Bentley Bentayga vs Ferrari 296

What's the difference?

The Bentley Bentayga Azure may look a bit awkward and it surely isn't great value for money, but it is a true Bentley and a very good family SUV that not only provides terrific practicality but superb performance and comfort.

Anyone who says electrification somehow muddies the Ferrari formula is wrong. This plug-in Prancing Horse is among the most potent and direct vehicles I’ve ever driven, and the electric motor only adds to the experience.

You'd think of all automotive brands Bentley, with its beautiful swooping and powerful saloons, would be able to floor us with something just exquisite in SUV form. But right from the 2012 concept the Bentayga has struggled to stun the world with its design.

So, while there are Bentley family traits all over the Bentayga, from the intricate headlights and mesh grille, to the oval tail-lights and body which squats over the rear wheels, the overall design looks awkward to my eyes.

To me it appears the boxy design with the tall, flat roofline and elevated ride height favours practicality over the sleekness possessed by a lower, more coupe-like SUV.

I favour dark coloured clothes because it hides my shapes, creases and bulges, but these are the things you want to see in a car and our Bentley's 'Onyx Black' paint, despite being a beautiful colour with a blue hue added, make it a featureless blob in the sunlight.

A lighter shade or something outlandish like a turquoise or yellow would look amazing, and even better, upset your neighbours.

Let's look at the interior design which is lavish with all the quilted leather and Mulliner customisation, but lacks the modern look of many contemporary cabins with its smallish media screen and busy mosaic of buttons.

I like the little chrome plungers for the air vents, the winged styling to the dashboard and the stitched leather upholstery, but it's easy to spot parts that are shared by other members of the Volkswagen Group (which owns Bentley).

For example, there are the indicator and wiper stalks, as well as the steering wheel buttons, all from Audi. Surely Bentley should have its own crafted parts?

The interior colour scheme on our Bentayga is 'Beluga' (black) and 'Camel' (tan) and the Mulliner option split the colours with a cream tone.

From a family perspective the tan and black will hide dirt, although the cream will struggle. It's possibly the best leather on the planet, however, coming from cattle living high enough that their hides are unblemished by insect stings.

It is hard not to swoon when you gaze upon the 296 GTS, and I say that with no bias - I don’t think all Ferraris have looked this good.

But this is Ferrari at its dreamy, sweeping best, from the tarmac-kissing front — which generates so much downforce and cooling it negates the need for active aero — to its swollen haunches and the glass-topped engine window.

So what’s the difference between this and the GTB? Largely it is the ability to drop the folding roof, meaning you can feel the wind in your hair and that exhaust in your soul. To be honest, though, I reckon it looks better top up...

It’s a cockpit-style driver’s set-up inside, and there’s lots I love and some things I don’t. But let’s start with the steering wheel, which might be one of the best in existence.

It feels magic under the touch, as do the giant flappy paddles which remain fixed in place as you turn the wheel.

It’s also surprisingly comfortable in the figure-hugging sports seats, though climbing in and out of them is not necessarily something you want to do in front of a crowd.

Downsides? There is plenty of tech in the 296 cabin, but it’s all controlled from the steering wheel, making it fiddly and annoying to use.

Also, there are F1-levels of complexity on the control-everything steering wheel, and if I’m being honest, there are some buttons or switches, the function of which I still don’t fully understand.

Being shaped like a bus does nothing for the Bentayga's beauty but makes it spacious for cargo and roomy for people.

With its large doors and elevated ride height (the car can be lowered for easier access) it's great for families.

Our Bentayga is a five-seater, which is fine for my little family of four, but there are four- and seven-seat configurations available, too.

Second row legroom is exceptional, even for me at 189cm tall, and sitting behind my own driving position there's still plenty of room.

Headroom is also outstanding throughout. We could be a family that loves top hats, on our way to the top hat championships, and not have to remove our top hats. That's how good headroom and hat room is.

Sun blinds in the second row are vital in Australia, and the electric ones in the Bentayga raise and lower quickly, not just offering protection but also more privacy.

Storage is good throughout with big door pockets and five cupholders.

