Bentley just sent us these photos of the Bentayga’s wire harness—the huge highway through which electrons travel to allow computers, actuators and sensors to communicate. Like the human central nervous system, the thing is enormous. And also, strangely beautiful.
I don’t envy the person who had to package this incredibly complex wire harness, which Car and Driver says weighs 110 pounds and which, the Bentayga product-line director told the news site “is delivered on a pallet that’s basically the size of the car.”
A wire harness delivered on a pallet? Seems a bit odd, but Bentley says the harness is actually really stiff, unlike typical flexible wiring you’re probably used to.
While many modern cars have wiring harnesses that look like a bunch of tangled snakes, the Bentayga’s is probably among the more “involved,” in part because the thing has so many opulent luxury features, many of which require complex computer control.
You’ve got stuff like night vision, a head up display, blind spot assist, and the whole infotainment system and 20-speaker audio system. Not to mention, Car and Driver says the SUV has four long-range radar systems, and can be configured with 12 short-range parking sensors and six cameras. In total, there are 90 computers taking and receiving signals from various devices in the car.
Add on the 48-volt electronic Active Roll Control air suspension, the absurd champagne fridge, heated seats and mirrors, and there’s a lot of stuff to send signals to.
So you wind up with a huge wire harness, and it’s not just one standard harness. Car and Driver says each is built specifically for the particular SUV depending upon which option boxes were ticked. Talk about complexity.
Still, the resulting CAD images are beautiful.