CULTURE & FASHION
As the hugely popular SUV market continues to grow, so does the wonderful range of vehicles South Korean manufacturer Kia has to offer. This month here at The Gentleman Select I was lucky enough to test drive Kia’s newest addition, the XCeed, around the very cool streets of Berlin.
Tarraco is the Latin name of the Catalonian port city of Tarragona in Spain. Fast forward a year or two and it is now the name of a stylish new SEAT SUV to hit the market. A few weeks back with The Everyday Man, I attended the UK media launch of the SEAT Tarraco at Amber Lakes in Wraysbury and got behind the wheel of this new model within the range.
Every now and then a vehicle comes along that is perfectly suited and crafted for long adventures on the open road. Last month I was lucky enough to drive one such vehicle and take it out on a short road trip to the historic Scottish town of St Andrews. It is a journey I’ve done before but never in quite so much comfort and elegance. This time I would be making said trip in the magnificent Mercedes-Benz GLE SUV.
Bentley this week revealed the information of their all new “sector defining” SUV: The Bentayga. The result of £840m investment made by Bentley since 2014, the Bentayga is undoubtedly the sector-defining car it claims to be. At the heart of each Bentayga, is a mighty twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 engine providing a staggering 600bhp and 900Nm of torque. What this translates to is a 4.0 second 0-60 time, a top speed of 187mph, making the Bentayga the fastest and most powerful SUV in the world.
Alongside the awesome power of the mighty Bentayga, a Bentley wouldn’t be a Bentley without exuding the best in modern British luxury. With 15 luxurious carpet options, seven different handcrafted veneers and 15 choices of interior trim hide, personalising your new Bentley couldn’t be easier! If you’re looking for a ready-made option, Bentley have countless lifestyle orientated packages including a package specifically geared for those who fancy some water sports, with a Load-Assist Tray and Wet Gear Stowage options. Or if you’re not the water sports type, an integrated Mulliner Hamper Set, complete with cooler, bespoke fine Linley china cutlery, crockery and crystal glass, and storage area for dry goods is also available. For the ultimate luxury in the great outdoors, sections of the hamper can be removed and used as seating.
Perhaps our favourte addition to the new Bentayga, however, is the incredible Mulliner Tourbillion Dash Clock by Breitling – it’s important to note that Tourbillion watches typically retail for upwards of £50,000! A mechanical instrument like this is not often found in modern day vehicles, however the Bentley Bentayga has a dedicated winding mechanism to wind your tourbillion as you drive. This incredible bespoke option is available in both white and rose gold and with the choice of either white mother-of-pearl or ebony diamond dial.
What’s more appealing is the fact that this mind-blowing feat of engineering is designed, engineered, and hand-crafted in Crewe, UK. And unlike many modern SUVs, the Bentayga is just as fun on rough terrain as it is on the open road. The development programme itself spanned an impressive five continents, making the Bentayga just as powerful and efficient on the muddy fields of Cheshire as it is on the dirt and gravel of South Africa, or even in the -30°C conditions of the Frozen North Cape.
Chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, Wolfgang Dürheimer, comments: “The Bentayga is truly the Bentley of SUVs. It redefines luxury in the SUV sector and offers a genuine Bentley experience in any environment, thanks to a combination of unparalleled attention to detail, go-anywhere ability and cutting-edge technology.”.
We’d have to agree.
More at www.bentayga.bentleymotors.com