It’s the Bentley Bentayga SUV – & it’s playing in the sand dunes

Bentley has finally given a name to its upcoming SUV – it’ll be the Bentley Bentayga – as it heads for a 2016 debut to challenge the Range Rover.

There was a time when we thought the Bentley SUV would be called the Bentley Falcon. But its seems Bentley wanted something a bit more exotic, so it’s going to be the Bentley Bentayga.

The name comes from Roque Bentayga in Gran Canaria, a rugged rock formation that Bentley think perfectly encapsulates their new SUV’s go-anywhere credentials.

What we also get – apart from a single photo above that shows the Bentayga’s side vents in the shape of a ‘Flying B’ – is a video of the new SUV playing in the sand dunes (below).

The video gives nothing away in the looks department, but it does show an apparent ability to tackle sand dunes as well as a Range Rover, and an exhaust note from the W12 under the bonnet that sounds appealing.

But in terms of overall looks – rather than detail changes – the Bentayga will get the new ‘Continental’ nose previewed last year to replace the ‘Mulsanne Truck’ front end from the EXP 9 F Concept, with the profile, rear end and interior probably staying quite faithful to the EXP.

Under the bonnet the Bentayga will start life with the W12 to make sure it states its case as the most powerful and luxurious SUV on offer, but after launch you can expect to see V8 options – petrol and diesel – and Bentley’s new hybrid powertrain too.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, Bentley CEO, said:

Bentayga is a name that reflects what we know our SUV will do better than any other car in the world – combine the best automotive luxury with outstanding performance to take the Bentley experience to new environments.

We’re expecting the Bentley Bentayga to be revealed in production guise later this year, and on sale in 2016.

By which time we might have got used to the name.

Bentley Bentayga Sand Dunes Video