Bentley's Bentayga Extended Wheelbase revealed!
The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB) builds on the latest second-generation Bentayga, extending the wheelbase and rear cabin space by an extra 180 mm. With Body-in-White changes to the underfloor, side panels, door and roof, Bentley’s design team have ensured the lines and proportions continue to exude style and presence.
This increase results in the wheelbase of the car stretching from 2995 mm to 3175 mm, with an overall length of 5322 mm. The increased length is all in the rear door, creating an exceptionally luxurious rear cabin area. With a larger cabin space than any other luxury competitor, an emphasis on wellness, and the introduction of the world’s first auto climate and advanced postural adjustment rear seat, extraordinary journeys are guaranteed.
Other configurations include a Four Seat Comfort Specification and a Five Seat option for those wanting the ability to fold down the rear backrests. A seven seat configuration is available in the standard Bentayga, however customer feedback showed that space and luxury remain a priority for the Bentayga Extended Wheelbase owners.
Total Comfort Inside
The new Bentley Airline Seat specification is the most advanced seat ever fitted to a car, with 22-ways of adjustment and world-firsts in a new auto climate sensing system and postural adjustment technology.
In Relax mode, the seat can recline to 40°, whilst the passenger seat is motored forwards and a leather-trimmed footrest deploys from the back of the front passenger seat.
In Business Mode, the seat moves into its most upright position to make working on the move more comfortable.
The auto climate seat technology senses occupant temperature and surface humidity and then determines whether to apply heat, ventilation or both simultaneously to keep the occupant at optimum thermal wellbeing. Meanwhile, the postural adjustment system automatically makes micro adjustments to the occupant’s seating position and pressure points, by measuring pressure across the seat surface. The system can apply 177 individual pressure changes across six fully independent pressure zones over a three-hour period improving comfort and minimising fatigue throughout a journey.
The Bentayga EWB incorporates a more advanced stitching design created using digital craftsmanship. Diamonds can be seen elongating symmetrically from the centre of the seatbacks shoulder panels and along the length of the door, reflecting the extension in the car itself.
The new interior style of the rear door also includes a unique design showcasing the optional ‘Metal Overlay in Veneer’. Using a thin metal strip just 0.07 mm thick, an intricate design is bonded by hand on the surface of the veneer before the part is lacquered and polished.
Outside
On the outside 4 detailed exterior changes mark the new model:
the longer profile - the 180 mm wheelbase creates a wonderfully airy and spacious rear cabin to provide a significant increase in rear legroom. The class-leading new cabin has is longer than any other luxury SUV competitor by over 40 mm.
a new front grille - bright chrome vertical vanes sitting in front of a black mesh grille
a new polished 22” 10-spoke wheel in a new mirror-polished design
a repositioned sunroof - moved rearwards in the car by 125 mm bathing the rear cabin seating in natural light. The sunroof can be controlled via the rear cabin Touch Screen Remote, as well as by the front cabin console.
Chassis and Powertain
The introduction of Electronic All Wheel Steering, a first for the Bentayga, ensures that there is no shortfall of dynamic ability despite the longer wheelbase. In fact, the turning circle is 7% less than a standard Bentayga, at just 11.8 metres. This also guarantees no compromise between high-speed confidence and low speed convenience.
Bentley Dynamic Ride, the 48V active anti-roll control system introduced originally by Bentayga as a world-first, is included as standard and provides the optimum balance between ultimate ride comfort, handling and body control.Secondary ride comfort is another key variable that affects onboard wellness – the smoother the ride, the more calming the journey. At typical road speeds and in the crucial frequency range of 5 Hz to 20 Hz, the Bentayga EWB has up 27% lower secondary ride vibration than its competitors.
At fast, highway speeds the system makes small adjustments to the direction of travel of the rear wheels, in tandem with the direct steering inputs from the driver to the front wheels. This increases high-speed stability – making overtaking and lane changing more assured – and improves handling when driving through sweeping bends.
At low speeds, the All Wheel Steering has the effect of ‘shortening’ the wheelbase, reducing the turning circle, and increasing agility in tight urban environments making parking noticeably easier. This is achieved by steering the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels. The system actually provides a turning circle which is smaller than that of the standard wheelbase Bentayga by 7%.
The Bentayga EWB is powered by Bentley’s proven 4.0-litre, 32-valve dual twin-scroll turbocharged V8 petrol engine, which combines immense power with impressive fuel economy. Mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the V8 offers supercar performance, developing 542 bhp (550 PS) and 568 lb.ft (770 Nm) of torque, resulting in a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h) and 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds (100 km/h in 4.6 seconds).
