Bentley’s new Bentayga debuted with a W-12 gasoline engine, but the British automaker has confirmed that the SUV will eventually offer diesel and plug-in hybrid options. We can now reveal that the diesel engine fitted to the Bentayga will be equipped with an electric-aided turbocharger. The information was confirmed to Automotive News (subscription required) by a lead engineer at Bentley.
The electric-aided turbocharger relies on an electric motor to spool up the turbo’s compressor wheel at low revs (up to 70,000 rpm in a few hundredths of a second) or even keep it spinning when the driver lifts off the accelerator, helping to eliminate turbo lag and thus make the engine more responsive. The technology is called E-Boost and makes its debut next year in Audi’s Q7, most likely in a high-performance SQ7 spied recently in prototype form.
One of its requirements is a new 48-volt electric system, which is fitted to the Bentayga. This is because between 7 and 8 kilowatts of electric power is needed for the E-Boost system.
Bentley is yet to confirm a date for the release of its diesel-powered Bentayga or mention how many cylinders the engine will pack. So far all E-Boost engines presented by Bentley’s Volkswagen Group parent have featured six cylinders or less. Bentley is also yet to confirm if the oil-burner will be offered in the United States.
The Bentayga is set to reach local showrooms in the first half of 2016. It arrives as a 2017 model and with a starting price of $230k.
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