Bentley has unveiled the diesel variant of its new Bentayga SUV, and it sure seems like this thing will haul some serious ass. It has two turbos, a supercharger, tons of torque and it’s here to burn all of the oil.
Within the vast engine bay rests a triple-charged, 4.0-liter V8 diesel engine with a supercharger bolted to it to eliminate any lag produced by the twin-turbochargers. It makes 429 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. Which, by the way, is still less powerful than Bentley’s famed “6 3/4 Litre” engine. The 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 has 530 HP and 811 lb-ft of torque. But who cares about details anyway.
Bentley says the Bentayga Diesel has a top speed of 168 mph (and claims this makes it the fastest diesel SUV) and will do 0 to 60 in 4.6 seconds, with the help of the ZF eight-speed automatic. By comparison, the regular W12 Bentayga will top out at 187 MPH and do 0-60 in four seconds. So, it seems to me that you’d only buy the Diesel if the thought of a big W12 wracks your soul with guilt.
Or, if it’s cheaper. But I don’t know that yet, because pricing hasn’t been announced. However, if the regular Bentayga’s $229,000 starting price is anything to go by, I’m pretty sure the Bentayga Diesel won’t be much cheaper or more expensive than that.
Predictably, though, it won’t come to the U.S., which makes it not our problem.