The new Bentayga X Concept may change your opinion of what is generally considered an SUV best used for traversing the gravel of a hotel car park or crossing the hazards of wet leaves at the entrance to your favorite casino.
This is clearly a serious attempt to create a true off-roader. To demonstrate its capability, Bentley recently debuted the X Concept at an ice race in the Austrian Alps. It not only powered around the ice and snow circuit – it even towed a skier behind it.
Bentley
The X Concept taps into a growing trend for SUVs that can actually do what inspired the genre in the first place: drive off-road. While the transformation largely comes down to fitting proper off-road tires and lifting the suspension, the difference is significant. We at New Atlas also think it looks far better. In fact, it may be the best-looking Bentayga yet.
Bentley revealed the new prototype at the FAT Ice Race in Zell am See, Austria this week, “to gauge interest in a production version.” The X Concept is really a modified Bentayga Speed. That means it uses the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, producing a bench-pressing 641 horsepower. Bentley has added forged 22-inch wheels wrapped in Renegade R/T tires. This relatively mild off-road rubber was most likely chosen for its reputation for low noise on pavement.
Bentley
The go-anywhere Bentayga also features a wider track, increased by almost five inches (120 mm), for a more secure stance. Extended wheel arches and a ground clearance raised to 12.2 in (310 mm) allow for greater suspension travel to tackle boulders and deep ruts, while also enabling water wading of nearly two feet (550 mm).
Overall height for the Bentayga X Concept now stretches to an imposing 8.16 ft (2.49 m). Never mind, the details are sexy: at the rear, the specialist Akrapovič titanium sports exhaust remains prominent, while twin towing eyes have been added at the front.
Photos from the FAT Ice Race also show extensive auxiliary lighting mounted up top, along with a new roof rack carrying a high-performance electric go-kart used in the FAT Karting League. It’s a small machine intended for kids, but it looks undeniably cool to our eyes – much like the Bentayga X itself.
Bentley
We have been a touch ambivalent about the big Bentley since reporting on its launch in 2015, when we detailed its extensive list of high-tech and luxury features. The following year saw Bentley attempting to lure outdoor enthusiasts with a rather bizarre fly-fishing accessory package. Then the company pushed further into ultra-luxury territory, before adding more performance in 2018 with the introduction of the V8 model.
This latest concept, however, pushes the Bentayga in a very different direction. Permanent all-wheel drive, an eight-speed transmission, and air suspension – combined with Bentley’s active anti-roll control – make the X Concept a far more complete all-rounder.
The Bentayga X Concept will next show its abilities on the snowy fairways of the FAT Ice Race in the US, at the Big Sky event at Moonlight Basin, Montana, on February 27-28. As for Bentley’s close relationship with FAT, the connection is clear: the head of FAT International and the creator of America’s first-ever ice race is a member of one of the world’s most famous sports car dynasties, Ferdi Porsche.
Source: Bentley
