Browse over 9,000 car reviews
What's the difference?
Yes, you can drive your Bentley and keep your family. It's called compromise, or the Bentayga, Bentley's SUV.
The Bentayga my family has been living with is the Azure grade which promises to be even more comfortable and pleasant than the rest of the range.
Comfort is important and we'll cover the Bentayga's lavish details in time, but our mission first and foremost is to find out if the Bentayga makes a good family SUV.
Just seeing a coupe SUV in the traffic makes some people very cranky, but others love the sight of them and it’s these fans that Mercedes-Benz is hoping to woo with its new GLC300 Coupe.
This new-generation GLC Coupe arrives six months after the regular SUV version of the GLC landed in Australia and goes head-to-head with the BMW X4 and Audi’s Q5 Sportback.
The coupe style with the ‘cut-down’ roofline which slopes towards a low tailgate means practicality is compromised and if you’re thinking of putting one in your family’s driveway then it might be an idea to read how this writer’s family coped with the GLC300 Coupe for a few days.
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.
The GLC300 Coupe isn't quite as great when it comes to being a family car as the regular SUV version of the GLC, and that's purely down to the sloping roofline which not only makes access more difficult to the second row but reduces boot capacity.
That said, the GLC300 Coupe makes a much better family car than a Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan, or any sedan.
Easy and enjoyable to drive, packed with great features and still practical, the GLC300 Coupe would still cut it as a good family car.
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.
Coupe SUVs aren’t for everybody… they’re not even for lots of people. But the design of an SUV with its roof cut down so that it meets the tailgate at an almost sportscar-like angle appeals to more than a few fans. The thing is they don’t just like the look, they love it, and they also probably enjoy how much the styling makes other people cranky.
To my eyes the GLC300 Coupe is the best execution of the bodystyle compared to those of BMW and Audi. There’s an elegance to the GLC300 Coupe and the AMG-line adds a tough look that only enhances the solid, powerful but pretty look.
The GLC Coupe is a mid-sized SUV and this new generation model is a bit bigger the previous one and now measures 31mm longer at 4763mm end to end, it’s 1890mm wide, 1605mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2888mm.
It’s also more aerodynamic than ever. No seriously, it’s drag coefficient is now 0.27 and it looks like a bar of soap - and it's about as slippery as one, too.
More curved surfaces await inside with a dashboard that pours down into the large centre console and it's adorned with a sloping and large portrait-style media screen.
At night or in tunnels the ambient lighting glows through the air vents and skirts the edges of the door trims, console and dashboard.
It’s a minimalist and high-tech cockpit with modern sports seats up front and a Nappa leather wrapped steering wheel with its twin blade design.
So, how does the coupe design work for family practicality? Let’s take a look.
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.
SUVs are the most practical cars for families because of the better access to the cabin thanks to their large doors and slightly elevated ride height, their big boots with wide and tall hatch openings and their high flat rooflines. They’re essentially raised station wagons.
A coupe-style SUV still has four doors but they are less boxy due to the sloping roofline which falls away quickly to meet the tailgate at a lower point. The effect is a sporty-looking shape but practicality is lost in this exercise of form over function.
The second row doorways aren’t as large as those on the regular SUV. I did a side-by-side test and felt like I had to duck under the sloping roof when getting out of the back seat.
The smaller opening also made it trickier to lift my toddler daughter into her baby seat.
The sidesteps are also surprisingly handy for bigger kids and my eight-year-old used them every time when climbing into the car.
Cabin storage is outstanding with huge door pockets and cupholders in both rows, and while the 545-litre boot in the GLC300 Coupe is 80 litres smaller than the cargo capacity of the regular GLC SUV, it's bigger than the previous version of the Coupe.
As for people space, there’s enough headroom for me at 189cm tall in the back seat and heaps of legroom, even behind my driving position.
I’ve mentioned the lack of climate control in the second row, but also should point out that there are no USB ports back there either.
There are USB ports in the big centre console box upfront and a long cord should be able to make it to the second row.
There’s a wireless phone charger but it's housed in the bowels of the centre console too, and you’ll need to weave your hand while clasping the phone under the shiny black trapdoor, past the cupholders possibly with drinks in them and almost under the dashboard.
Reviewing every type of car on the market provides a pretty good perspective, but when it comes to Bentleys we enter a realm where value-for-money often isn't as crucial as it is for more mainstream options.
The same goes for the price. Bentleys are among the most expensive cars in the world. So if, like me, you flinch at the thought of paying more than half a million dollars for an SUV, it may not be the car for us right now.
With that I can tell you the Bentley Bentayga Azure's list price is $475,000 and our car with all of its options comes to $515,000.
That's more money than any SUV from Mercedes-Benz and BMW costs. Even Range Rover can't quite reach that mark.
Only the likes of Aston Martin's DBX 707 and Lamborghini's Urus can match the price.
There are always bigger fish, though, and Rolls Royce's Cullinan swims in at $700,000, making the Bentayga's price seem quite reasonable.
Let's look at the standard features.
Coming standard on the Bentayga Azure are the prettiest LED headlights in the world. There are LED tail-lights, too, as well as a proximity key, roof rails and a panoramic glass roof, plus a hands-free tailgate.
Inside there's the 10.9-inch media screen, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto.
The diamond quilting to the door trims is also standard and so are the Bentley sports pedals.
Many of these features are standard on lower grades in the Bentayga range, but the point in choosing the Azure is that many of the optional bundles on offer are fitted as standard here.
So, while leather upholstery is of course standard the 'Colour Specification' package gives you a choice of all interior colour combinations and an extended choice of hide colours.
The 'City Specification' brings extra safety tech like rear cross-traffic alert and a top view camera.
