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2023 Bentley Bentayga Road Test: 'Airline' spec is the way to travel

After nearly a week rolling around town in the 2023 Bentley Bentayga, enjoying its power, comfort and the ability to make a grand entrance basically anywhere, it dawns on me that I’m doing this wrong. Yes, the V8 is great, but of course it is. The story is in the back seat. IÂ’m testing an extended wheelbase Bentayga Azure First Edition outfitted with the Airline Seat Specification. ItÂ’s business class, plain and simple. As darkness falls, I make up a cheese plate and head to the backseat, placing my charcuterie on the veneered picnic trays below the 10.1-inch screens. Leaning back on the pillowy headrest, I feel like IÂ’m about to settle in for a cushy trans-Atlantic flight. ThereÂ’s so much room. The wheelbase extends 7 inches beyond the standard Bentayga and thereÂ’s enough space to do calf stretches. The First Edition offers Diamond Illumination on the door panels and the purple ambient lighting casts a royal glow. ItÂ’s not as dramatic as the Starry Night Sky in the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, but with 22 LEDs shimmering through leather perforations, it is rather cosmic.  The Airline spec seats are the other part of the BentaygaÂ’s charm, with 22 possible ways to calibrate positions. Sure, you can cue up any number of massages, but you can do that in many Jeeps. BentleyÂ’s seats also offer a Postural Adjustment System that is said to apply up to 177 pressure changes over a three-hour period to keep you comfy. Dialing into work meetings with my feet up, I enjoyed it, mostly. I didnÂ’t stay there for three hours, but for my roughly one-hour stint, the adjustments were generally appreciated (I could have updated my Google calendar location to ‘BentleyÂ’, but that seemed pretentious). The cupholders are solid, too. Bentley moved the sunroof back about 5 inches to further focus on the rear passengers, and itÂ’s an airy setting, especially when reclined. ThereÂ’s also an auto climate function that adjusts the surface temperature. After playing around with the many settings, I eventually found the one that pushed the front passengerÂ’s seat all the way forward, a footstool extended down and I leaned back for a brief rest.  Different Bentayga EWB pictured So I did actually drive a Bentley for a week, and it offers a certain gravitas both in motion and at rest. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 supplies plenty of power to the tune of 542 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque, and it will get you and your passengers to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, should the need arise.

Queen Elizabeth II was a longtime automotive enthusiast

Since driver's licenses, license plates, and passports were issued in her own name, Queen Elizabeth II didn't need them to drive and travel. She started combining the two just before she turned 19, joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) transport division in 1945 for vehicle mechanic training. She wanted to help the British effort during World War II and would drive an ambulance — one that, theoretically, she could also fix if it broke down. The war ended before she graduated as an Honorary Junior Commander, the other ATS members dubbing her Princess Auto Mechanic. We donÂ’t know if she got under the hoods of the many official state vehicles and the far more numerous unofficial fleet in the royal garages, but she was still driving herself around England as late as this year. Here is a tiny selection of royal conveyances used during her 70-year reign. Gold State Coach (1762) True, she never drove this one, but a tour of every royal garage should start with the coach. King George III commissioned Samuel Butler to build it in 1760. Butler spent two years on the gilded carriage 24 feet long and more than 12 feet high. The quarters are suspended from the frame by leather straps, so occupants get tossed about even during a slow stroll, which is as fast as the eight Windsor Gray horses can pull it. It wasnÂ’t until the 1900s that King George VI rubberized the wooden wheels. Word is the queen didnÂ’t like it.   1953 Land Rover Series 1 Land Rover gave Queen ElizabethÂ’s father, King George VI, the 100th example of the 80 Series off the line in 1948. She picked up the Landie habit for herself five years later, when a 1953 Series 1 with a custom 86-inch wheelbase was part of the fleet used for her six-month tour of the Commonwealth in 1953 and 1954. That Land Rover became Ceremonial Vehicle State IV. The models above were built in Australia in 1958 as near copies of the Commonwealth tour vehicle, when Australia decided it wanted six identical versions for royal service. ItÂ’s thought the royal family went through around 30 Land Rover Series cars and Defenders since then, and many of the most common photos of her have her posing in or near one, especially the 2002 Defender built just for her. The royal family isnÂ’t finished with them, either: A current Defender 110 served as a luggage hauler for family members headed to Balmoral Castle during the queenÂ’s final days.

Bentley has built more than 20,000 Bentaygas in four years

It might not feel like it, but Bentley has been building an SUV for four years now. The Bentayga was introduced in 2015 and entered production at the beginning of 2016. Since then, the model's lineup has expanded to a range of six variants and numerous powertrain options. In total, Bentley has built more than 20,000 examples of the Bentayga, and demand does not appear to be dropping.  Like Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin, Bentley turned to the crossover and SUV market for a bump in sales, and the Bentayga has been a brand MVP ever since. Buyers have the choice between the Bentayga, Bentayga V8, Bentayga V8 Design Series, Bentayga Speed, Bentayga Diesel, and Bentayga Hybrid, as to ensure there's something for every type of buyer.  The launch powertrain in the Bentayga was a twin-turbocharged W12. It made a claimed 599 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. At full blast, it is capable of running 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds and tops out at 187 mph. Bentley topped those impressive numbers with the release of the Bentayga Speed. It too used a twin-turbocharged W12, but on those models, it made 623 horsepower. With a top speed of 190 mph, Bentley claims the Speed is the fastest SUV in the world.  Downgrading in engine size and power, the Bentayga V8 was unveiled in 2018 with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter eight-cylinder engine. It makes 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque, and with the foot to the ground, it can do the 0-60-mph scoot in 4.4 seconds. Top speed is capped at 180 mph. Bentley offers a Bentayga V8 Design Series for those searching for a more specialized look.  The other two options are the hybrid model or the diesel model. The diesel, which is not available in the U.S., has a triple-charged 4.0-liter V8 that produces 429 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. The plug-in hybrid, Bentley's first foray into brand electrification, combines a 17.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, an electric motor, and a V6 engine. Together, the system makes a claimed 443 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque.   If those versions of the Bentayga were too bland, Bentley has also offered several special-editions of the questionably designed luxury off-roader. There was the Pikes Peak edition that commemorated the Bentley setting the Pikes Peak SUV record. There was a Stetson edition with Texas flair. And we can't forget our personal favorite: the Bentley Bentayga Falconry by Mulliner. Related Video: