Bentley Bentayga 2021: arrives in Australia with 770Nm V8 engine

After launching globally last year, the facelifted Bentayga arrives in Australia as one of the most equipped SUVs on the road, with an earth-moving V8 under the bonnet.

Bentley has finally begun delivering examples of the Bentayga large SUV to its Australian customers after it was given a significant facelift last year.

The outer appearance of the Bentayga has been restyled to form a more uniform look between the design of the Continental GT coupe and the Flying Spur sedan.

Bentley Bentayga V8 2021 rear — Bentley have finally started delivering the V8-powered Bentayga to their Australian customers

Dividing deep into the Bentayga’s exterior styling:

The still proudly British-based design team has enlarged the matrix-style grille with staunch air intakes that sits between the existing dual-round headlight design equipped with LED matrix headlights.

Lower down sits a slightly more aggressive air intake with larger pockets on either side that house additional lights and feed air through to the engine bay and brakes.

Bentley Bentayga V8 2021 birds eye — The Bentayga has been given a significant styling overhaul to create a more aggressive package

Bentley has swapped out the rectangular design of the previous generation of Bentayga for a circular design, similar to that found on the Continental GT, which mirrors the rounded shape of dual-split exhaust pipes that sit on either side of the car.

With the new lights sitting on the enlarged tailgate, Bentley has ensured that both the brake and indicators remain visible when the door is raised by switching the lighting duties to secondary units mounted below for added safety when parked on the side of the road.

The smart feature accompanies others such as the windscreen wipers which are both heated and embedded with 22 washer jets in each arm, to create the feeling of a luxurious and highly practical SUV.

Bentley Bentayga V8 2021 interior — Bentley have fitted a crisp 10.9-inch touchscreen while retaining the physical controls

What about the Bentayga’s interior?

Bentley offers the Bentayga with a choice of either four seats with a centre console in the second row, or a five and seven-seat configuration.

Engineers have managed to open up an additional 100mm of legroom in the second row of the Bentayga in some configurations, created by tipping the seat angle back and by back and raising the thigh line higher.

Bentley buyers will notice the new crisp 10.9-inch screen display with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which has been better optimised with the a new operating system.

Bentley Bentayga V8 2021 rear seat — Engineers managed to free up 100mm of leg room in the second row by adjusting the angle of the seat

Those in the rear even get a touchscreen tablet of their own that can be removed and used to control the features such as the rear ventilated seats.

Bentley offers a choice of two sound systems in the Bentayga, with the Bentley Signature Audio system offered as standard with 590 watts developed by the 12-speakers.

Further up the chain is the Naim audio system, which ups the speaker count to 20, with a total power output of 1,780 watts, with active bass speakers fitted in the front two seats.

The ‘standard’ Bentley Bentayga V8 starts at $364,800 before any options or on-road costs but the marque is offering the limited-edition Bentayga V8 First Edition, which is a healthy jump at $448,219, before on-road costs.

Bentley Bentayga V8 2021 rear touchscreen — Rear passengers even have a touchscreen to play with

For the extra almost $100,000 premium, Bentley includes features such as the Bentley Dynamic Ride system which utilises the 48-volt mild-hybrid system to power the anti-roll bars to make the Bentayga more dynamically capable in a wider range of conditions.

The package also adds the Mulliner Driving Specification which includes the 22-inch diamond-turned directional wheels, which are a touch bigger than standard 21-inch wheels.

Bentley has also fitted specific driving pedals along with a slew of First Edition badging inside and outside the car, with ‘Bentley’ marked tread plates on the inside of the doors.

Bentley Bentayga V8 2021 engine — The Bentayga V8 develops a huge 404kW of power and 770Nm of torque

Tell me more about that V8:

Under the bonnet sits a 4.0L petrol V8 with twin-turbo in a ‘hot V’ configuration in the centre of the block, which develops 404kW of power and 770Nm of torque.

Bentley has paired the engine with an eight-speed torque converter automatic which distributes power through a trick all-wheel-drive system with an electronic differential lock at the rear.

With rubber increased by 20mm to 285mm at all four corners the Bentayga can travel from 0-100km/h in 4.5-seconds, with a top speed of 290km/h.

Bentley Bentayga V8 2021 front driving — The Bentayga V8 can hit 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds

Bentley will bring the Bentayga Speed to Australia in February 2022. Which manages to be even faster with a twin-turbo 6.0L W12 petrol engine developing 467kW/900Nm and will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds.

Early next year a plug-in hybrid version will also make its way to Australia which cuts the engine size in half to a 3.0L turbocharged V6 petrol engine.

With outputs of 330kW/700Nm, the Bentayga Hybrid won’t be slow, and the electric motors are capable of travelling around 50km (NEDC) on electric power, just enough for most people to commute to work every day.

Bentley says the vast majority of its cars are specially ordered from its factory in Crewe in the UK, so if the Bentayga strikes your fancy it’s best to get in early.