FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Bentley Bentayga officially launched

Bentley has launched its ultra opulent Bentayga SUV, sporting some of the styling cues of the controversial EXP 9 F show car that premiered in Geneva three years ago, but not the show car's angular front end.

At this stage, the production model is powered solely by a turbo-petrol W12 displacing 6.0 litres and delivering 447kW/900Nm. According to the press release for the Bentayga, Bentley plans to expand the range down the track with plug-in hybrid and diesel models also.

With the sort of mumbo the petrol W12 has to offer, the Bentayga takes just 4.1 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint and the big SUV will reach 301km/h. Featuring a combination of direct and port fuel injection, the engine drives through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels.

Riding on multi-mode air suspension (double wishbone at the front, multi-link at the rear), the Bentayga is blessed with 400mm-diameter front brake disc rotors and 380mm-diameter rear rotors. Pirelli supply the 275/50 R20 tyres for the 20-inch alloy wheels, with 21- and 22-inch wheels available at extra cost. Kerb weight is a hefty 2422kg and the Bentayga measures 5141mm in length. Despite that, the Euro 6-compliant engine consumes 12.8L/100km in NEDC combined-cycle testing.

Standard features include Drive Dynamics Mode, electrically-assisted power steering, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop & Go, Predictive ACC, Traffic Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Rear Crossing Traffic Warning, Park Assist, Electronic Night Vision, Head-Up Display and Top View.

Infotainment systems are operated in front through an eight-inch colour touch screen, with a portable 10.2-inch entertainment tablet in the rear. The latter employs an Android operating system. Bentley claims its satellite navigation technology for the Bentayga is class-leading, and there's a 60gb hard drive on board for storing music. Three different sound systems are available to order with the Bentayga: Standard Audio, Bentley Signature Audio and Naim for Bentley Premium Audio. The last is a 1950-Watt system piping through 18 speakers and super tweeters.

"The Bentayga is truly the Bentley of SUVs," says Bentley CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer.

"It redefines luxury in the SUV sector and offers a genuine Bentley experience in any environment, thanks to a combination of unparalleled attention to detail, go-anywhere ability and cutting-edge technology.

"With this extraordinary car we are looking forward to an exciting period of strong growth and sales success for Bentley. The Bentayga is the next step in our brand's bold future."

Bentley advises that the Bentayga will premiere in Frankfurt for next week's motor show, with customer deliveries set to commence early next year.