Used Bentley Bentayga 2015-2020 review

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Bentley's first SUV is getting into the realms of affordability, is now the time to take the plunge?

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A used Bentley Bentayga is now a more attainable used SUV, with some 2016 and 2017 cars teetering around the £50,000 mark.

Of course, you must add running costs to that. How about, for the popular 6.0-litre W12 petrol version, £700 a year road tax and 19mpg, plus servicing?

Still, read Autocar’s summary of the 600bhp W12 and you may still be tempted: “The 6.0 W12 must simply be acclaimed as one of the most complete and compelling luxury products in the world.”

Launched in 2016, this version was the first Bentayga out of the traps. The 2.4-tonne SUV, which has four-wheel drive, dispatches 0-62mph in 4.0sec. Standard-fit, adaptive air suspension, active anti-roll control systems and a range of driving modes ensure it rarely feels flustered, although it can get a little unshapely near the limit.

The following year, a 4.0-litre V8 diesel version arrived. If our road testers liked the W12, they loved the Bentayga Diesel, awarding it five stars. The Audi-sourced engine produces 429bhp and develops the same torque as the W12, only sooner. The result is even better in-gear acceleration and towing ability.

Thanks to its extra weight and bespoke air suspension settings, it rides slightly more comfortably than the W12. It’s more economical, too, of course, returning around 35mpg, and, at just £190 per year, is cheaper to tax.

Fewer were sold than petrols, but today a used diesel Bentayga is around the same price as a W12, even though they were about £25,000 cheaper originally.

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The twin-turbo 4.0 petrol V8 was the next Bentayga to be launched, in 2018. Its engine produces 543bhp and 568lb ft and it can do 0-62mph in 4.5sec. Thanks also to cylinder deactivation, it can return 24.8mpg. Road tax is just £180.

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It cost £30,000 less than the W12 and we reckoned it rendered that model redundant. It was certainly popular, such that today there are almost as many V8s for sale as W12s. The sporty V8 S version is rare but worth seeking out.

The later, 443bhp 3.0 TFSI V6 plug-in hybrid of 2019 wasn’t much admired, and there are few for sale today.

It was followed by the 626bhp W12 Speed, generating sufficient thrust to earn it the title of ‘fastest production SUV ever’ at the time.

The facelift came in 2020, which is where this guide stops.

A Bentayga could be ordered with four, five or seven seats, the extra seating coming at the expense of boot space (for example, 484 litres on five-seat cars and 215 litres on seven-seaters).

Obviously the model is extremely comfortable in any form and beautifully constructed.

The first 608 examples (that number refers to the W12’s output in PS) were produced in luxurious First Edition spec, while the equally plush W12 Mulliner arrived in 2017.

Otherwise, there was only one well-equipped trim level, but the options list was long, so compare cars carefully. Popular packs included Touring (adaptive cruise and night vision), All-Terrain (skid plates and surround view) and City (additional safety kit).

As we've already noted, a Bentayga is expensive to run but worth it for the sheer experience of owning and driving something that totally confounds your expectations of what a big, 2.4-tonne SUV feels like.

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RELIABILITY

Is the Bentley Bentayga reliable?

The Bentley Bentayga is a reliable car, but with lower sales volumes its slighty harder to determine where it sits compared to rivals. Broadly speaking, you shouldn't have any major concerns considering this is a luxury car from a well-known luxury brand, and any issues or recalls on early models will have been ironed out by previous owners.

The Bentayga shares most of its parts with the Audi Q7, which according to the What Car? reliability survey, is a well-screwed together SUV, finishing second in the luxury SUV class. This should give you some peace of mind that the Bentayga is a reliable option and, in the event it goes wrong, you can take comfort in Bentley's bespoke customer service and strong dealer network. 

Engine: W12 camshaft failures have been reported but are rare. Check for oil and fluid leaks and split vacuum hose pipes. Some diesels have suffered failure of the AdBlue pump.

Servicing: Bentley’s two-year inspection finance plan stops at 2017-reg cars. For a 2017-reg Bentayga, it charges £135 per month plus parts. An official Bentley service stamp is worth a lot but, inevitably, many cars eventually leave the network. In that case, favour a Bentayga that has since been serviced by a reputable independent garage employing Bentley-trained staff using the correct tools. Such a place is likely to charge around £750 for a minor service and £1400 for a major, both prices including parts.

Gearbox: Check the operation of the standard fit eight-speed auto ’box in all modes.

Steering and suspension: Check the ride modes and ensure the car sits square on its air springs. There was a safety recall in 2016 involving Bentayga diesels and concerning the possible loss of power steering assistance due to a poor earth connection.

