In my mind,
It is the first ultra-luxury brand SUV to come out. Before that, the only ones above the ordinary luxury brands were Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover.
▼Cayenne (2011)
▲Range Rover (2013)
At that time, the number of their appearances on the streets was increasing, and they were already slightly "mediocre" for the rich and powerful people. Moreover, the former was born in a sports car family, and the understanding of luxury is always not extreme; the latter is extremely powerful, but it is still not "lonely" enough in the brand height. The super-rich desperately need an SUV model that is too high to show their identity.
Whether it was due to a keen sense of business or the location of Porsche, Bentley launched its own SUV model, the Bentayga, in 2015.
▲Bentayga (2016)
For a time, Bentayga became the best choice for the rich, but it also made other ultra-luxury brands realize that SUVs are the real wealth code. Bentayga sat on the throne of "the most luxurious production SUV" for less than 3 years, and Rolls-Royce Cullinan was born in 2018.
Cullinan (2019)
The huge price gap makes the two not directly competitive, but once the door is opened, it is difficult to close. With Cullinan, the super-rich have found that the cap of the original ultra-luxury SUVs can be even higher. Especially for the bosses in China who love large spaces, although the space of Bentayga itself is enough to get his hands on, it is a bit "ordinary" compared to the behemoths like Cullinan.
Obviously, ordinary is not the pursuit of the rich, but Cullinan's price of twice that of Bentayga and the ultra-long car cycle due to production capacity are also prohibitive for some. For friends who are struggling with it, Bentley's upcoming new solution may solve your worries - bentayga long wheelbase version.
▲Bentayga Long Axis Edition (2022)
The development of the long-axis version must be to improve the riding experience of the vehicle. So in terms of luxury enjoyment, what upgrades has the Bentayga Long Axis Edition brought?
More than just a simple stretch
The most intuitive improvement is of course reflected in the seating space. The wheelbase of the Bentayga long-axis version was extended from the original 2995 mm to 3175 mm, and the vehicle length was 5322 mm, and the additional length was all located in the rear of the cockpit.
In order to facilitate everyone's comparison, we provide several competitor data for reference here
With plenty of space in the back, Bentley was able to generously do the article on the seat.
It is reported that the new Bentayga "Bentley Aviation Grade Seat Kit" has a 22-way adjustable function, and has automatic temperature sensing and comfortable massage function.
In relaxed mode, the seat moves forward and reclines back to 40 degrees, and the leather pedals unfold outward from under the front seat.
When switching to business mode, the rear seats are re-upright to provide a more comfortable in-car office space.
The automatic temperature sensing function senses the temperature inside the car and the humidity of the seat surface, and automatically adjusts the heating and ventilation function of the seat. At the same time, the massage system measures the pressure points on the seat surface and automatically adjusts the passenger's sitting posture and pressure points. This feature enables 177 individual pressure trimmings in 6 fully independent seat control areas for up to 3 hours.
However, whether this set of "Bentley Class Empty Seat Kit" needs to be installed optionally, it is still uncertain, and it will be shared with you as soon as the news is confirmed.
I am personally surprised that, according to the information provided by Bentley, the seat layout of the long-axis version of the model only provides three options of the new 4+1 seats, 4 seats and the 5 seats that can be reclined in the rear row, and the 7-seat layout is eliminated. The reason is that "customer research suggests that the new Bentayga Long Wheelbase Edition should pay more attention to the sense of space and luxury." ”
The 4-seater version comes standard with a centre console between the rear seats, providing additional storage space and two USB charging ports. In addition, the 4-seater version is available as an optional refrigerator with a 750ml container and a pair of "handcrafted Cumbrian crystal cups".
The rear of the front armrest box features a completely new design. On the previous Bentayga, the touchscreen remote card slot in the rear row was located lower. On the new long wheelbase version, the position of the card slot is moved to the top, and the passengers can pick up and operate it more conveniently and decently than before.
▲Old design
New design▼
The air conditioner switch still uses the classic slider control, but the air outlet has been replaced by a more stylish shape. Wireless charging for mobile phones has been added below, as well as electric control buttons for the back door that I personally believe are more critical for luxury cars.
