they say it’s the world fastest suv we accelerated bentley bentayga to its maximum speed we threw it onto rough terrain and made it round cones but that was not enough. so we brought its supposed competitors to the test ground we are at the dmitrov proving ground near moscow and this is the first comparison test for bentayga in russia why the audi q7 is here? evolution is the reason when it comes to choosing a high-end crossover... ...you can go to any premium brand showroom...
...and buy an excellent car for 5-7 million rubles, which is approximately €70-100 thousand but if you want more, double that sum at a price of 11-12 mln, you can get an executive-class suv most likely it will be the long-wheelbase range rover at a similar price, a crossover can turn into a supercar i mean the porsche cayenne turbo s however, you could go even further and double the sum again bentayga is worth at least 17 million rubles, or €230 thousands frankly, i can't remember such a wide price range in autoreview comparison tests
but it's even more intriguing since the bentley and the audi share the platform technically, they are almost identical cars the more important it is to find out the difference there are no price tags inside the bentley, but every detail has a meaning the materials are first-class and its ergonomics is close to perfect however, as a symbol of your good taste, it’s quite ambivalent it looks like a technical museum where old-days iron artifacts adjoin latest innovations such as a touch-screen for the first time bentley design team worked not only on the interior... ...but on the hmi interface and on the icons
and i it seems like they put their major efforts into that electronic art bentley starts off surprisingly easily. it moves just like an ordinary car the accelerator responds smoothly, the transmission work is hardly noticeable, and it's quiet inside the car it’s hard to find any significant drawbacks in the bentley's behavior while you are driving at a speed under 80 km/h well, our experienced testing team did find some faults for example, the excessively damped accelerator pedal of course, you could get accustomed to it... ...but why do you have to get used to something imperfect in a car like this, they respond well, i can’t but agree
for a modern car, bentayga has a surprisingly narrow range of driving modes just three of them: "sport", "comfort" and some middle-range mode called “bentley†the latter combines sportiness and smoothness in the way bentley engineers meant it to perform there’s also a fourth mode – “customâ€. it means individual settings but, whichever setting you choose, the bentley will never lose its inborn temper it will remain solid... ponderous... smooth... leisurely...
bentayga does not pretend to be a supercar for any reason at least until you brave enough to go flat-out incredible! it leaves you breathless and blows your mind off speed is not the magic. the real wonder is the instant transition from somnolent calmness... ...to a hurricane the engine's nature is the reason it's lowest 500 nm of torque is actually more than anything you can get from our audi q7 and the maximum of 900 nm are available at 1350 rpm – the very bottom of the tacho scale. this means you can overtake any sport car
and some supercars as well there is no launch control, but in fact it’s not necessary just press two pedals, and than release the beast 4.2 seconds, and its 100 km/h! two more seconds – 150 km/h and you realize that it’s easy to accelerate more and more it's 200 the acceleration does not slow down
250 now you might feel that the steering wheel has become a little lighter... ...and the car has started to prowl slightly about its trajectory but don’t forget: the speed is 270 km/h now, and bentayga remains stable and comfortable however, the bentley failed to accelerate above 270 km/h it turned out that this car was factory fitted with all-season tires speed is electronically limited in this case we put the recommended summer tires before the test, but that was not enough we had to call british headquarter and return the car to the dealership to remove the limiter
it’s 265 and 271 now. we passed that mark the speed is rising again, there is a little more transverse vibration, i have to steer a little it's 292 km/h 295... 297... 299... 301! yes, we did it! what surprised us even more is the fact that bentayga was test-driven by several other journalists before us...
...but no one seems to have tried to reach top speed so it’s the first real attack but 301 is what we saw on the speedo, while the vbox showed 298.5 and let me remind you: to repeat that the customer needs to check which tires were fitted at the factory... ...and if the speed limiter is deactivated you can’t imagine anything like that in a porsche there are no secrets. cayenne’s nature is clearly seen and heard as for appearance, cayenne looks like a bodybuilder in swim trunks... ...standing next to three gentlemen dressed in dinner-jackets
on the other hand, porsche is the only suv able to race with bentayga... well, with vague chances for success can you believe, it was bentley not a porsche to prove its official acceleration time bentayga did 0-100 km/h in 4,2 seconds which is just 0,1 slower than promised by bentley cayenne turbo s propelled to 100 km/h in 4,5 seconds while porsche specs say it should be 0,4 second faster on the contrary, cayenne doesn't need any special manipulations to reach its maximum 280 km/h... ...and porsche is more precise and stable at the top speed cayenne did best in almost all our driving exercises i has the most agile chassis, the most direct steering...
