Having fervently opposed the idea of building an SUV for some time, the top brass at Bentley now confirmed that the luxury German-British marque will introduce such a model to its line-up by 2014.
Bentley’s new boss, Wolfgang Durheimer, who was head of R&D at Porsche before he moved to the luxury firm at the end of last year, is a strong proponent of premium SUV models. He counted the launch of the Cayenne during his tenure at Porsche as one of his proudest achievements and further stated: “I have great faith in the SUV market and it’s here to stay.”
The firm is said to be deeply involved in the development of this new model, which is taking place in Crewe under the supervision of design chief, Dirk van Braeckel, and engineering boss, Uli Eichhorn.
The SUV is likely to be underpinned by the VW group’s MLB platform, which the firm has earmarked for the next-generation Audi Q7. As such, the Bentley SUV could share much of its powertrain componentry with the Audi. The exterior styling will feature numerous signature cues lifted from other models in the firm’s line-up (think mesh grille, quad headlamps and possibly a strong shoulder line leading into slightly flared “haunches” at the rear) and a leather and wood-finished cabin with an emphasis on perceived quality above that of such rivals as the Range Rover.
In addition to being the first SUV ever produced under the Bentley banner, this new model could well prove to be the first Bentley to feature a diesel powerplant. It’s no secret that Durheimer is strongly in favour of slotting a diesel engine into a Bentley and the SUV could well be a more palatable choice than the firm’s luxury sedans and GTs. If the Audi Q7 underpinnings are utilised, it could mean that the Bentley SUV could play host to the German firm’s V12 TDI powerplant while a W12 variant could be offered in markets where diesels aren’t popular.
The project still has to meet with the approval of the VW board of directors, but Durheim and his team are confident that such a model will be given the go-ahead.