Interior: The Bentayga can do hard work, so check for wear and tear. Make sure all standard features, including the adjustable front seats, work and that the rear seats slide or fold. The sat-nav and reversing camera can be slow to react. There have been recalls concerning third-row seat belt attachment points, and incorrectly tightened seat mechanisms and instrument panels.

An owner’s view

Gordon Gray: “I have owned Bentleys for 25 years and currently have three. None of my cars have ever failed me. I’ve owned my Bentayga W12 for two and a half years.

It was registered in 2018 and has covered 45,000 miles. I use it to tow my boat, which it does superbly. I don’t want to think what it does to the gallon when it does so, but on its own it does 19mpg. Although it had a full Bentley service history when I bought it, I have it serviced by an independent specialist close to me in Exeter. The most recent, 40,000- mile service cost £700.”

Also worth knowing

Bentaygas sold under the manufacturer’s Certified by Bentley approved used scheme are comprehensively checked and backed with a 12-month warranty.

This comes at a price but also with the reassurance that you are buying from the experts. The cheapest Certified Bentayga we saw was a 2018-reg diesel, priced at just under £70,000 or around half what it cost new. The car had done 51 ,000 miles. Next cheapest was a W12 First Edition, registered in 2017. It had done 40,000 miles and was priced at around £75,000.

DESIGN & STYLING

Bentley Bentayga rear

It’s not unreasonable to say that, were Bentley not part of the Volkswagen Group, this car wouldn’t exist.

Partly that’s because Bentley wouldn’t have had the money to do the job properly but also because, without VW, it wouldn’t have had access to the hardware.

The Bentley Bentayga shared its architecture with the Audi Q7. Both were based on the Group’s MLB platform, as was the Porsche Cayenne.

Out of that, Bentley crafted a car that looked very much like a Bentley. To our eyes, it wasn't the most graceful car on the planet, but that trait never stopped the first-generation Cayenne from being a rip-roaring success.

The Bentayga's 2995mm wheelbase was just 1mm longer than the Q7’s, but it was bigger in every other dimension and every inch luxury-car-sized. It’s 5130mm long, 1998mm wide (a worrisome 2224mm wide with mirrors) and 1742mm tall.

Talk to Bentley’s engineers and they will agree with the supposition that the Bentayga was being asked to fulfil a broader remit than any other car in the world.

It had to have a dual personality, by being both a luxury car and a 4x4. It had to do what’s asked by owners in markets where you will find anything as diverse as sand dunes, rocky trails or wet, grassy slopes, yet it also has a 3.5-tonne towing limit.

INTERIOR

Bentley Bentayga interior

Look around the Bentayga's interior and practically everything you can see, hear, touch and interact with speaks of outstanding substance, technical sophistication, tactile allure and rare craftsmanship.

Look out of the double-glazed windows and the rest of the world is passing by below. You’re lifted out of the melee of everyday life much as you would be in any upmarket SUV.

The combined effect is supremely tranquil and utterly convincing. The Bentayga feels like the most luxurious car that Bentley makes.

The shape of the dashboard departs slightly from Bentley’s modern type by being asymmetrical. In place of the slush-moulded plastic roll-top you might find in a cheaper car, the Bentayga has a leather-bound piece of structural trim that sweeps in a winged shape from one door panel to the other – and in the Bentayga’s case, the driver’s side ‘wing’ rises higher than the passenger’s.

Underneath it is a conventional set of analogue instruments inset with a colour LCD display that can relay navigation guidance, infotainment selections, trip computer details and more.

Above it is (optionally) a colour head-up display, and immediately adjacent and all around it is the many-layered, highly polished, book-matched burr veneer that Bentley does so warmly and so well. 

As well as making its own veneers, of course, Crewe manufactures its own seats as part of its mission to create unparalleled luxury in its cars – and the Bentayga’s are supremely comfortable.

As standard, the Bentayga came with a split-folding three-seat rear bench. As an option, you could have it as a strict four-seater, with a raised transmission tunnel console and electrically reclining massager chairs in the rear.

Choose the four-seat layout and you gained a fixed-panel seal for the boot compartment and a slightly quieter cabin but lost the ability to fold down the back seats.

Space in the second row was generous, even for bigger adults. It’s wasn't quite in stretched limousine territory but sufficient that most would hardly notice. 

The boot – at as little as 431 litres, depending on optional equipment – wasn't desinged for swallowing dog boxes and piles of luggage, although Bentley said it was big enough to meet the demands of customers who didn't expect to use their cars like utility machines.

