Bentley debuted the Bentayga Hybrid at the 2018 Geneva motor show promising a more fuel-efficient but equally luxurious experience. After all, the Bentayga was previously available only with a V-8 or W-12 engine, neither exactly frugal in fuel consumption.
Sure, the Bentayga Hybrid will provide 31 miles of pure electric driving, thanks to a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 that is paired with an electric motor-generator. But, Bentley's first-ever plug-in car also has a clever efficiency trick up its sleeve, in the form of its intelligent navigation system.
For any given route, the system calculates the best combination of electric drive and the internal-combustion engine to maximize the hybrid powertrain's efficiency.
When the driver enters a destination in the navigation system, it will automatically calculate when the V-6 engine should be running and when the electric motor should power the car.
Then the Bentayga Hybrid will automatically choose the best drive mode throughout the journey. For example, it will run in pure electric mode in the city, while the engine will kick in for highway driving.
2019 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid
The navigation system also takes advantage of the full electric range is utilized, so the luxury SUV will arrive at its destination with a completely discharged battery pack. Hopefully, there's an outlet at the destination and the driver has time to kill: It takes 2.5 hours to charge the battery at a Level 2 charging station, or 7.5 hours on a standard socket.
2019 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid
The Bentayga Hybrid does all of this in a very discreet manner. Aside from a few copper-colored accents to represent the electrical performance and a unique digital instrument cluster and infotainment screen, the plug-in Bentayga sticks to the luxury SUV's script.
