► Bentley’s ultra-luxury, long-wheelbase SUV driven
► Optional airline-style seat for second-row opulence
► Does this leviathan drive like a Bentley?
The Bentley Bentayga EWB promises buyers the ‘most advanced seat ever fitted to a car’ – but only if you pay extra for it. All versions come with an additional 180mm in the wheelbase, however, not to mention a 2.5-tonne minimum kerbweight. Which leaves us wondering whether this luxury SUV has gone a little too far in the direction of limo-replacement project when the standard Bentayga has always been such a astute combo of comfort and poise.
Only one way to find out… Cruising from the Pacific Coast Highway to California Canyons, and then the Canadian Rockies via the urban hustle of Vancouver, we’ve already tested the Bentayga Extended Wheelbase, well, extensively.
What is the Bentley Bentayga EWB?
When Bentley launched its second-generation Bentayga, in 2020, CAR mused that, if the Bentayga was Crewe’s Cayenne, we’d love to drive its Macan. Magnificent though Bentley’s sales-smash SUV is (especially the gen-two car, with its wider rear track), a smaller, lighter and more agile cousin would be right up our street.
Instead, we get the opposite. Because a bigger Bentley SUV makes sound business sense, and CEO Adrian Hallmark is a stickler for that kind of thing. Since the demise of the imperial Mulsanne, Bentley owners have been forced to rough it in the back of the Flying Spur or regular Bentayga… And while the latter is perfectly serviceable in the second row, it’s no match for the likes of the long-wheelbase S-Class or Range Rover.
The Extended Wheelbase Bentayga propels Bentley right back into the thick of this niche but lucrative sector, artfully grafting 180mm between the front and rear axles and lavishing it all on the rear-seat passengers. And artful is the word. So deftly has the additional metal been blended in that you simply don’t notice it at first glance.
In doing so, of course, the Bentayga’s become even bigger and heavier. The EWB weighs in at a upwards of 2514kg, around 100kg more than the regular V8 Bentayga.
Can it possibly be enjoyable to drive?
What’s the Bentayga EWB like to drive?
Hug the coast north out of LA and you can dig into both sides of the Bentayga EWB’s character at will. The dull but effective highway 101 is absolutely the EWB’s likely theatre of operations, and the Bentley monsters the job of covering miles whether you’re sitting up front or in the back.
Powered exclusively (for now) by Bentley’s 542bhp twin-turbo V8 engine, performance is effortless, despite the car’s bulk. Away from the lights, joining fast-moving traffic from a sliproad, getting out of trouble – this cultured brute of an engine is always ready with the additional speed you seek. That extra weight only blunts the Bentayga’s 4.6sec 0-62mph time by a tenth compared to the standard model, after all.
At the same time the EWB’s impressive rolling refinement and solid straight-line stability soon win you over. There’s a little road noise here, especially in the back, which comes as a slight surprise given claims of class-leading refinement. But crank the fabulous Naim hi-fi even slightly, and this fades into the background versus the deliciously pliant and indefatigably composed ride. The EWB is also a reminder of how nicely Bentley’s SUV covers ground when it’s not trying to be sporty. The EWB is less fidgety than the Bentayga S, and all the better for it.
What’s more, few do interiors better than Bentley, with its best-of-both-worlds combination of VW Group tech and luxury price-point detailing. In the EWB the fit, finish, usability and tactility of all that you lay your eyes and hands upon is first class.
And on those canyon roads? And those Rocky Mountain passes? Remarkably capable. Superb though the new Range Rover is, it wouldn’t see which way the EWB went on roads like Deer Creek, which climbs the grass-studded bluffs above the Pacific Coast Highway to soar from sea level to I-can-see-for-miles high in a matter of seconds.
Thanks to its deft rear-wheel steering (achieving a tighter turning circle than the standard car) and the proven Bentayga go-faster tech of electronic anti-roll control and configurable air suspension, the EWB feels no less keen to crack on than its smaller forebear. The RWS is perhaps not quite as vanishingly polished as some equivalent systems, still requiring the occasional adjustment to your anticipated line; otherwise the EWB offers the same wonderful poise and flow to the chassis that only really starts to slip when the corners get really tight and your entry speeds overly optimistic.
No, this thing still drives like a Bentley. Though with all that weight and power, a spirited descent will soon see the brakes a little smokey and smelly – a warning that comes early enough for you to ease off before the pedal starts to soften.
And how’s the rear-seat accommodation?
Different gravy. The sheer space in the back is breathtaking versus the regular Bentayga, a car in which riding in the second row always felt like drawing the short straw versus being up front. Predictably, the EWB switches that hierarchy.
Available seating layouts are four plus one (standard; the tiny middle seat becomes a big armest), five with a folding seat back (but not seven, which is reserved for the regular car), or the most indulgent four – with the option to add the new Airline Seat specification
This is a mere £8395 extra (peanuts in modern Bentley land), and not only offers a VIP Mode that sends the front passenger seat forward and yours into a state of blissful semi-recline (up to 40°, with 22-way adjustment) with a footrest for your loafers, but also some new technical solutions for maximising your comfort.
For while you may need to fiddle with the footrest to achieve optimal legroom – don’t worry, the rear centre console will electronically present you with the iPhone-sized Bentley Touch Screen Remote to manage that escapade – you’ll rarely have to worry about optimising your temperature thanks to the new Auto Climate system. This uses an array of surface temperature and humidity sensors to maintain the perfect seat temperature, with choice of six levels.
It works seamlessly, without any of the weirdness you sometimes get with conventional seat ventilation or any need to keep turning the heating elements back on. Similarly impressive is the Posture Adjust function, which goes beyond the five-stage massage programme to use the same twisting air pockets to constantly perform minute reconfigurations of the seat’s surface. This avoids pressure building up in anyone area and promises to reduce long-distance fatigue.
Genuinely more comfortable than short-haul business class, if you can afford the indulgence. Completing the makeover are heated door surfaces and arm rests, the obligatory media screens (if you want them) and power-closing rear doors for the first time on any Bentley. The EWB’s new ones are rather big, after all.
Bentley Bentayga EWB: verdict
A no-brainer for Bentley, the only question mark around the EWB is why it took so long. As ever with cars this big, four-wheel steering is the cheat code. It keeps the big Bentayga from becoming an oil tanker, so it’s not like EWB should be avoided if you’re planning to do the driving – and Bentley says many of its current Bentayga customers use their existing examples on a daily basis. All told, it’s little wonder Crewe expects the Extended Wheelbase to make up 45% of Bentayga sales going forward. An outstanding all-round package.