Bentley’s standard specification gave you an 8.0in colour touchscreen infotainment system with a 60GB hard drive on board, as well as integrated sat-nav, voice control with text-to-speech cabability, wi-fi and plenty of other connectivity options.

It was touchscreen-only, though: unlike in other Volkswagen Group vehicles, there was no tactile input device, such as a rotary controller, to make inputs easier on the move. 

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

6.0-litre W12 Bentley Bentayga engine

Despite its exceptionally high power and torque outputs and a kerb weight that wouldn’t be unprecedented among lesser SUVs, the Bentayga wasn't the fastest luxury 4x4 we'd tested at the time of its launch. 

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo S was a faster SUV by comparison, as was the Ranger Rover Sport SVR.

But both of those rivals were much more aggressive and uncompromising compared to the Bentley, the Porsche in particular slamming its full-bore gearchanges through the driveline with all the subtlety of a rough-edged Dakar Rally special.

The Bentayga was all suave, velvet, discreet civility, even at serious pace. It declined to ever claw at the road surface, no matter what you did with the right-foot pedal, and it accelerated from a standstill with a gathering surge akin to that of a powerboat rising out of the surf. 

The eight-speed automatic gearbox delivered its gearchanges with a smoothness to savour and was often allowed to take a back seat in the driving experience at moderate throttle openings courtesy of all that low- and mid-range torque.

Cabin isolation was nothing short of incredible by high-sided SUV standards. Even on 22in alloy wheels, there was a muted hum of road roar and very little wind noise below fast motorway speeds.

 

RIDE & HANDLING

Bentley Bentayga cornering

The Bentayga’s adaptive air suspension and active anti-roll control systems combined to give it a pleasing aloofness from low-frequency lumps and bumps and a resistance to the kinds of exaggerated body movements that you might expect of a car so high, so heavy and so comfort-orientated.

Once again, it was the Bentayga's relaxing refinement and reserve of the car that made it so special.

This wasn't a car that imagined you were interested in a sense of connection with the road surface or with the contact patches of the tyres, and it wasn't out to do anything as imposing as engaging you with the act of driving too much.

It was Bentley’s familiar dynamic compromise, largely unaffected by the transition onto an SUV.

Where the everyday road use was concerned, the car had Comfort, Sport and Custom modes, as well as a Bentley mode, which sets it all up as the engineers would recommend.

And although we approved of the idea of the Bentley mode (which saves you from swapping and changing between modes, never sure if the car is ideally configured), there was just the merest edge to the car’s ride control over camber changes and sharp ridges when you selected it.

Select Comfort mode instead and the various little vertical accelerations of the ride itself decreased, but at the expense of more high-speed body control than we would willingly surrender. Custom mode was very much the sweet spot.  

A hard-driving style wasn't something the laid-back character of the car seemed to encourage, but when you experiment with Sport mode, we found the car’s body control to be remarkably flat and upright and its handling response was excellent – up to a point. Go beyond about 85% of effort on a winding road, charging hard at corners, and the security of the car’s grip level would drop away quite suddenly, led by the front axle.

It was the price of cheating physics with that active anti-roll system and shunning so many opportunities to filter control feedback into the mix – but it didn't detract much from the dynamic appeal of the car.

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The Bentayga’s torque-laden engine always came up with a healthy turn of speed when you asked for it, even when hauling the two-and-a-half-tonne car up a steep incline — and its suspension was ready to juggle that mass through a tight turn more quickly than you’d believe possible at first.

The monotone weight of the steering didn't communicate grip levels well, though. The torque vectoring and stability control systems reacted quickly and subtly when need and prevented the car from straying too far off-line. 

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MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Bentley Bentayga used buying guide

Bentley doesn't make cars on spec, only to order – and if you wanted, you could choose your Bentayga specification at the factory, where they would show you the veneers and the leathers. 

The price you ended up paying for your new luxury SUV, though, was liable to be rather a lot more than the original £160,200 asking price.

Then there was the W12's fuel economy, which was particularly poor if you asked a lot of the car. You would struggle to get any more than 20mph out of it.

VERDICT

4.5 star Bentley Bentayga

The Bentayga was a hugely significant and accomplished addition to the super-luxury set back in 2015.

If anything, it may have come too early to be judged for perpetuity, there being very few direct rivals against which to measure it.

Against the most refined limousines, it lacked only a degree of ride isolation – and arguably some grandiose presence and desirability at the kerb.

Against the fastest SUVs, it just missed that last sliver of speed and dynamic composure.

But viewed in the fairest terms, it must simply be acclaimed as one of the most complete and compelling luxury products in the world.

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders Autocar
Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.

Bentley Bentayga 2015-2020 First drives

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