► Diesel Bentley Bentayga spy shots
► Engine sourced from the Audi SQ7
► Rivals include Range Rovers and Cayennes
Yup, it’s finally happened. Bentley has bowed to pressures from its rivals and customers, and is rolling out its first diesel-engined production car.
Naturally, its first application for a high-torque diesel will be the hefty Bentayga, the company’s recently launched luxury SUV.
Initially, the car pictured by our spy photographers looks like a regular Bentayga, but a quick plate check with the DVLA reveals its displacement to be 3956cc – and its listed fuel type as diesel.
What’s the engine, then?
It’s the 4.0-litre diesel V8 from the Audi SQ7. In the SQ7 it packs twin turbochargers and an electrically driven centrifugal supercharger. It’s a mighty motor, punching out 429bhp and 664lb ft. Bentley’s likely to up that output somewhat, to help justify the car’s higher price.
This isn’t the only element the Bentayga diesel will share with the SQ7; like the regular version, it is also based on the same platform and features the same 48-volt architecture.
Why go diesel?
There are several potential benefits – lower claimed CO2 emissions, lower fuel consumption, a useful increase in range without boosting the fuel tank size and lots of low-down pulling power. For a large luxury SUV, it’s an sensible choice of powerplant.
We know from experience that it’s a smooth and muscular-sounding powerplant, too, so – while different in character from the W12 – it shouldn’t disappoint.
Has anything else changed?
We can’t spot any obvious changes, outside of different exhaust tips.
When will more be announced?
It’s expected that more about the diesel-engined Bentley Bentayga will be revealed around the same time as the Paris motor show in October.
Read our Bentley Bentayga review here