Bentley Bentayga review

The Bentayga isn’t cheap to buy, nor cheap to run: Bentley claims 21.7mpg and 294g/km of CO2 emissions for the V8. You might get 20mpg. But of more relevance will be its near 400 miles of range on its huge 85-litre tank. It’s so comfy inside, it’ll only be pitiful human needs for toilets or snacks that’ll prevent your own distance between stops being the same.

The Hybrid claims an entirely theoretical 83.1mpg, 82g/km and a 431-mile cruising range. In practice it’s a little more efficient than the V8 on a long run, but not that much. Expect 23-24mpg. It’ll cost you less to tax than a normal Bentayga (as if you care about tax…), but you’ll need to keep the battery topped-up to get the most out of it. Bentley tells us most owners do. Presumably by getting someone else to plug it in at home for them?

The V8 and Hybrid Bentaygas cost exactly the same to buy – £169,000 before options. And there are MANY options – the superb Naim stereo costs just over £7,000, and the ‘Touring Specification’ pack that gives you adaptive cruise control, lane assist, a head-up display, night vision and a couple of other bits is £5,800.

But the real fun and games comes when you sit down with the person helping you to spec your car, and you discover the entertainment available in speccing and blending the colour, trim, stitching, paint, chrome, leather, tones, veneers and finishes. The bill will be astronomical.

And potentially painful. Because the bigger question surrounds residuals. The awkward-looking first gen Bentaygas can be picked up for around £50,000 now, having cost their owners at least three times that eight years ago. We expect the newer cars to hold their value better.