Bentley Bentayga EWB - which stands for extended wheelbase but for a price that starts at Rs 5.87 crores (ex-showroom) - but does it stand for supreme luxury and a meticulously crafted machine to redefine the standards of grandeur and comfort?
Is it just about the extra 7 inches long, or is there something more added to its character? On one side, you have the Range Rover Autobiography at a three crore price point, and on the other side, you have the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Bentley Bentayga EWB has found a middle ground between the Rs 4- 8 crore mark of the super luxury club.
You won't really be picking this for driving it, but when you do have to take the driver's seat to take your second wife or girlfriend for a midnight drive, the 4.0 litre, V8 twin-turbocharged petrol engine silently puts out 542bhp and 770Nm of torque and can make it disappear from your 1st wife in just 4.5 seconds. In other words, that is the time it will take for 0-100 kmph, but again, Range Rover Autobiography has an advantage in low-speed plushness and quiet crossing over bumps. There is no launch control, so don't expect anything more than a comfortable ride quality. The familiar three-mode air suspension system is quite good.
The moment you step inside the Bentayga EWB, you're enveloped in a world of refinement. Handcrafted materials, meticulous attention to detail, and a sense of space define the interior; the wood veneer adorning the cabin is a treat to the eyes.
Your chauffeur will enjoy the steering feel; in fact, even you would. But the screen at the centre console looks a tad small and disproportionate in the whole dashboard setting. I love the physical controls, and the easiest way to reduce or cut off the blower speed is by pushing & pulling it; wireless charging, storage as usual, business as usual. It complements the exteriors and makes you seriously indulge; the imposing grille and matrix grille take centre stage, flanked by intricately designed LED headlights that look like diamonds have been put inside a glass case. It is genuinely a rich-looking car wanting bodyguards around it or a couple of black Fortuners tailing it in the convoy to announce your arrival. The Bentley logo shines bright on the bonnet and is playful at the wheels; your child or the child in you will find it amusing to play with it, and it will look good on the road. The wheel sizes at 22 inches and 5-spoke wheels look just apt. 21 inches is also an option but should not be exercised.
To open the boot, you have to press the Bentley logo, which at first will take some time to figure out, and once it opens, the boot space is 380 litres. And now here I started scratching my head because the normal Bentayga offers 487 litres, and this one with extra wheelbase has swallowed those many litres & added 7 inches for the comfort of the boss man inside!
The quad exhausts look cool and are not fake at all, and what is not fake is the comfort offered for rear-seat passengers. The sun shades cut off light in a way that you can dose off without actually closing your eyes. You get a tray, but you really have to stretch to do anything until you pull up in front practically.
The focus is all on its epic rear quarters. The optional airline seats are really quite something; they possess 22-way electrical adjustment, massaging functionality and a recline angle of up to 40 degrees. Developed with a chiropractor, these seats will read your body temperature every 25 milliseconds and apply their heating and ventilation (or even both) to keep you at an optimum temperature. The seat will also oh-so subtly adjust its position throughout a long journey to keep blood flowing in your lower back and legs. I would love to do Mumbai-Goa to test this one day. The recline with a footrest will spoil you, but the Range Rover does it better, and the Cullinan does it the best. Bentley's even worked with neuroscientists to ensure your mind is equally soothed. Like the diamond patterns on the door trim, they not only illuminate as night-time mood lighting, but their symmetrical pattern absorbs stress from the brain. Cool aha!
Verdict
Now it's time to conclude and digest this - It has a UK number plate, and it's being driven on Mumbai roads, with 5000+ km on the odometer. You could hear the noises inside the cabin of the fittings and seats; maybe some screws need to be tightened; it also has cabin noise seeping when compared with the RR Ghost, for example, which is 10-15 % pricier and has 100kg of acrostics dampening and comes with V12. All said & done, it's a classic British badge with a German mind & muscle. It is for the exclusive few who dont want to be told, good or bad, have a mind of their own and are most likely not reading this review.
