The Bentley Bentayga Diesel will no longer be sold in the UK and Europe as Bentley follows Porsche by dumping its single diesel offering.
It took Bentley 100 years to prove Enzo Ferrari right by putting an oil burning engine in a Bentley Bentayga to deliver a diesel-powered ‘Fast Lorry’. But it hasn’t lasted long.
Just two years on from the debut of the Bentley Bentayga diesel, Bentley has announced it will no longer be sold in the UK and Europe, although it will continue to be sold in places like Russia and South Africa. So not quite the Porsche move of eschewing diesel altogether, but for Western Europe the reality is the same.
The diesel engine you could have had in the Bentayga until now was a very decent offering, sourced from Audi its 4.0 litre turbo V8 delivred 429bhp and, more importantly, a massive 629lb/ft of torque. Which, arguably, delivered a better solution for a big SUV than the W12.
That added up to very impressive performance of 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and official economy of 35.8mpg (low 20s in the real world) and pretty much the same high levels of spec and luxury the W12 Bentaygas enjoy.
It’s not clear whether the Bentayga diesel has been dropped because Bentley has the same WLTP compliance problems with the diesel as much of the rest of the VW Group has, or whether the Bentayga diesel just wasn’t selling.
But whatever the reason, the Bentley Bentayga diesel is dead. But its place in the Bentayga range will be filled by the Bentayga Plug-in Hybrid next year.
Peter says
To me it is madness putting a diesel engine in a Bentley. Most people who can afford one can afford to fill up with petrol. Yes the engine may sound so refined initially, then later as the engine gets older you get irritating diesel knocking sound. Overall I think diesels tarnish the image of a brand like Bentley and Porsche, and I personally will not touch it with a barge pole.????