Bentley Bentayga Diesel Is World’s Fastest Diesel SUV
The Bentley Bentayga Diesel is the company’s first diesel-powered production model ever, featuring a triple-charged 4.0-liter V8 engine. Bentley are touting the Bentayga Diesel as the world’s fastest diesel SUV, claiming it will do 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and be capable of a top speed of 168mph.
Bentley have long resisted the use of diesel engines in their vehicles, but feel that it is particularly suited to their ultra-luxury SUV, the Bentayga. Ample low-end torque, impressive single-tank range and reduced CO2 emissions are all positive characteristics of the Bentayga’s new diesel engine, which is shares with the Audi SQ7 TDI.
It develops 429hp and a massive 664lb-ft. of torque, the latter at just 1000rpm. Credit the new triple-charging system, comprised of two twin-scroll turbochargers and one electrically driven supercharger, for these impressive numbers. The 48V electric supercharger adds an immediate charge of compressed air into the engine’s eight cylinders before the first turbo spools up. Midrange power is amplified by the first turbo, whereas higher up in the rev range is where the second turbo adds more thrust, filling in for the electric supercharger which has gone offline at this point in the power range.
Interestingly enough, the V8 diesel produces the same peak horsepower and torque figures as the 6.0-liter, twin-turbo W12 found in the standard gas-powered Bentayga, the key differences being the diesel’s better low-end grunt and the W12’s better top-end power.
The diesel is pretty efficient, too. It’ll do 35.8mpg on the UK cycle, which when converted to US measurements is just under 30mpg. It also allows for up to 621 miles to be covered on a single-tank, a trait which Bentley PR likes to coin “go-anywhere” potential.
Bentley Bentayga For Sale
Autocar UK report that the Bentayga “has been acoustically engineered for the V8 diesel from the start,” which we interpret to mean properly sound-deadened to drown out as much of the characteristic diesel chuff as possible. They also state that the gas and diesel versions are very much similar, limited to minor suspension tuning adjustments in the diesel version to accommodate for the weight redistribution caused by its fuel tank. The V8 diesel engine itself is only slightly heavier than the W12 at 6.6 pounds more.
Most won’t be able to tell the difference between either model, at least visually. The diesel gets a “V8 Diesel” badge on the lower front door edge, new Bentley “twin-quad” tailpipes and a black grill with a chrome surround.
Unfortunately, like most other cool diesel-powered cars, we won’t be getting the Bentayga diesel here in the U.S. European deliveries are slated to begin in January 2017, with South Africa, Russia, Australia and Taiwan following shortly thereafter.