It seems the cabin space eats into the cargo area because the boot isn't overly large at 484 litres with all seats in place.

Buttons in the cargo area allow the rear of the car to be raised and lowered to make it easier to hoist items in the boot.

For devices there's a wireless phone charger up front along with USB ports in both rows.

What do you want to know around practicality? We’re talking two seats, about 200 litres of cargo space total and a couple of smallish storage spaces in the cabin. And… that’s about it.

Next question, please.

Okay, hold your breath for a moment. The 296 GTS lists at $668,146, which is a sizeable jump over the hard-top GTB, which is more like $551,800. But what price a little open-air freedom?

What you get for that investment is a two-part (solid) folding roof, of course, but also what might be Ferrari’s most high-tech offering to date, with a plug-in hybrid system delivering potent performance rather than a usable EV driving range, a mega-clever braking system and an almost telepathic six-way 'Chassis Dynamic Sensor' designed to link the car’s key functions to make the experience, and the driver, somehow better.

Elsewhere, there are sports seats, Matrix LED headlights, 20-inch alloys, keyless entry and a very cool engine start touch-button on the even cooler steering wheel.

Oh, and there's wireless charging and Apple CarPlay, both thankfully standard in Australia, the latter controlled through the steering wheel and digital driver display.

It's all beautifully finished and a joy to behold and sit in.

When Bentley stopped putting its W12 into the Bentayga this year I was unsurprised yet sad. The world is moving toward tighter fuel emissions but the twin-turbo petrol V8 in this Azure is still a beast.

The 4.0-litre turbo-petrol V8 is from the Audi family and I love it as much for its plentiful torque and superb acceleration as the deep rumble of its exhaust.

Making 404kW and 770Nm the V8 can lift and throw the 2.5-tonne Bentayga to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and onto a top speed of 290km/h. I reckon you could get it to 300km/h with the wind behind you.

Drive goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed transmission and a Torsen-type centre differential.

Default drive balance is 40/60 front to rear, with up to 70 per cent of power able to be sent to the front wheels and up to 85 per cent to the rear axle.

I don't think you'll be astounded to hear this powertrain uses a lot of fuel? Let's go there...

Now we're talking. The powertrain here is both tremendous and terrifying, pairing a 3.0-litre twin-turbo-petrol V6 with a rear mounted electric motor, and a 7.5kWh battery, to deliver a total 610kW and 740Nm. That power is fed through an eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.

Those are, frankly, scary numbers, and enough, Ferrari says, to dispatch 100km/h in just 2.9 seconds, and to push on to a top speed of 330km/h.

Bentley says the Bentayga Azure with the V8 petrol engine will use an average of 11.4L/100km over a combination of open and urban roads.

But what happens if you live in the suburbs not far from the city and drive the Azure every day to do the school drop offs and trips to the shops and then take in some fun country roads? You use an average of 22.8L/100km according to the car's trip computer.

This is still not as high as I was expecting. I've driven V6-powered SUVs which use more than this under the same conditions.

That said, even when using as much fuel as Bentley says you should, an 85-litre fuel tank is only going to deliver an approximate 745km driving range.

As well as the ability to start up and slink away silently, the Ferrari 296 GTS’s little battery will deliver a 25km EV-only driving range, and contribute to the overall claimed fuel use of just 6.5L/100km.

Charging is AC only, and the the brand reckons it takes around 90mins to top up using an 11kW charger. The self-charging is on-point, though, with the Ferrari able to quickly recoup energy from braking and the like to top up the battery without needing to plug in.

Not much chance of the 296 GTS being crash-tested in Australia — you’d be able to hear the Italians weeping across the ocean.

You do get front and side airbags  parking sensors, a reversing camera, auto high beam and tyre pressure monitoring.

The Bentayga is covered by Bentley's three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 16,000km.

The good news is all new Bentley's have five years regular servicing included in the cost of the vehicle.

Standard is a three year warranty, but you can extend that for up to five years. Then, if your car has less than 90,000km on the clock, you can opt into the 'New Power15', which gives you up to 15 years total warranty coverage and is fully transferable.

The first seven years scheduled maintenance is free-of-charge.