Bentley Bentayga updated with fresh looks and new technology

Bentley is hoping to restore its place at the pinnacle of the luxury SUV segment with its redesigned Bentley Bentayga, which is set to go on sale in the coming weeks before deliveries in the autumn.

The update includes an altered look, new technology, more space and – in the UK and Europe – the removal of the unique W12 engine option.

The Bentayga has become a core model for Bentley, with more than 20,000 examples finding homes since it was launched back in 2015. The changes aren’t radical as a result, rather serving to bring the SUV into line with the brand’s newer models, the Continental GT and Flying Spur.

The exterior changes echo this, with design director Stefan Sielaff claiming that he wanted to create more of a “family feeling” between models. “We worked a lot on proportions and stance to achieve this,” Sielaff told Autocar.

To that end, every front-end and rear-end panel has been altered. The most notable change is the new ‘matrix’ grille, which is larger and 30mm higher, to give a “more impactful” profile.

This sits alongside new LED matrix headlights that have a cut-crystal design to make them sparkle even when not lit.

What’s more, the Bentayga’s front wings have been altered to visually widen the front track, while the rear axle is 20mm wider and the wheels are repositioned in the arches. The bonnet is also redesigned in a clamshell shape.

Further detail changes include new 3D elliptical tail-lights with animated LEDs, similar to those on the Continental GT, and a rear numberplate repositioned onto the bumper to allow for ‘Bentley’ to be spelled out across the tailgate.

There’s also a larger rear spoiler, new side vents and a new 22in wheel design, plus two new paint colours. New oval-shaped split tailpipes, heated wipers with 22 washer jets in each arm and an optional Blackline variant with blacked-out chrome complete the external alterations.