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Autoblog Podcast #343

George Kennedy from Boldride.com, BMW i3, NACTOY long list, Bentley SUV
Episode #343 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Steven Ewing are joined by George Kennedy, Autoblog alum and Editor-in-Chief of Boldride.com. Topics include the unveiling of the BMW i3, the 2014 North American Car and Truck of the Year long list, and the green-lighted Bentley SUV. As always, we start with what's in the garage, but then answer some of your questions before diving into the week's news. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #343:

Bentley doubles down on diesels with a triple-charged Bentayga

Volkswagen Group isn't totally giving up on diesels. While its flagship VW brand is clearly tarnished, the ultra-luxury Bentley division just revealed plans for its first oil-burner, a triple-charged 4.0-liter V8 that produces 429 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. If the powertrain sounds familiar, that's because it's the same one found in the Audi SQ7 TDI. It's a clever system capable of giving what Bentley claims as the world's fastest diesel SUV a top speed of 168 miles per hour and a zero-to-62 mph time of 4.8 seconds. The SQ7 TDI can get to 62 mph in the same time, but is electronically limited to 155 mph, because it wouldn't make sense if the cheaper SUV could outperform the much more expensive one. The Bentayga also emits the lowest CO2 output of any Bentley and has a range of over 621 miles on one tank. Despite having a curb weight of 5,269 pounds, Bentley claims the Bentayga can get a combined rating of 35.8 mpg on the European cycle. The Bentayga Diesel may not be as powerful or as fast as the W12-powered model, but it's a lot more fuel efficient as the latter achieves a combined rating of 21.6 mpg on the European cycle. Other than the new engine, the Bentayga diesel is nearly identical to its gasoline-powered twin except for some discreet "V8 Diesel" badges on the front doors, a new exhaust outlet design, and a black grille. A Bentley spokesperson confirmed that the Bentayga diesel would not be sold in the US. And since Bentley won't be at this year's Paris Motor Show, don't get your hopes up on spotting the vehicle there. The diesel-powered SUV will go on sale in Europe early next year, which will be followed by its release in Russia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Pricing for the SUV has not been announced yet. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Bentley Bentayga Diesel View 20 Photos News Source: BentleyImage Credit: Bentley Green Audi Bentley SUV Diesel Vehicles Luxury Performance bentley bentayga

2022 Bentley Flying Spur Odyssean Edition launches the hybrid in style

The 2022 Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid will be the second plug-in hybrid in the company's lineup. And the brand is bestowing it with a special model called the Odyssean Edition to kick it off. It has some unique interior features that Bentley claims are more sustainable, but we would argue they don't do much to make the big sedan particularly green, at least not beyond its hybrid nature. Set that aside, though, and the Odyssean Edition is still a nice machine. The interior is the highlight of the Odyssean Edition, and in particular, the contrast stitching used on the seats. They've been dyed so that they start dark on the outer edges and fade to a lighter tone in the center. Bentley says this is the first time this stitching design has been used on a production car, with it originally appearing on the EXP 100 GT concept car. The rest of the interior is covered in natural leather (supposedly for its longevity), natural finish Koa wood (supposedly for less lacquer use) and some 100% wool spun into tweed panels on the backs of the front seats. You can get other Bentleys with leather and natural-finish wood, so they aren't really an extra step toward sustainability. On the outside, the Odyssean Edition is distinguished by champagne-colored accents on the 21-inch wheels, as well as the lower chrome and headlight and taillight surrounds. A badge also appears on the rear pillar. Bentley recommends six paint colors to match the accents, but if you really want to, you can pick from anything in the Bentley color range. Customers can also add options to the Odyssean Edition. We're a little surprised that some of those options include fairly common features such as ambient lighting, puddle lights, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and a head-up display. But less common options include a leather headliner, light-up hideaway hood ornament, 3D diamond upholstery on door panels (shown in the gallery), revolving center display, wool carpeting and night vision. Availability and pricing were not announced. We would expect it to go on sale by the end of the year like regular Flying Spur Hybrids. And like those standard cars, the Odyssean Edition gets the same twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 hybrid making 536 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. Range from its 14.1-kWh battery is estimated at more than 25 miles. Related Video: Byron plays rich in the 2021 Bentley Flying Spur V8 | Autoblog