2023 Bentley Bentayga S on 2040-cars

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2023 Bentley Bentayga Cupholder Mega Test: Will the Nalgene bottle fit?

The Bentley Bentayga is impressive in its extravagance, and the extended-wheelbase Azure First Edition is even more so. Unique styling, extremely high-quality materials, extra rear legroom and opulent seating make this expensive SUV a sublime place to spend time, whether behind the wheel or as a passenger. And while the Bentley might seem better suited to one of those water bottles with an energy-focusing crystal energy inside (yes, it's a thing), capaciousness holds a luxury all its own. So, can the Bentayga EWB accommodate what is truly the finest decanter for beverages on the go, the traditional 32-ounce Nalgene water bottle? Damned if I wasn't going to find out while the Bentley was in my driveway. The primest real estate is, of course, the front cupholders, so let's start there. It's hard to be disappointed, as something about sitting in the Bentayga's driver seat is a natural balm for the soul, but warm feelings won't make our Nalgene fit where we'd like it. Let's try the doors next. It fits there just fine, and we have to say, the azure color of my Nalgene's sturdy, BPA-free plastic looks quite nice against the car's gray and lavender leather. So how about the folks sitting in business class? As is often the case, the rear cupholders suffer the same constraints as the ones up front. The Nalgene won't fit there, but maybe the doors? These generous pockets again provide a place for these big bottles. But there's one more spot in this Bentley to stash a fifth Nalgene. Just in front of the rear cupholders is a cubby that opens up. It's big enough to fit a Nalgene, but not big enough to close the lid over it. It wouldn't be a terrible place to temporarily hold your bottle while actively hydrating, then place it back out of the way in the door pocket once your thirst is quenched. Have a closer look in the video below. If the Bentayga is a little rich for your taste, you can see how the Nalgene fares in the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Toyota 4Runner or the upcoming Volkswagen ID.7 electric sedan.

What it's like to drive Bentley's Continental GT3 racecar

I'm gliding across the back roads of Napa in a Bentley Flying Spur V8 S, and all is right with the world. Two and a half tons of metal, leather, and hubris provide insulation, while the audio system's eleven speakers smother me with the syrupy sounds of Katy Perry as the landscape floats past. My guilty pleasure is mine alone, because this bank vault on wheels is practically soundproof. But I'll soon be harnessed into a fearsome hellion that would terrify all but the edgiest of Bentley owners. I'm headed to Sonoma Raceway to drive the 2,800-pound, 600-plus-horsepower Bentley Continental GT3 racecar. Goodbye swankiness, hello madness. Bentley probably isn't the first brand you associate with racing, but the Flying B's competition highlights include Le Mans wins in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, and, most recently, a top finish at the fabled endurance event with the brand's 2003 return. The 1-2 victory in '03 came in the wildly engineered LMGTP prototype class; it wasn't until a more relatable, Continental GT-based car was campaigned eight years later that Bentley unlocked the full potential of its rich history. "Motorsports is essentially a business tool," Bentley race boss Brian Gush told Autoblog at the GT3's race debut three years ago, reinforcing the industry's familiar "race on Sunday, sell on Monday" mantra. But let's also tip a hat to the intangible: There's something undeniably cool about watching a beefed-up version of your daily driver battling it out on a world-class track, especially when that car is a fat-cat luxury coupe that seems better suited to the boulevard than the race circuit. After swapping blue jeans for a Nomex jumpsuit, I watch as the GT3 emerges from the transporter, and the sight is downright intimidating. It's wide and low, with an impossibly big wing. There's another source of intimidation: While a small group of journalists has sampled Bentley's media car, I'm about to get behind the wheel of a privateer-owned car. No pressure. "Ever met the owner?" a Bentley rep asks, referring to Team Absolute's Adderly Fong. "He's a big guy, mean, with a really short temper," he quips, which is essentially shorthand for "don't wreck his car." I crack a tentative smile, acknowledging the not-so-veiled message. Bentley test driver Butch Leitzinger gives me the lowdown on this particular GT3, which happens to be coming fresh off a top-ten finish at the weekend's Pirelli World Cup Challenge.

Bentley SUV spotted wearing its own suit

It's been over two years since Bentley unveiled its first SUV concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. In the time since, Bentley has sent it back to the drawing board and started development, embodied just a couple of weeks ago as a test mule wearing the bodywork of an Audi Q7, the replacement for which will share its underpinnings with the new Bentley. But what we have here is our best look yet at the forthcoming big Bentley.
Now wearing its own suit (albeit a heavily camouflaged one), this Bentley SUV prototype was recently spotted undergoing testing. And judging from the NewBentley.com stickers plastered along its flanks and rear bumpers, it seems like the crew from Crewe wanted us to see it - or at very least has resigned itself to the fact that we probably would.
The prototype is already wearing the new round headlamps that were part of the redesign, as well as LED taillights, and the interior photos snapped through the windows give us an idea of what to expect from the completed cabin, including the digital instrument cluster and head-up display at the base of the windshield.