Bentayga

Make
Bentley
Segment
SUV

There was no way Bentley was going to allow the Lamborghini Urus, its distant corporate cousin, to own the super SUV spotlight for long. Sure, the Bentayga was the first of its segment to go on sale, but others, including the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, followed soon after. But Bentley wants to retain its ultimate SUV crown, meaning it's time to show both the Urus and Cullinan who's really in charge.

Rumors are rife that Bentley will launch the Bentayga Speed later this year, most likely at Geneva, with sales to get underway shortly thereafter. What will be the most significant upgrade? Power of course. The twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 will increase in power from 600 hp to 650 hp, at least.

This is possible thanks to a combination of hardware and software upgrades. Top speed will also increase to 190 mph and a 0-62 mph time in less than four seconds. Revisions to the eight-speed automatic transmission are also expected in order to handle the performance targets. And just for comparison, the Lamborghini Urus produces a total of 631 hp and carries a top speed of 189 mph and a 0-60 mph sprint time of 3.6 seconds. Both the Urus and Bentayga share a platform.

But not only will the Bentayga Speed be focused on outperforming the Urus, engineers have also made a number of improvements to the chassis in order for it to drive less SUV-like. Interestingly, there will be no significant weight reduction compared to the current W12 Bentayga.

The interior will also be the recipient of several upgrades, mainly with unique upholstery and 'Speed' badging. Exterior styling will remain as is, though expect to see some subtle changes to make the SUV stand out a bit more. Think of the differences between the previous Continental GT Speed and the regular Conti GT.

Pricing, as expected, will also increase, just as it has with all previous Speed models. Even before buyers start adding customization options, the Bentley Bentayga Speed will cost at least $20,000 more than the Bentayga W12, which in the US beings at about $200,000.