A few weeks ago Bentley rolled out the latest incarnation of its Bentayga SUV. We covered the bulk of the changes on the revised version in this story. The revisions were rolled out on the ‘entry level’ Bentayga. Today the British marque debuted the range-topping Bentley Bentayga Speed. The Speed is the most powerful and performance orientated Bentayga ever produced. The Bentayga range will soon expand to include a hybrid variant.

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The hand-built uber-luxurious Bentayga Speed is powered by the company’s twin-turbocharged W12 engine. Displacing 6,0-litres the unique powerplant produces 467 kW of power. Peak torque of 900 N.m is on tap from 1 500 to 5 000 r/min. Bentley says the large SUV can sprint from 0-100 km/h in a ridiculous 3,9 seconds. It also has a top speed of 306 km/h. The engine features cylinder deactivation as the ECU can shut down one bank of six cylinders as per torque demands of the prevailing situation.

Read our review of the Lamborghini Urus, another SUV that can top 300 km/h.

Bespoke appearance

Bentley Bentayga Speed has several cues to help onlookers to tell it apart from other, lesser-powered siblings. Darkened headlight covers, body-coloured side skirts, unique front and rear bumpers, a more prominent tailgate spoiler and unique 22-inch alloys are all specific to this derivative. ‘Speed’ badges are also a dead giveaway. Oval exhaust tips also help denote the largest engined Bentayga.

In the cabin, occupants of the Bentley Bentayga Speed enjoy Alcantara on the seat cushions and backrests, gear lever, steering wheel, lower knee trim areas, upper pillar trim and headliner. ‘Speed’ embroidery on the backrest of all of the seats is included as standard. A larger, high-resolution 10,9-inch touchscreen, features an advanced navigation system, media connectivity such as wireless Apple CarPlay is now standard as is Android Auto.

In his own words

Bentley’s chairman and chief executive, Adrian Hallmark, commented:

“The new Bentayga has already raised the benchmark for luxury SUVs, against which all others are measured. Ahead of the launch of the new Bentayga Hybrid – the world’s only definitive luxury hybrid – in the coming months, it’s important that we still recognise the customer desire for absolute performance. The new Bentayga Speed remains the fastest SUV in the world, but more that, it’s also the most luxurious version of the new Bentayga – the best of both worlds, the pinnacle.”