Bentley Bentayga EWB 2023 review: Stretched luxury SUV plays the long game

The Bentley Bentayga is many things but, even if you live in super-sized America, ‘small’ is not one of them. Nevertheless, Bentley clearly decided its huge SUV needed some extra space and luxury, so the Cheshire-based brand created the Bentayga Extended Wheelbase or, for the sake of brevity, the EWB. It’s essentially a Bentayga with the front and rear axles pushed apart by an extra 180mm, creating more rear-seat space in which passengers can stretch out and relax, limo-style.

However, Bentley has done more than just extend its big 4×4, and some mechanical updates have been introduced to ensure it still meets the brand’s exacting standards for agility, comfort and luxury. Bentley also claims the car makes the most of its new comfort-orientated Azure specification and the high-tech Airline Seats, so we hit the road to find out whether the changes have made or broken the already brilliant Bentayga.

Exterior design and rivals

Unless you see the new Bentayga EWB and its standard-wheelbase sibling side by side, you’ll have a hard time telling one from the other. Of course, for the many onlookers who think the Bentayga is less than handsome, that’s going to be an issue, but for the numerous Bentley customers who have already bought one or more Bentaygas, it’s probably a good thing.

Anyway, the point is that, aside from a slightly out-of-proportion back door, the EWB looks no better or worse than the car on which it’s based. It’s still chunky and square in places, with an imposing front grille and detailed headlights that are either fussy and chintzy or cool and elaborate, depending on your point of view.

Views will probably differ, therefore, on whether it’s more or less ugly than its arch-rivals, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and the long-wheelbase Range Rover, both of which have received their fair share of criticism on the aesthetic front, yet still attract plenty of interest from would-be customers.

Interior and practicality

All the Bentayga’s extra length has been applied behind the front seats, where there’s now even more legroom to enjoy. And the standard car was hardly cramped. Bentley has really put the focus on rear-seat passengers, and it has turned the Bentayga from a practical SUV to a fully-fledged limousine.

That’s partly down to the seats, although exactly what you get depends on the options you choose. Customers can opt for a conventional five-seat setup, a proper four-seat layout or choose the 4+1 option, which gives you a big central armrest that can be flipped back up to create an occasional centre seat.

Then there’s the Airline Seat specification, with highly adjustable chairs full of clever features. A wide range of adjustment and massage functions are par for the course these days, but the Airline seats also have sensors that monitor body position and temperature, then tweak the seat accordingly.

The system is designed to prevent poor posture on long journeys, thereby improving comfort and, in theory, leaving you more refreshed at the end of a journey. Feeling it at work is disconcerting at first, but the seats are certainly very comfortable on a long drive.

Aside from that, the EWB’s interior is much the same as that of the standard car, which means there’s opulent leather, massive seats and impeccable quality. As usual, the customisation options are seemingly never-ending, with any number of upholstery and trim combinations available for customers.

By and large, though, the view over the bonnet is no different to that of the normal Bentayga.

Technology and safety

While Bentley’s focus may be on the rear space and the new seats, there’s still plenty of technology up front. The driver and front passenger get the same central touchscreen as is found in the standard car, while the driver gets a digital instrument cluster with some classy virtual dials and a configurable display.

Customers can also choose an optional head-up display that puts key information closer to the driver’s eyeline.

As with the standard Bentayga, the displays are easy to read, navigate and use, which makes them less distracting than they might otherwise be. The tech isn’t especially ground-breaking, but it all works well and that’s all you really need. With smartphone integration technology included, it’s also easy to combine the on-board tech with the power and applications of your mobile.

That doesn’t mean there’s no technology in the rear, though. Rear-seat entertainment screens are available as an option, and there’s a little removable touchscreen display housed in the back of the centre console. By tapping the screen, you can remove it from its lodgings and use the screen to adapt the interior lighting, the climate control settings and even the seat. You can change the radio station, too, and see some vehicle data.

