Bentley to stay all-wheel drive

Don’t expect Bentley to return to its rear-wheel drive roots when it switches to battery-electric powertrains.

Instead, the company has made it clear its future is all-wheel drive even after it launches its first EV in 2026 and transitions to being an EV-only brand from 2030.

The entire current Bentley model line-up – Flying Spur saloon, Bentayga SUV and Continental GT coupe and GTC convertible are all-wheel drive.

The last rear-wheel drive Bentley road car was the Mulsanne flagship saloon that ended production in 2020.

Bentley was almost entirely rear-wheel drive from its first 3.0-litre chassis in 1921 until the arrival of the first-generation Continental GT coupe in 2003.

One key reason for its move to AWD is its models are based on high-performance platforms sourced from within its owner, the Volkswagen Group.

While rated highly for dynamics, rear-wheel drive use has been declining because it is more expensive to package with a front-mounted internal combustion engine and can be less fuel-efficient.

The arrival of battery-electric drivetrains has triggered something of a revival of rear-wheel drive as manufacturers commonly offer single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive configurations.

Under its Beyond 100 plan Bentley will introduce its first EV in 2026 and be completely electric in 2030. Five EV model launches are planned in five years.

Bentley executive Paul Dickinson told carsales not to expect any rear-drivers from the British luxury brand in the EV era.

“One of Bentley’s key attributes is that you can use our products in a wide range of applications,” he said.

“All Bentleys today are all-wheel drive so one would expect that would be one of our key attributes.”

An obvious reason for Bentley to retain AWD exclusively would be the need to generate and safely use power levels commensurate with what the internal combustion powertrains currently provide.

The 554kW W12 limited-edition Batur coupe recently set a new power record for the brand, but even the most ‘humble’ V8 that populates much of the range makes 404kW.

Extracting that sort of output in an EV could need two or even three e-motors spread across both axles.

“It must always be credible as a Bentley,” said Dickinson when asked about power and range targets for EVs.

Dickinson argued the move to EVs suited Bentley and its customers because of the brand’s attributes, including “exquisite” interiors and exteriors, high quality, effortless performance and cabin quietness.

“Bentley is already a very quiet car,” Dickinson said.

“We’ve already dealt with the fact that when you move to a battery electric car from an internal combustion car you no longer have the noise of the engine, which in some cars masks the road noise and the wind noise.

“The whole point of a Bentley is it isolates already.

“Customers expect that we will take the normal strengths of Bentley and continue to grow them. Its progress will always be effortless, which is what an electric car does anyway.”

He argued Bentley was better suited to the EV transition than some other brands.

“For a company like Bentley whose brand values are all about effortless performance, quietness, luxury and comfort, an electric motor fits well.

“For other brands whose focus may be on other attributes it may be a bigger jump.”

Dickinson said there had been widespread support among Bentley customers for the move to EVs.

“They are very excited about the future of Bentley. There is a general acceptance the world is moving on and the future needs to be electric.

“I think what they like is that Bentley has come out now and made it clear where we are heading and in what timeframe. We are trying to lead rather than follow.

“You can say we aren’t as quick Tesla because they are purely electric, but if you look at the established brands we are very open where our plan is.”

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

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