Crewe, England - And just like that the Lamborghini Urus is no longer the world’s fastest SUV, or so goes all the hype emanating from Crewe, but we’re really splitting hairs here.
Bentley boldly proclaims that its new Bentayga Speed is the world’s fastest production SUV, and technically it’s true, its claimed top speed of 306km/h making it exactly 1km/h faster than the Lamborghini Urus. Not that there are realistically many safe places in the world where you could actually put all those claims to the test but, we suppose, in the bragging-right-obsessed world we live in, fastest is still fastest.
The Bentayga Speed is still slower off the mark, however, taking 3.9 seconds to ‘crawl’ from 0-100km/h, while the Urus does it in 3.6 seconds.
But regardless of how we split hairs and seconds, the new Bentayga Speed is one mighty SUV, and powering it is a hugely impressive 6-litre W12 twin-turbo petrol engine that pushes out 467kW and 900Nm.
While it shares the same selection of four on-road drive modes as the regular Bentayga W12, the ‘Sport’ mode has been recalibrated to offer even more response from the engine, eight-speed automatic transmission and ‘Dynamic Ride’ 48V electronically controlled suspension system.
The Speed also promises a more sonorous soundtrack from the exhaust, during start up and when downshifting.
In keeping with the sportier theme, the exterior styling is modified with darker-tint headlights and air intakes, body-coloured side skirts and unique 22-inch wheels available in three finishes. Inside it’s set apart by Alcantara trim and a new contrast stitching colour for the diamond quilting.