2024 Bentley Bentayga

Bentley’s high-performance ultra-luxury cars and SUVs sell in relatively small numbers for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Consumer Reports does not purchase or include Bentleys for our test program, however, we occasionally rent examples for road tests. Throughout much of the 20th century, Bentley was a sibling brand to Rolls-Royce, and the two brands produced similar cars with minor distinguishing characteristics. Bentley’s sale to Volkswagen Group in 1998 changed the brand’s course. The last unique, hand-built Bentley was the Mulsanne, which was discontinued in 2020. Modern Bentleys, including the Bentayga SUV, Continental coupe and convertible, and Flying Spur sedan share some parts, engine designs, and technology with Audi. However, nearly all Bentleys are built in the UK and have specialty parts that can be expensive to replace. Some Bentley engines are still largely hand-built, as well. Interior trims have more in common with high-end furniture than other cars.

Bentley updated its Bentayga for 2021, bringing a lightly freshened exterior, updated interior, and more feature-laden infotainment system. The larger grille, glassware-inspired elliptical LED headlamps, and redesigned tail make this Bentley look more harmonious. The Bentayga launches with a twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 542 horsepower and rich torque. This will be joined by a W12 and a plug-in hybrid version. The cabin has been transformed with a new center stack design, steering wheel, door trim, and seats. An all-new infotainment system uses a 10.9-inch display. Wireless Apple CarPlay is standard, along with wired CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The Bentayga comes standard forward collision warning city-speed automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, parking obstruction warning, automatic headlights, and an exit warning to alert about approaching traffic when a door is being opened. Further features, such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, head up display, and night vision, are available in the Touring Specification package.