You can also access features such as the seat massaging system and the aforementioned posture control tech, as well as the usual seat climate and adjustment settings. The “VIP” front passenger seat can be operated from the back, too, allowing passengers to free up even more legroom should it be required.

What’s more, this is the first Bentley to come with electrically operated rear doors. With such long, heavy lumps of metal and leather to open and close, the company decided an electric system would make more sense, as well as making entry and egress somewhat more dignified.

Performance, power output and acceleration

Now that the 6-litre 12-cylinder engine is reserved for the high-performance Speed model, the Bentayga EWB gets the same 4-litre V8 petrol engine as the ‘standard’ Bentayga. With two turbochargers, it sends a total of 542bhp to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Despite the fact the EWB weighs around 100kg more than the regular car, performance isn’t vastly different, with the 0-62mph sprint taking 4.6 seconds. That’s just a tenth of a second slower than the normal Bentayga, and the top speed is identical, at 180mph.

But while the EWB still has plenty of performance, that isn’t really the car’s raison d’être. The EWB is designed for refinement, and it delivers in spades. The V8 makes a muted grumble at idle, and it’s near silent at a cruise, but it still produces a menacing snarl when you drop a gear and put your foot down. There’s still a sporty edge.

Yet the Bentayga EWB can still cut it off-road. There’s an optional all-terrain specification that gives it some extra capability over rough or slippery surfaces, but the car is more competent than you might expect away from the beaten track. There’s plenty of ground clearance, ample wading capability and features such as hill descent control that make off-roading that little bit more civilised.

It’s almost certainly less capable than a Range Rover overall, but it’s more than good enough to meet the requirements of its target market. Many of these won’t venture off Tarmac at all, of course.

Naturally, the EWB isn’t especially economical. Bentley hasn’t yet released official economy figures, but we’re expecting the data to show a slight increase in fuel consumption and emissions. Although when the standard car can barely top 20-odd miles to the gallon, we can’t imagine many customers will care too much.

Ride and handling

While it would be easy to dismiss the EWB as just an elongated Bentayga, the differences run slightly deeper than that. Under the skin, Bentley has fitted a four-wheel steering system in a bid to provide added stability and manoeuvrability, and the result is a 5.3-metre-long vehicle with a smaller turning circle than the conventional car.

That means it’s surprisingly wieldy in town. But it’s even better when the roads open up. Despite the extra length and weight, the EWB feels every bit as agile and planted as the shorter Bentayga, and that’s high praise indeed. In Comfort mode, the whole thing feels slightly soft and squidgy, but Sport mode transforms the car into a completely different animal. The car tenses up and suddenly becomes nimble, taut and engaging. Considering the changes, it’s an impressive feat of engineering.

The catch is a Comfort mode that never feels quite as supple as you might like. It isn’t jarring – far from it – but the Bentayga EWB manages to pick out the occasional pothole or imperfection in the road. You could never call it unpleasant, but it doesn’t ride quite as smoothly as, say, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan or Range Rover.

Pricing and on-sale date

The Bentayga EWB will be noticeably more expensive than the standard Bentayga, which already commanded a six-figure pricetag. Bentley hasn’t yet officially homologated the new model but prices are expected to start at around £190,000, which makes it costly but still cheaper than a Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

Once you’ve added some choice options, however, expect to pay something around £250,000 – our test car came with an indicative price tag of just over £244,000.

Verdict: Bentley Bentayga EWB review

Somehow, Bentley has managed to make the Bentayga even more versatile. It would have been easy for the company to simply stretch its big SUV and leave it at that, but the attention to detail both on the surface and under the skin has made this all the car a customer could ever want.

It’s still great to drive, it’s still beautifully made and it still hugely luxurious – but now it’s even more spacious in the rear.

Yes, it’s expensive but customers at this end of the market won’t care. Those who simply don’t need to ask the price now have the power to buy what is unquestionably the most luxurious large SUV on the market, particularly for those who want to drive themselves.

After reading our review of the Bentley Bentayga EWB, you might find it entertaining to read about Clarkson bringing a Bentley on holiday
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