The Bentley Bentayga Speed Is Here And It'll Do 190mph

Bentley’s new Bentayga ‘Speed’ is appropriately named. It uses the same 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 as the standard Bentayga, only here, it’s been lifted from 605 to 626bhp. A small gain, but enough to nudge the top speed from 187mph to 190mph.

Which, again, may not seem like much, but it’s a crucial difference: the Lamborghini Urus manages ‘just’ 189.5mph. What you’re looking at here, then, is the world’s fastest SUV. Oh, and to give some further context, 190mph is the same top speed as managed by the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. Cripes.

0-62mph has dropped from 4.1 to 3.9 seconds, a few tenths down on the Urus, but still a preposterous figure for a vehicle like this. It’s also a decent improvement considering the modest power boost - the “recalibrated” response of the engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox in Sport mode no doubt play a part. The suspension software for Sport has been fiddled with, too.

When you want to stop, you’ll be relying on the Speed’s gigantic carbon ceramic brakes, which are “the largest and most powerful ever fitted to a Bentley,” the British company says. Were they made of iron, the full set of huge rotors would be over 20kg heavier in total.

Visual enhancements include new side skirts, front and rear splitters plus a surprisingly sizeable boot spoiler. The enhanced looks are completed by a set of 22-inch, 10-spoke wheels. These are exclusive to the Speed and available in three different finishes.

Moving inside, you’ll find something else not used for any other Bentayga: Alcantara. If that’s just not luxurious enough for you, it will be possible to switch to a full leather interior without paying a penny.

There’s no word on pricing just yet, but judging by previous Bentley Speed models, we’d anticipate an increase of around £20,000 on the standard W12’s £165,000 entry point. It will, of course, be rather easy to inflate that circa £185,000 figure to well beyond £200,000 once you start optioning things.

The Bentley Bentayga Speed go on sale later this year, and make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.