Folks typically joke that patrons of ultra-luxury autos from Rolls-Royce and Bentley don’t care about fuel costs, however even when that’s true, lots of people nonetheless could not need to personal the rolling embodiment of earth’s impending doom. Rolls-Royce will go all-electric by 2030, and its British rivals at Bentley are exhausting at work on the model’s first EV, anticipated by 2025. Within the meantime, the Brits at Bentley have give you hybrid powertrains, and the automaker lately introduced an enlargement of hybrid choices for its solely SUV, the Bentayga. The automaker says that one hundred pc of Bentayga Hybrid house owners use their SUVs in full electrical mode, with half staying inside the automobile’s electrical vary.
The Bentayga S and Azure at the moment are accessible with hybrid powertrains, which means half of Bentley’s lineup is inspired. Reasonably than focusing solely on enhancing effectivity, Bentley applied a plug-in hybrid system that provides as much as 27 all-electric miles of vary, a 6-percent surge in energy, and a 15-percent enchancment in torque. The Bentayga S Hybrid, for instance, delivers 455 horsepower. All Bentaygas get virtually 300 pound-feet of torque simply from the electrical motor.
All Bentayga hybrids include a 3.0-liter V6, and Bentley says that the S Hybrid can attain 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in 5.3 seconds. The SUV acquired 15-percent stiffer dampers that shift damping drive based mostly on the chosen drive mode, and Bentley says a brand new Hybrid Sports activities Exhaust “brings a stirring symphony of sound inside the cabin.” It sounds loads like faux engine noises to us, and Bentley notes that the sounds may be adjusted in a different way for entrance and rear passengers.
The Bentayga Azure Hybrid is a extra luxury-focused variant that options intense noise-canceling applied sciences and distinctive inside touches to enhance consolation and a way of well-being. The Azure is as much as 26-percent quieter than its rivals on the street, and Bentley says it tuned the SUV to ship 27 p.c fewer vibrations. Patrons can select from 15 completely different inside supplies and shade combos, and 22-inch 10-spoke wheels come commonplace.