...the wildest engine, the sharpest throttle response, the quickest transmission... porsche is the most exciting, it oversteers under throttle and even goes drifting fastest at turns and the only to be fitted with carbon-ceramic brakes... ...so it is also best in 100—0 deceleration finally, the driver’s place here is almost ideal and it's the loudest suv cayenne turbo s drives you crazy, makes you to want go racing and you can't resist it but there is something that does not match that mood, i mean abs settings the porsche releases its calipers when emergency braking is combined with evading maneuver
it is an old problem of vw ag cars audi and bentley use the new mlb platform, but cayenne platform belongs to the previous generation... ...and its abs settings are outdated you should also remember that porsche was the stiffest in our test it is hardly suitable for weekday driving i found here a button with the “comfort†lettering on it... ...but almost nothing changes when you press it porsche still shudders and counts all the road cracks just like in “sport†or “sport plus†modes although “comfort†gives you more suspension wobbling and wheels travel
supercar image fits perfectly with the porsche’s nature... ...but bentayga is faster and it gives you a wider choice of life moods the bentley is comfortable enough for everyday driving, with some reservations at the first drive in austria last spring i found bentayga quite tough, but still smooth i even praised it for ride comfort but this test on the russian bumpy asphalt and challenging roads of the proving ground changed my opinion of course, air suspension allows the bentley to ignore waves and bumps but when it comes to potholes with sharp, raggy edges... ...you have to remind yourself how heavy the car is and how huge its wheels are
its unsprung masses shudder at every seam, every crack i am sure bentley engineers were aware of russian road conditions... ...and of russian oligarch headcount so why doesn’t bentayga ride perfectly in my country? speaking of steering... you'll be surprised, but 6.0 w12 is not the mightiest engine of this bentley there is a small electric motor inside each active roll bar... ...and via the compact planetary gearset each of these motors delivers 1200 nm of torque twisting the bars the engine provides you with just 900 nm, as we remember
so even driving through sharp turns feels surprisingly easy and light. almost no roll, no leaning steering response is not very sharp, but the grip is impressive for such a heavy suv but, once again, on uneven surface bentayga slightly gets off its course... ...and you need to steer a bit to keep the line straight at the same time you must admit that, having a fast and powerful suv... ...you will probably want to go like this on a soft dirt road you’d better rise the body level but surprisingly that won’t affect suspension work no hits, no thumps bentayga rides with more smoothness than on a paved road
but, technically speaking, this is not a real off-roader it’s still a crossover bentayga and audi are equipped with the torsen central differentials and both have open front and rear diffs with esp-based locking functions the icons on the off-road switch are pretty vague but after some practice you’ll find out... ...that the highest ground clearance and the esp off-road algorythm can only be activated through two extreme modes they seem to be “mud†and “sand†the bentley has the lowest stationary body level of all the four suvs (247 mm)...
...but when the vehicle starts moving, electronics and air suspension can lift the body a little higher with w12 engine sound and that mass destruction design bentayga looks like a real tank on the terrain however, bentayga all-terrain capability is limited by its high-speed tires... ...which is why the bentley and the audi performed equally off-road porsche showed the best 4ñ…4 performance thanks to its optional rear differential lock the off-road genes of the range rover lwb were spoiled by its stretched body... ...it touches the ground with its bottom most often this range rover is much more useful when assaulting the red carpets especially because the bentley leaves much to be desired in such an activity
the impression that it’s possible to replace an executive-class sedan with bentayga is wrong at least with this entry package the bentley suv has an ordinary rear couch with manual adjustments, and the legroom is not large look at these basic cupholders well, there is a remote console for rear passengers this gadget helps you to control the climate... ...and even take a look at the dashboard with this wireless speedometer but if you want to turn bentayga into a high-end sedan... well, you have to buy the options worth almost as much as a sedan itself
the separate rear seats with a console between them cost 760,000 rubles the tablets for rear passengers cost about half a million ant the exclusive naim stereo system adds up 780,000 rubles to the total price the range rover treats you in a different way it’s the most impressive vip vehicle it's unbeaten among suvs look. i am stretching my legs it is the only suv in the group of our contestants that provides a lwb version there is also the cadillac escalade esv on some markets...
