Meet the sportier Bentley Bentayga S.
Even in the hyper-luxury SUV space, sportiness matters to some folks. That’s particularly true as more competition crops up, including the Aston Martin DBX and the Lamborghini Urus, among others. Now, the new Bentley Bentayga S aims to get on the action, adding performance-oriented styling and handling upgrades over the base V8 Bentayga.
On the styling front, the Bentley Bentayga S brings gloss black accents to nearly every surface, replacing all the chrome you typically get on the standard models. From the grille to the mirror caps, headlight accents, exhaust tips and a large rear spoiler similar to the W12-powered Bentayga Speed, The S looks the part as sporty SUVs go. Weirdly, the only part parts that aren’t totally blacked out are the wheels. The unique 22-inch wheels are a mix of silver and black — good news, if you aren’t a fan of all-black wheels.
Same V8, same power
Bentley’s 48-volt electric active roll control technology is standard fare here, where it’s an option on the standard V8 Bentayga. Bentley’s engineers also recalibrated the torque vectoring system, improved the turn-in response and stiffened the air suspension damping by 15% while driving in sport mode. While the Bentayga S does see handling upgrades, it doesn’t have any more power than before. The 4.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged mill manages 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. That’s good for a 0-60 time in the 4.4 second range, and a top speed of 180 mph.
Should you want to take your $219,800-and-up Bentley Bentayga S off-road, you can spec the “All-Terrain Specification” as well. That adds four dedicated off-road modes — Snow and Wet Grass, Dirt and Gravel, Mud and Trail, and Sand — as well as a wading depth up to 19.6 inches (500 mm).
Again adding to the sporty theme, the Bentley Bentayga S brings in tons of Alcantara throughout the entire cabin, as well as embroidered S logos in the seat backrests and more logos on the dashboard and illuminated sill plates. Of course, being a Bentley, you still have the option to change most aspects of the interior to your tastes through the online configurator. The 2022 Bentley Bentayga S is available in four, five, or seven-seat configurations.