This time, the length of the entire front armrest box has also been extended backwards, so that the rear passengers can still calmly maneuver the area under the extended space.
Finally, there are several new features in the back row. One is that the door side and the central armrest are equipped with heating function, as well as negative ion air purification function. One detail is that the rear ventilation system of the Bentayga long axis is only activated when it senses that there are passengers in the rear seat, which can reduce energy consumption on the one hand, and further reduce the noise in the rear on the other hand, and the details are very good.
Novelty is hidden in the details
In terms of design, the Bentayga long-axis version has not changed much this time, but several new additions are also quite thoughtful. In addition to the improvements just mentioned in the rear of the front central armrest for the long wheelbase model, Bentley has also made corresponding optimizations in the door panels and panoramic sunroofs.
In order to match the lengthened door length, Bentley did not directly elongate the original design, but redesigned the rear door trim, which is very exquisite. The panoramic sunroof has been moved back by 125 mm to give rear passengers a clearer view and a sense of openness.
Friends who like atmosphere lights can choose the "Bentley Streamer Diamond Grid Kit", the LED light source will shoot out from the gap of only 1 mm in diameter on the door panel, and it is recommended that friends who will not feel uncomfortable with dense objects can choose.
The most obvious change in appearance, in addition to the elongated body, is the middle net. On the basis of the original mesh grille, the long-shaft version of the model is covered with a straight waterfall grille on the outside, which visually enhances the luxury attributes of the vehicle.
Finally, there are new wheel hubs. 22 inch, 10 spokes, surface polished. There is little difference in styling from previous styles, the difference is that the edges of the spokes are more rounded, and it is also visually more luxurious.
Predictions about manipulativeness
Tim Yue is a very balanced model that combines comfort and handling. When I test-drove the second-generation Bentayga (standard axle), my subjective feeling was that its body was a bit large, but it was not bulky at all.
As a huge SUV carrying an expensive material, it rotates the steering wheel at a higher speed, but the body almost has the feeling of dragging mud and water. Under the action of the 48V active anti-roll bar, the four corners of the body are steadily supported, whether it is a sharp acceleration or deceleration or a fierce corner, just a little sign of the center of gravity downward pressure, it will be snuffed out in an instant, almost no obvious pitch and roll, the whole brings me a "big, but very tight" feeling. At one point I was even aroused by the desire to operate it, a feeling that is hard to find on Rolls-Royce.
After 180 mm of length, can it maintain its original handling? In response, Bentley came up with an electronic all-wheel steering system that had been used in Mulsanne to neutralize the handling burden of the wheelbase length. All-wheel steering improves the stability of high-speed driving and also helps with flexibility at low speeds. Compared to the standard axle model, the turning diameter of the long wheelbase version has even been reduced by 7% to 11.8 meters.
Of course, the 48V active anti-roll control system just mentioned has also been retained and has become the standard configuration of the long axis Bentayga, which makes me look forward to the test drive experience of the long axis Bentayga.
As for power, the Bentayga long-shaft version follows the previous 4.0T V8 twin-turbo engine, with a maximum power of 550 horsepower and a peak torque of 770 Nm. This set of powertrain is also used in Cayenne Turbo and other models, I am still familiar with it, the sound wave is not very large, but it is very low and thick, about two thousand revolutions to the maximum torque platform, with the 8AT gearbox, daily driving without pressure. If you want to go to the track to play a little, the 4.6 seconds to break the hundred is enough to cope.
summary
Bentley invested hundreds of millions of euros in the development of the new Bentayga long wheelbase model and introduced more than 2,500 new accessories, including a significantly improved body-in-white and a new chassis. According to officials, the new Bentayga long wheelbase version will begin to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2022, and sales are expected to reach 45% of Total Bentayga sales.
Since Mulsanne was discontinued, Bentley's E-Class position has become vacant. It is not difficult to find that the update of the Bentayga long axle is concentrated in the rear row, which greatly improves the riding experience of the rear seat of the vehicle. In some ways, the Bentayga long-axis version has also become an important model to continue The Mulsanne incense. I also hope that the global epidemic will end as soon as possible, so that we can get an early and comprehensive glimpse of the Bentayga long-axis version.
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