Review: The Bentley Bentayga

Before I even sat in the car, I felt I had a big challenge. There was one question to answer. Why would you buy a Bentayga over a top end Range Rover? 5 days of driving the Bentley from London to North Yorkshire and back and visiting 2 shoots should be enough to answer this.

The stylish £200,000 SUV I had been loaned was the Diesel V8 version complete with Mulliner's (Bentley's internal coachbuilding division) new Field Sports additions which essentially involves a set of boot drawers to sort out the bits you need for a shoot day and a gun case. These had been designed in conjunction with Purdey and the hand built aspect of Bentley’s construction, aligned with Purdey’s hand built guns shows a perfect synergy. The petrol version of the Bentayga is a W12 tamed beast and having now enjoyed the Diesel V8, the W12 must be firmly in the category of 'unnecessary', but the same could be said for a big bag shoot day and we still buy them!

The V8 engine of the diesel Bentayga is dreamy. It's got more than enough power to get you out of virtually any situation; it's pretty quiet, purrs nicely in the mid range and is attractively economical, even if your understanding of this is only how often you have to get out to fill it up rather than the impact on your pocket. Over my 5 day trip, including all the slow speed off road driving, we averaged 29 mpg. My current petrol supercharged Range Rover can only dream of these dizzy heights.

The journey started with a 5 hour drive from Central London to The Carpenter's Arms in Felixkirk, North Yorkshire. When driving such a nice car, we wanted to stay somewhere that would do its best to match it and the lovely rooms attached to the pub were the perfect match for a shooting trip. The long drive allowed me to quickly establish my favourite aspect of the Bentayga, its 8-speed gearbox. If you've been in some of Bentley's other vehicles, you might be familiar with this, but in a 4x4 at top speeds on the motorway, being comfortable under 2,000 rpm is a real luxury. It's just a more enjoyable way of travelling, there's no effort going on under the bonnet at all giving an incredibly smooth ride. If you're used to spending hours on the motorway travelling to shoot days then that's when this car comes into its own.

As you can imagine, it's got more gizmos on it than you'll probably ever fully utilise and it's this unparalleled attention to detail that sets the Bentayga apart from its more affordable peers. I must say though, it wasn't till a week after I'd given the car back that I arrived at this view. If you'd asked me when I first got in it, I might have been more cynical. First impressions were that the car was a bit small, not a proper 4x4 and I was finding it hard to understand the price tag. The heads up display is a treat but, the auto cruise control and most other driving functions can be found in the Range Rover and many other cars on the road today. I can assure you one thing though, you would struggle to find the benefit of Bentley's fantastic execution of these 'basics' in a 15 minute test drive.

The comfort of the cruise control and smooth acceleration, braking and remarkable cornering are better than the Range Rover. It's climate control is not only completely silent, something that really bugs me in a Range Rover with its constant hum, it really does work perfectly. And when you're looking for stand out features, the Bentayga even has an 'arthritic Labrador button' in the boot to lower the rear of the car for your most loyal companion to carefully hop-in in his older age. It's certainly more compact than a Range Rover so you have to be more conscious of travelling lightly, especially if you have a dog when some would argue, it might be a bit tight.

With the boot in mind, one aspect of a Range Rover which I love is the drop down boot, it's the reason I wouldn't buy a Range Rover Sport because I didn't realise how much I used this simple piece of engineering. When you're leaning in to get your gun and cartridges out, it stops you rubbing against a muddy bumper and it's perfect at elevenses to sit on. The Mulliner designed drawers had a canvas skirt to stop the mud but that let it down, it needs rethinking for this purpose and perhaps a slide out table would work. Considering the space, the whole boot layout needs careful consideration. I like the idea of the Field Sports drawers, but the design must work for your own shooting preferences, for example, do I transport my gun in its case or in its sleeve? Do I regularly double gun or does one gun suffice? Do I always take a dog? The design should then reflect these preferences. I have no doubt though that with Purdey’s feedback and experience that between them, they’ll be able to get these perfected for the future.

When it comes to looks, you can make your own decisions from the pictures. My view is that the front end is gorgeous but the rear could be a little more attractive.

To challenge the Bentayga's off road capabilities, a couple of days at the Ripley Castle and Eagle Hall shoots was perfect. The moorland edge in December had enough terrain to put it through its paces to match 95% of the occasions you go off road. Let's be honest too, most 4x4's these days have more than enough ability to handle a shoot day's driving requirements. It's really about how comfortably it handles the varying terrains. Without meaning to, the shoot allowed us to test all the functions, most of which were completely automatic.

Instantly, you're wondering about the ride height in the Bentayga, which you rarely consider in most purpose built 4x4s. The Bentayga auto adjusted its ride height depending on the conditions and coped well. It's turning circle is brilliant and I didn't realise that would be something I'd enjoy about the car on a shoot day! As with the Range Rover, it's got the different 4x4 pre-select modes for grass, gravel, snow etc. And the electronics make the necessary adjustments to handle the car perfectly. I couldn't fault it on this aspect.

The long drive back to London confirmed my love for the Bentayga as at the outset I really didn't think I'd say that. It's an SUV in ultimate handmade luxury, the interior is just gorgeous, it's cornering, acceleration and driving experience are unbelievable for a car of this size. If we'd be reviewing it for a ten minute drive to a shoot and back, I'd dismiss it out of hand but this is a car (note my unintended use of the term 'car' to describe how it feels) for all occasions.

Would I buy one? Considering I don't have the funds, I can't, but if I did, maybe. It's pure personal preference based on your requirements. The Bentley badge is worth something alone in my opinion and the fine details stand it apart from competitors, but if those aren't what you are looking for with this budget, buy a Range Rover and employ a driver for two years for the same price. If you do opt for the Bentayga, the overall experience will make you smile, enjoy it.

Find out more on the Bentayga by visiting Bentley online.