Bentley Bentayga V8 First Edition 2021 Review

The adage goes if you have to ask how much, then you probably can’t afford it. That may not exactly be the case with the 2021 Bentley Bentayga V8, but it’s close.

The latest version of the Bentayga V8 has a listed price of $364,800, but that is very much a starting point. Myriad options in the form of equipment packs and individual items ladder up to the potential to create a bespoke vehicle via Bentley’s Mulliner division.

Detailed price lists just aren’t part of Bentley’s launch comms so if you’re a serious customer, you’ll need to dig into the details with your sales consultant.

We can tell you that for 2021, Bentley is offering a limited number of Bentley Bentayga V8 First Edition models.

Priced from $448,219 plus on-road costs, the V8 First Edition is essentially one with the lot (or at least ‘plenty’). Says Bentley: The Bentayga V8 First Edition features some of Bentley’s “most desirable options as standard”.

The equipment list includes Bentley Dynamic Ride (a 48-volt active anti-body-roll system), Bentley Touring Specification, which adds technologies “designed for long-distance, high-speed touring situations” (think night vision and active driver aids) and Mulliner Driving Specification items including 22-inch wheels and cabin goodies such as seat quilting.

Cost of servicing is significant when it comes to prestige brands and Bentley is no exception. In part to address this, Bentley has recently introduced three- and five-year service plans for its models including Bentayga. Costs start at $4345 and the plans can be purchased on Bentleys up to three months old.

We detailed many of the updates for this model when it was unveiled in mid-2020.

The vagaries of vehicle supply during COVID meant the Bentayga V8’s press launch was held around five months after the first 2021 models were delivered to customers.

The message behind the big price-tag of the 2021 Bentley Bentayga V8 First Edition is that you’ll need to pay extra on top of the base model to get a number of features standard in SUVs one-fifth the price.

Some of these are active safety systems such as lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. Bentley insists this isn’t a grab for dollars, rather it prefers to allow buyers to pick and choose which assistance they want.

Reading between the lines on the Bentley model configurator and you’ll also be paying extra for some pretty standard stuff – for example, add $185.85 for a powered tailgate.

The test car we drove had manual rear seat adjustment. At close to $500K drive-away, we’d have thought power-adjustable rear seats would be part of the deal. At least the latest Bentayga V8 delivers the option of a heated and ventilated second row.

There is some good news on the tech front though. The new Bentley Bentayga gets a full update of its infotainment system and larger, fresher screens, the highlight of which is a 10.9-inch centre display. This complements a fully digital instrument panel.

Infotainment includes wireless Apple CarPlay as standard. Android Auto is via cable. 

At the top level of Bentley’s audio offering is a big-money ‘Naim for Bentley’ system which boasts no fewer than 20 speakers and almost 1.8kW of doof doof. Eight listening modes range from Digital Media to Classic. Dirty Deeds won’t come dirt cheap – add about $18K for this.

In addition to more space (see below), rear seat occupants benefit from the introduction of a new, larger touch-screen remote control tablet similar to that introduced in the all-new Flying Spur, Bentley says.

Via this, back-seaters can control climate, seat heating and cooling (when optioned), audio-visual options and more.

Drivers of performance four- and five-door Porsches, Audis and even Lamborghinis will feel a familial vibe to the powerplant in the 2021 Bentley Bentayga V8.

Bentley calls the 4.0-litre 32-valve dual twin-scroll-turbocharged V8 petrol engine “proven”. Indeed, it is – under the bonnet of the Audi RS 7, Lamborghini Urus and a swag of other Volkswagen Group models. It’s a spectacular engine thoroughly at home in this vehicle and price range.

Paired to an eight-speed auto and multi-mode all-wheel drive system, the twin-turbo V8 is rated at 404kW and 770Nm.

Performance is prodigious and accessible and very tuneful. Bentley claims a very seat-of-the-pants-believable 0-100km/h in 4.5sec. Top speed is 290km/h.

Gazetted combined fuel economy is 13.3L/100km. With cylinder deactivation and other fuel-saving technology including stop-start and transmission coasting, that’s probably achievable on a long trip – if you’re very gentle on the throttle.

The soundtrack the engine delivers will likely put paid to that, quick smart. It sounds mega – even without the optional Akrapovic exhaust.

There’s no longer a turbo-diesel offering in the Bentley Bentayga line-up. Instead, a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powered by a twin-turbo V6 is already offered in some markets.

Aussie buyers looking for a more frugal Bentayga will need to wait. The first hybrid Bentley to come Down Under will be a plug-in version of the new Flying Spur sedan due in the first quarter of 2022. The plug-in Bentayga should be here before the end of 2022.

Those looking for even more performance can opt for the 6.0-litre W12-engined Bentayga Speed – it’s available for order now at a starting price just shy of $500K.

With markets like China accounting for a significant percentage of the Bentley SUV’s production volume, it’s little surprise that the 2021 Bentley Bentayga has upped the comfort in the second row.

Clever repackaging has moved the rear seat rearwards. Combined with a reclining rear seat back this has liberated an additional 100mm of knee-room. Better than a long-wheelbase Rangie, says the Bentley PR professionals.

New seats are featured front and rear – better shaped and better looking.

Four-, five- and seven-seat versions are offered. The latter will add around $7400 to your Bentayga invoice and is more five-plus-two than really suited to carting six or seven adults. The upcoming Maybach version of the Mercedes-Benz GLS is probably a better choice.

There’s been significant change to the Bentayga’s cabin design and finishes. Among the highlights are a new centre fascia and steering wheel plus new door trims.

What hasn’t changed is the very high level of finish. Exquisite timber work, hand stitching and the beautifully weighted, knurled knobs on the climate control and ancillary controls are exemplars.

It almost goes without saying that noise levels are hushed in the Bentley Bentayga V8 – with one exception. Riding on 22-inch Pirelli P Zero tyres, the Bentayga tester we drove exhibited some strident tyre roar.

The V8 engine is tuneful and only really heard under hard acceleration and there’s no such thing as a rattle or squeak. Perhaps that’s the reason the tyre noise was so obvious.

What remains obvious also is the Bentayga’s ability to shrink around you. It is possessed of all the credentials to make it a very capable mile-muncher and from past experience we can attest it’s far more wieldy than its sheer size and mass would suggest.

Having driven and tested the Bentley Bentayga previously, I’ll make the same point. There’s no way you can rationally advocate for a $350,000 SUV, let alone one that’s closer to $500K with key option boxes ticked.

The cynics out there will point to the underpinnings the Bentley shares with sub-$100K Volkswagen Touaregs or even $200K Audi RS Q8s. And they’d be right. There’s nothing this vehicle does three or five times better than its cousins...

Except carry the ‘Flying B’ Bentley badge.

Bentayga has been refined and matured to present as a pukka Bentley. The new styling is more cohesive and as long as you’re careful with paint and wheel options, it’s actually evolved (apologies, Ettore) to be quite a handsome, purposeful lorry.

And the sales and support of Bentley customers new and old have shown that.

In a record year in 2019, the Bentayga accounted for around 45 per cent of the marque’s volume. It will be the same in what’s shaping up to be a record year for the marque in 2021.

How much does the 2021 Bentley Bentayga V8 First Edition cost?
Price: $448,219 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol
Output: 404kW/770Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 13.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 302g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested