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Iconic associations? Bentley and luxury. Since Walter Owen Bentley founded the Bentley car company in 1919, the word luxury has been at the core of its existence. Now even a century later, the company continues to stand on the promise of bespoke elegance despite a much more complex world of ubiquitous luxury and lifestyle products and services.
From its inception, Bentley’s key approach to luxury has been the creation of bespoke automobiles, crafted to discerning clients' standards and tastes. The idea of hand-built, coach-built luxury is what has embedded Bentley into the higher echelons of motoring luxury, so much so that you may experience some scope of Bentley’s luxury reach in the interior of a new Gulfstream private jet, a mega mansion or even within the realms of music rooms where intimate acoustic experiences are found. Bentley’s approach to luxury rests on the power of heritage, story, and personal experience.
The Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase Azure is Bentley’s proliferation of modern technology within its iconic heritage. The Bentayga EWB was built as a follow-on from the Mulsanne for the chauffeured owner, with a focus on the rear seat experience. As the world’s love for SUVs grew, so its love for stately saloons dwindled. The EWB is Bentley staying relevant to its customers.
The EWB is just under 20cm longer than a standard Bentayga, and only on much closer inspection will you notice the increased size of the rear doors. It tells of a luxury story within the rear of the Bentayga EWB that epitomises space, technology and Bentley’s idea of opulence. In fact, 18cm of legroom is immediately apparent, and that’s before you toggle the adjustable seat switches and find a seating position that meets your fancy. The rear seat is able to recline by 40 degrees, while the option to transform the rear left seat into a first-class cabin experience is simply done at the touch of a button. This will shift the front passenger seat as far forward as possible and unfold a footrest for a really comfortable “I could sleep here for hours” sort of position. At 1.78 metres tall, I could happily stretch out my legs in front of me without hindering or touching anything ahead of me. This is just a small part of the Airline Seat Specification that is available on the EWB. The rear seat experience continues with added features of the seat that are designed to enhance your levels of comfort and travel wellness. A full suite of massaging functions is available, combined with varying levels of heating and cooling should that be something you may want to manually engage. Furthermore, the rear seat features some health benefits too... stay with me here. For a start, each part of the seat, including the armrest, is climate controlled. This can be done manually and separately, or it can be set automatically, according to what Bentley calls ‘Wellness’. The ‘Wellness’ function combines climate control and very gentle seat adjustments during your journey to ensure the best possible blood flow and comfort, with a view to keeping the body as relaxed as possible. The seat will move up to 60 times an hour to help with this.
On the surface, you may read this and think this is preposterous marketing gunk, but I can tell you that having spent a lot of time in the rear seats of many luxury products, the Bentayga EWB is undoubtedly the most comfortable and relaxed cabin I have experienced. There’s a sense of occasion here, but also a sense of personal space and privacy. You’re surrounded by high-quality leather quilted in Bentley’s signature diamond patterns, with attention to detail throughout the ambience. Ambient lighting is nothing new, but Bentley’s take on crafted ambient lighting through its diamond-pattern perforated leather on the door panels is something to behold. The rear cabin experience is mostly controlled through a smart tablet device that is cradled in the rear seat centre console. Its operation is straightforward, with a clear user experience and graphics interface, and its distinctive design, solid feel, and signature Bentley craftsmanship didn't go unnoticed.
The architecture, designs, and materials used throughout the cabin give the impression that you are in a jewellery store. The knurled indents of every button, dial, and switch create a distinct feel, and the hand-sewn leather on the steering wheel also feels exquisitely crafted. But it isn’t just the feel – there’s an acoustic signature to these too, and every switch sounds exactly the same as the next. There’s method and intention here, adding to the overall experience.
Despite the Bentayga’s price and despite Bentley’s undeniable association with very high luxury in the automotive world, the Bentayga is so approachable in its operation and in its drive. It’s immediately drivable and effortlessly powerful. Some, including us, lament the death of the W12, but that doesn’t take anything away from this twin-turbo mega mill in the engine bay. The 404kW, 770Nm V8 engine is used in a number of other VW Group products, but it has been tuned to deliver a driving force that is both luxurious and capable of rapid cruising. With Active Body Control and rear wheel steering, the Bentayga doesn’t feel as large as it is; instead, it feels beautifully weighted and inspires confidence even at high speed, which it really can do without so much as breaking a sweat. It’s an exceptional car in how it plays luxury cruiser with an undergarment of speed freak if required.
Performance aside, the car is brimming with technology, from on-board WiFi and night vision systems to full ADAS driving assistance systems, all of which are offered in a media design that is simple, fast, and easy to navigate. Nothing is overwhelming here despite the depth of tech that is available.
Some may comment on the boldness of the exterior design, and certainly, the use of chrome materials on the grille, ornamentation and 22-inch wheels will not be for everyone. That is, however, the point. Bentley is focused on listening to its customers, and as such, some of the design elements for its products are actually what customers want.
For those customers that have a sense of what they want but perhaps aren’t too enamoured with choosing every single detail of fabric and material combinations, Bentley puts together packages. It’s what the Azure designation on this car is – a package of specification options with a chosen allotment of materials, technology and features that Bentley has customised to suit some customers. The Azure package here offers the 22-inch wheels, the foot pedals with the Bentley ‘B’ engraved onto them, Azure badging throughout the cabin as well as on the flanks, Azure illuminated tread plates, specific piping and hide options plus a heated steering wheel. These are just a few of the items listed in the Azure package. There’s a lot.
It's in all aspects of the design of the Bentayga EWB. The signature Bentley wing motif appears throughout the bodywork, including the flying 'B' on the flanks and the floating B badge on the large wheels shod with Pirelli rubber. It’s carried across the interior with the organ flute air vent switches and the B-shaped air vent surrounds both front and rear. You’ll hear it in the flick of the switches and the ejection of the tablet from its cradle. You’ll feel it in every switch and dial, every touch of every panel, and you’ll smell it as you step aboard, a mixture of woods and glues and leather and carpeting. It’s all in the finer details. It’s all in the story. It’s all in the heritage.
Bentley’s approach to luxury isn’t simply about excess. It’s about appealing to its client’s wishes and offering luxury that is expressive. Luxury as a concept isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Luxury is personal. It’s why the Bentayga is a tailored car. From the colour of the leather to the door and dashboard trim options, Bentley’s factory is a work of tailoring a car to suit its owner. Everything is considered. The feel, the smell, the sound, the quality, the craftsmanship – it’s all part of creating a product that is a story from beginning to end. It’s also why Bentley’s coachbuilding and personalisation arm, Mulliner, still exists to this day. It’s where customers can really curate and tailor something so outrageous or sentimental to them that the purchase becomes a lot more personal.
At just over R5.8m for the Bentayga EWB Azure, you may question whether the Bentayga is worth its price tag. Perhaps that’s the wrong question here.
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