pressure sensors in the seat. The constant fluctuations over a three-hour period prevent fatigue and stiffness on long journeys.

"The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase is our first car truly dedicated to the onboard wellness of its occupants," says Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors. "Every Bentley gets you to your destination feeling more relaxed than when you started your journey, and yet with the Extended Wheelbase we were able to go even further thanks to the adoption of world-first wellness technology embedded within our unrivaled interior cabin design… [to] make the Bentayga Extended Wheelbase the ultimate luxury SUV to drive or be driven in."

To highlight the luxury of the Bentayga EWB, the stitching on the seats features new designs created with digital craftsmanship. Not your typical diamond-stitch, the quilting elongates symmetrically from the center of the seatbacks and along the door panels, which Bentley says accentuates the lengthening of the car itself. Also new is an optional 'Metal Overlay in Veneer' trim. An intricate design manufactured from metal strips just 0.002 inches thick is hand-bonded to a veneer surface before being lacquered and polished.

Other bespoke bits of luxury include Bentley Diamond Illumination, emitting ambient lighting through perforations in the soft-touch door trim. Bentley says that more than 24 billion trim and upholstery combinations exist, making the Bentayga EWB the most individual Bentayga ever.

But what motivates the beast, and how will Bentley retain the SUV's signature handling? Well, the first answer you're looking for is Bentley's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, generating 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to all four corners via an eight-speed automatic gearbox, propelling the Bentayga EWB from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 180 mph. Bentley has equipped the EWB with rear-axle steering to counter the long wheelbase, making the turning circle at low speeds smaller than the standard Bentayga by 7%. Bentley Dynamic Ride is also standard, reducing secondary vibrations by as much as 27% compared to rivals for a truly premium experience.

Visually, the exterior of the Bentayga EWB is differentiated from the standard-wheelbase model in four ways. Not only is it visually longer, but it gets a new Vertical Vane Grille, polished 22-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, and a repositioned panoramic sunroof moved back by 4.92 inches to accommodate the extra cabin length, now with 1.57 inches more room than any other luxury SUV. Bentley also claims a 0.39-inch improvement in headroom over the defunct Mulsanne - indicating that luxury SUVs are now the full replacement for their sedan equivalents.

More than 2,500 new parts have been introduced for the Bentayga EWB with a new underfloor and new manufacturing processes as a result.

Bentley has added two unique specifications for the Bentayga EWB. Azure provides maximum comfort with quilted seats, mood lighting, a heated steering wheel, more driver assistance aids, and Azure embroidery and badging while separating itself visually with 22-inch directional alloy wheels and bright-finished lower bumper grilles.

First Edition models add the Bentley Diamon Illumination as standard, the aforementioned metal/veneer trim inlays, Naim for Bentley Premium Audio, LED welcome lamps, and unique embroidery, badging, and trim inlays.

Deliveries will begin in Q4 of 2022 with pricing still to be confirmed.