Bentley pulled the covers off its all-new luxury SUV, the Bentayga, in Beverley Hills on Monday, marking the carmaker's entry into this key market.
The Bentayga, which stands as the fastest and most luxurious SUV in the world, was designed in Crewe, England for a global market. But its unofficial home will be here in California, where it will presumably grace the garages of the glitterati.
Underneath its sculpted hood, the Bentayga features an all-new twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 engine that produces 600 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque. With power sent to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic, it'll do a 0 to 60 mph run in 4.0 seconds on the way to its 187-mph top speed.
The Bentayga also offers a whole host of off-road features. These include eight drive modes, which you select via the Bentley Drive Dynamics Mode and Responsive Off-Road Setting.
The @wobentley #Bentayga is the ultimate expression of the brand's essence. #cars @mashable A photo posted by Nick Jaynes (@nickjaynes) on Sep 21, 2015 at 6:10pm PDT
When off-roading -- easily the most decadent thing you can do in a bespoke luxury 4x4 -- the Driver Information Panel in the instrument cluster displays vehicle pitch, roll, wheel articulation, steering angle, compass heading and altitude.
But this SUV is more than just a high-riding runabout for the global elite. It brings the bespoke British brand headlong into the 21st century, in terms of technology. Beneath -- and alongside -- its fine assortment of world-class leathers and wood, the Bentayga offers a slew of high-tech systems.
Front passengers are welcomed into the cabin with a new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, while second-row passengers can stay connected with a pair of Bentley Entertainment Tablets.
Bentley designers have fitted their flagship model with Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control (PACC). This takes Adaptive Cruise Control (the radar-based system that can automatically speed up or slow the vehicle based on traffic it sees ahead) and adds in navigation-based information. So if the Bentayga has PACC activated and recognizes it is about to enter a series of curves even before the bend in the road is visible, it can slow down before it enters the corners, ensuring a smooth and fuel-efficient ride.
The Bentayga helps drivers in other ways, too. It features a traffic sign recognition system, which will inform the driver of posted road changes. As visibility goes down at night, the Bentayga will use its infra-red Electric Night Vision system to identify obstacles -- and display them in its heads-up display (HUD).
City driving is made less stressful with the SUV's Park Assist system that detects suitable parking spots and will automatically parallel into them -- "even narrow and tricky spots," Bentley claims.
If this version of the Bentayga seems to have it all, just wait; Bentley has more coming.