The 'Front Seat Comfort' specification adds 20-way power front seats, ventilation and massage as well as comfort headrests.
The 'Touring Specification' brings adaptive cruise control, a head up display, lane keeping assistance and 'Night Vision'.
And then the 'Sunshine Package' adds electric sun blinds, which are great for kids in the back.
Despite the multitude of standard packages there's plenty left to option on the Azure.
Our car was fitted with about a dozen options including piano black veneer ($5884), 22-inch alloy wheels ($4733), rear privacy glass ($2617), LED welcome lights ($2238), self-levelling wheel centre caps ($1208), a heated acoustic windscreen ($1094), luggage management for the boot ($937) and a heated steering wheel ($543).
Then there's Mulliner, Bentley's in-house customisation division which will personalise your Bentley.
The Mulliner custom features on our Bentayga Azure include the addition of an extra colour in the leather upholstery ($13,492), 'Honeycomb' stitching on the steering wheel ($5391) and contrasting stitching on the quilted areas of leather trim ($2688).
Best family features would have to be the privacy glass, temperature control in the second row and the rear sun blinds.
The second row also comes with a removable tablet which can be used to adjust the climate control, sunroof and media settings among other functions.
In the hands of children this is every parent's nightmare and there's a 100 percent chance of the tablet being lost forever, possibly on the motorway between Sydney and Canberra.
Mercedes-Benz is offering Australia just the GLC300 grade in both the SUV and Coupe body styles.
High-performance AMG variants are out overseas now and will arrive in Australia soon, too.
You can expect to pay more for these AMG beasts - a lot more than the $113,900 list price of the GLC300 Coupe.
Still the GLC300 Coupe does come standard with an AMG Line body kit and 20-inch AMG alloy wheels. LED headlights are also standard, so is the panoramic glass roof, tinted rear glass, proximity unlocking and a power tailgate.
Inside there’s synthetic leather Artico upholstery, sports heated front seats, Nappa leather steering wheel, an 11.9-inch media display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display. There’s also dual-zone climate control and wireless phone charging.
The value is good in terms of features, although the price is slightly higher compared to the rivals such as the BMW X4 xDrive30i ($106,400) and Audi Q5 Sportback 55TFSI ($110,200).
It’s worth pointing out, too, that the GLC300 Coupe is about $10K more than the GLC300 SUV version. Why? The coupe versions of prestige SUVs always tend to be pricier than their regular more boxy SUV siblings. Somebody in marketing will be able to explain why.
Having lived with the GLC300 Coupe with my family over the past few days I can say the proximity unlocking which works by touching even the back door handles is excellent, the tinted windows are dark and cut out much of the sun's glare, but there’s no climate control in the second row. There are air vents back there, which is good.
I found that on hot days the semi-transparent shade on the glass roof couldn’t stop the cabin from heating up quickly.
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...
The GLC300 Coupe has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine making 190kW of power and 400Nm of torque.
There’s also an overboost function which allows the engine to make an extra 17kW and 200Nm just for a brief moment, but that extra dollop of grunt combined with the regular output provides impressive acceleration (0-100km/h in about 6.3 seconds) for overtaking or moving quickly when you need to.
A smooth nine-speed automatic transmission sends the drive to all-four wheels.
The GLC300 Coupe is all-wheel drive and while there’s a setting for rougher terrain, along with one for comfort, eco and sport, but I’d make sure that it doesn’t get any more adventurous than tame gravel and dirt roads.
Mercedes-Benz refers to the GLC300 Coupe as a mild hybrid and this is because it has a 48-volt system and an integrated starter-generator.
This type of hybrid doesn’t use electric motors, doesn’t drive the wheels and won’t save much fuel, but it will provide efficiencies by supporting the engine and when coasting, plus will reduce petrol consumption to a small degree.
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 we mentioned above the GLC300 Coupe's 48-volt mild hybrid system is not the kind of hybrid that will allow you to drive miles on electric power, nor will it dramatically reduce fuel consumption in the way a parallel, series or plug-in hybrid will. But every bit of efficiency helps.
Mercedes-Benz says the GLC300 Coupe will use 7.7L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads.
We had the GLC300 Coupe for just two days, but in that time my family covered 176km of regular daily usage which took in motorways but mainly suburban duties such as the school run, supermarket dashes, that sort of thing.
In our fuel test we measured 14.48 litres at the fuel pump which works out to be an on-test fuel use figure of 8.2L/100km and not far off the manufacturer’s claim.
While this fuel consumption isn’t overly high, a plug-in hybrid or even a parallel or series hybrid could return about 5.0L/100km or less.
Mercedes-Benz has dropped plug-in hybrids from its Australian range which is a shame because it would be good to see more efficient options in the GLC range. Of course if you want more efficiency from a Benz of the same size, there is always the fully electric EQB or EQC.
The Bentley Bentayga doesn't have a safety rating as like many extremely high-end cars it hasn't been assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.
That said, the Azure grade comes standard with an armoury of safety tech including AEB (with turn assistance), lane keeping assistance, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, evasive steering assistance, and adaptive cruise control.
Front and rear parking sensors are standard (and the most relied-upon feature I use daily), while exit warning saved my child and myself more than a few times from leaping out into the traffic on the school run.
The GLC was given the maximum five star ANCAP rating in 2022. There’s AEB, active lane keeping assistance and active blind spot warning and nine airbags including a centre airbag.
As mentioned above I especially liked the surround-view camera systems - which let you look right around the car - good for driveway safety and kids.
For child seats you’ll find two ISOFIX mounts and three top tether anchor points in the second row.
I was also impressed to see a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor and not just a puncture repair kit.
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.
The GLC300 is covered by Mercedes-Benz's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Services are annually or every 25,000km. And you can buy a three-year service plan for about $3000.