A used Bentley Bentayga is now a more attainable used SUV, with some 2016 and 2017 cars teetering around the £50,000 mark.
Of course, you must add running costs to that. How about, for the popular 6.0-litre W12 petrol version, £700 a year road tax and 19mpg, plus servicing?
Still, read Autocar’s summary of the 600bhp W12 and you may still be tempted: “The 6.0 W12 must simply be acclaimed as one of the most complete and compelling luxury products in the world.”
Launched in 2016, this version was the first Bentayga out of the traps. The 2.4-tonne SUV, which has four-wheel drive, dispatches 0-62mph in 4.0sec. Standard-fit, adaptive air suspension, active anti-roll control systems and a range of driving modes ensure it rarely feels flustered, although it can get a little unshapely near the limit.
The following year, a 4.0-litre V8 diesel version arrived. If our road testers liked the W12, they loved the Bentayga Diesel, awarding it five stars. The Audi-sourced engine produces 429bhp and develops the same torque as the W12, only sooner. The result is even better in-gear acceleration and towing ability.
Thanks to its extra weight and bespoke air suspension settings, it rides slightly more comfortably than the W12. It’s more economical, too, of course, returning around 35mpg, and, at just £190 per year, is cheaper to tax.
Fewer were sold than petrols, but today a used diesel Bentayga is around the same price as a W12, even though they were about £25,000 cheaper originally.