The 600bhp Bentley Bentayga Is The Fastest And Most Powerful SUV Ever

Yes, it has a silly name, and yes, not all of us are a fan of massively expensive, very unsubtle SUVs, but we might just have to give Bentley a pat on the back for the new Bentayga. It looks a lot better than we’d been anticipating, but - more importantly, it’s flipping quick.

When giving the car its full reveal today, Bentley also released all that facts and figures: the 6.0-litre W12 under the bonnet cranks out a monstrous 600bhp at 6000rpm, and 663lb ft of torque from 1250rpm to 4500rpm. The result? It’ll crack 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds (the Range Rover Sport SVR takes a more leisurely 4.7 seconds to do the same), and top out at 187mph, as the company proved with the high-speed test video it released last week.

On the inside it is - of course - enormously posh, with four electrically adjustable seats clad in plush leather. The front chairs are 22-way adjustable, while the rears are 18-way adjustable. That’s a lot of adjustment.

There are also lashings of handcrafted wood, plus "highly polished, handcrafted metal elements" throughout the cabin. If you’re thinking all this might make the Bentayga a little heavy, you’d be absolutely right: it weighs 2422kg.

The weight plus the massive power output give a combined economy figure of 22.1mpg, although there is at least a sizeable 85-litre fuel tank to offset that, so it should take you at least a few weeks to get on first name terms with your local Shell garage employee.

Interested? The starting price is £160,200, however given the fact Bentley buyers tend to like pricey personal touches, it’s likely most will sell for a hell of a lot more than that.

The car will make its proper public debut at this month’s Frankfurt Motor Show.