Bentley Bentayga EWB 2022 first drive

Luxury limousines have existed for as long as the rich have wanted to arrive in style, but extended SUVs haven’t.

With the Bentley Bentayga EWB, the British company is pioneering a new segment, albeit with the proviso that the Range Rover LWB has long done the same thing with slightly less posh badging.

An extra 180mm has been put into the Bentayga’s wheelbase, with all of that going to improve rear passenger space. You can have a regular threeman bench, two individual seats or, for £8395, Airline Seats, these well in the running to be the comfiest and most adjustable ever offered in a car.

Beyond increased room, this SUV has another mission: fill the flagship role vacated by the Mulsanne in 2020.

Only one powerplant is offered at launch: the 542bhp twin-turbo 4.0- litre V8 from the regular Bentayga. A V6-engined plug-in hybrid system is expected to be introduced later. The specification is predictably generous, inlcuding an active anti-roll system and active rear steering, the latter a first for any Bentayga.

You won’t be surprised to hear that the driving experience is very similar to that of the regular Bentayga V8. In character, it’s the exact opposite of the snarling Bentayga S, yet performance remains impressively brisk, the 0-60mph time extended by just 0.1sec, thanks to the extra weight being only about 100kg.

The EWB can be hustled at serious velocities if the mood takes you. Sport mode turns up the anti-roll system to all but eliminate cornering lean, and it feels impressively wieldy for something so big and tall. But Comfort mode is far more in keeping with the EWB’s purpose, the fully softend air springs absorbing rough asphalt without complaint.

Switching to the back seat gives the chance to test the more significant. It does feel huge, with more leg room than in the Rolls-Royce Cullinan or Range Rover LWB. The Airline Seat doesn’t offer quite the level of adjustability you would get flying at the sharp end, but the backrest’s maximum 40deg angle is certainly reclined. An under-calf powered rest rises in unison, and in the most laid back Relax mode, the front passenger seat is motored forwards and upright.