...but the range rover offers those extra 20 cm of space even in its basic 3.0 liter diesel version and it’s going to cost you additional 300,000 to 400,000 rubles. ok, we have the most expensive sv-autobiography black package that costs extra 4 million rubles... ...but it’s hard to say is there something what the vehicle lacks someone might complain that you can’t recline freely (like in a mercedes of s-class) and stretch your legs yes, the back seat reclines almost to 45 degrees... ...but there is no additional leg space in this case frankly, it is still enough to relax besides, you can activate the massage and enjoy some other vip features
cold drinks are waiting for you in the bar here you can find a set of wireless headphones: one for each back passenger this is the video system remote control – one for all passengers the monitors are not detachable, but on the other hand... ...you don’t have to pay their full price additionally when you buy the car, as is the case with bentayga it's all included if you need to work on the way, the range rover can be turned into a nice workstation and this is what impresses me most a foldable desk pops out of the central console
i think it’s the most comfortable car table i’ve ever seen there is a cup holder and a usb port if you work on a tablet or watch something on an iphone... ...there is a special socket where you can place your gadget to free your hands what else could be wished for! well, i know what i wish the range rover rode more smoothly the range rover is the most laid-back and relaxed vehicle among our four suvs it tries to be comfortable, and manages to, but only on an even road surface
it is rather similar to bentayga when the road is straight, it moves softly and sways a little however, when the wheels come across a crack or a hole, the suspension literally pounces onto it... ...and the vibrations echo in every part of the car body you can feel every seam, every crack, and the noise creates discomfort for your ears you can’t get rid of it because there is no special “comfort†suspension mode so the only solution is the... ...headphones? when i’m driving the range rover, it’s not always clear who is the boss
on the one hand, the driver receives as much comfort as the rear passengers i am surrounded with all sorts of prestige features i have command seating position i am in power – at least, over this particular car but this is an illusion the range rover will never give you as much control as the porsche it is nice to drive easily in it, or to be chauffeured to some specific destination but it does not make me feel like jumping at the steering wheel, hitting the gas and enjoying the drive if there is a suv i'd like to drive over and over again among these four — it is the q7
inside the audi you clearly see where bentayga comes from but it’s not clear why they borrowed mostly the tiniest but noticeable interior details... ...like the steering wheel buttons or switches on the dashboard why audi's climate controls look more exclusive than bentley’s? and why the q7 with basically the same chassis rides so much more refined? the difference in smoothness is so big that it seems the brits and the germans confused the brand badges the q7 behaves in a more high-end, aristocratic manner it moves more easily and doesn’t even notice all the unevenness that bentayga’s suspension grumbles about or could bentley product team had just got scared of such lightness?
might they have test-driven the basic q7 mlb chassis, got astonished, but decided in the end... ...that bentley customers were not ready for such an easiness? buying the most expensive suv, you want to feel what you are paying for, don't you? it should be tangible and weighty. with audi, you literally pay for the air working in its suspension that’s why bentayga irons the road like a tank, while audi soars above it. out of the many drive modes, only the “automatic†and “comfort†are really needed on asphalt q7 gives almost no sporting excitement, and minimum steering feedback but it’s still a very balanced, direct and fast vehicle
the audi is a half-bentayga it has exactly half of the bentley’s stuff under the hood: 6 cylinders, 3 liters and one supercharger but throttling is even more natural because the engine’s response to the pedal is more linear the audi q7 clocked 0-100 km/h roughly in 6.5 seconds... ...despite being a massive two-ton crossover the audi and the bentley have the same wheelbase and almost the same interior size that’s why the rear seats in q7 are no compromise compared to bentayga especially when the bentley is equipped with a basic sofa the cupholders look more expensive
the armrests are more comfortable there’s enough space, despite a third row at the back the bentley does not offer a seven-seater so far during this test, the bentley people asked us half-jokingly if it was possible to give bentayga some extra points... ...for its name, prestige, image and price. these are the key advantages for bentley customers, they say but i am not sure if the price really helps bentayga to compete in the market it could be vice versa i can’t help comparing bentayga’s value to its price every second i am driving this suv
leather, metal, natural wood trim – all that is worth the 200,000 euros but is that suspension’s work, and the rear seat sofa’s squeaking, worth the same sum? one day the electric door closer got stuck another day this airduct handle got loose... ...and it turned out to be easily detachable well, at least we know now that it is made of real steel what’s in the bottom line? here is the link to the full article, the results and the final scores of our comparison test many of you will be surprised
according to our measurement system, porsche and range rover had almost no chance for absolute victory they are both too one-sided the main idea behind bentayga is to replace these two different suvs with a single one and the bentley even manages to combine incompatible features however, it found q7 an unexpected competitor the audi is more comfortable, harmonious, and significantly cheaper the bentley’s advantages are its brand and speed so, if you need to show that there are no more limits left in your life... ...then bentayga is the best choice
the only possible one
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