Bentley Bentayga 2027 review: Speed - International first drive

It's laughable the new Bentley Bentayga Speed doesn't have a plug-in hybrid powertrain tucked up under its snout.

After all, the luxury British carmaker has invested billions in electrification and gone ahead and developed its own high-performance plug-in V8 from scratch.

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They might have a point. Even though it misses out on the massive 575kW of power and 1000Nm of torque of the hybrid, the Speed's twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 still musters 478kW and 850Nm. Not exactly meek.

Without an extra high-voltage battery, electric motors, inverter and all the extra wiring, the latest 2026 Bentayga Speed is at least 200kg lighter than it would have been if it came with a plug.

While some might lament the loss of the old hard-charging twin-turbo 6.0 W12, the uprated twin-turbo V8 is more than up to the task. To earn its Speed badge, engineers threw on some bigger turbos, upgraded the fuel injection system and then lowered the compression ratio.

Finally, for the first time Bentley is throwing caution to the wind by adding an Akrapovič titanium exhaust that also shaves off around 12.5kg.

Off the line, the Bentayga Speed shrugs off its 2.5-tonne kerb weight by launching from 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds – exactly the same as the latest BMW M5 Touring – and 0.3 seconds quicker than the old W12.

Top speed rises to 310km/h – 4.0km/h higher than before.

The gains keep coming.

Since the V8 is 25kg lighter than the old W12, the latest Bentayga Speed also has a better weight distribution, allowing engineers to comprehensively update its flagship SUV's chassis to improve the way it drives.

While most of the air springs, adaptive dampers and 48-volt electric active anti-roll bars carry over, for the first time the big Bentley gets rear-wheel steer for extra nimbleness around town or on tight and twisting alpine roads.

Highlighting the dramatic changes, for the first time there is something called an 'ESC Dynamic' mode that is said to, in the right circumstances (like a track), allow the driver to indulge in small drifts. It's not quite a proper drift mode but still almost unprecedented in a Bentley.

Select 'Sport' mode and the dampers also firm up by 15 per cent, suggesting some serious intent by those honing the new Speed model.

In the flesh, the fastest Bentayga adopts a pair of darkened front lights, smoked tail-lights, darker chrome, a larger tailgate spoiler, tweaked front and rear spoiler, plus Speed badging.

Large 22-inch wheels are standard, but most will opt for the bigger-still 23s.

Within, the Bentley is as glorious as ever and the perfect antidote for those who have grown weary of minimalistic cabins and boring pillar-to-pillar screens.

From the lashings of chrome, proper dials and buttons, to the diamond-quilted leather and machine turned veneers, the attention to detail lavished on the cabin delights – but it's the experience behind the wheel that really counts.

It's not all good news from the move from W12 to V8.

The old twin-turbo 6.0-litre used to develop its peak torque from just 1500rpm, providing almost EV-like responses, while the new engine's 850Nm (50Nm lower) only arrives a little later at 2250rpm, providing a less instant response.

The eight-speed auto is also a little slow to downshift, but once on the boil sees the big SUV fly and is accompanied by a far more appealing woofly V8 soundtrack than the old booming W12.

We love the optional exhaust' too, which is never silly enough to upset your neighbours and adds plenty of drama with its pops and bangs in its sportiest mode.

In its 'Comfort, mode the optional 23-inch rims added an unwanted edge to the ride at lower speeds and became quite busy at low speeds, which doesn't bode well when it arrives in Australia.

The good news is, up the speed, and ride comfort is mostly decent, while the steering is accurate and, like many of its best rivals, manages to feel much lighter than it is.

On public roads, we didn't get to see if the new Bentayga Speed can drift for England, but other rivals, like the Aston Martin DBX are perhaps even faster and more agile, while the latest Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric is in another league for straight-line performance.

As standard the Bentayga Speed bags matrix LED headlights, LED rear lights and a 10.9-inch multimedia screen that works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A head-up display, night vision, park assist and traffic sign recognition are all part of the driver-assist tech.

Out of the box the Bentley features a 12-speaker 590W sound system, but there are plenty of reasons to visit the options list.

Our car came with the titanium sports exhaust that cost £7740 (A$14,500), the £10,370 (A$19,500) 'Dynamic Pack' that adds carbon-ceramic brakes and launch control and the upgraded £7350 (A$13,800) Naim premium audio.

While there's the choice of seven standard colours, 56 extended hues, Bentley can also colour match to any shade under the sun. There are also five standard leathers, a further 10 premium hide options, plus up to eight different veneer trims.

While not tested by ANCAP, the Bentayga Speed gets six airbags as standard, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection.

The 2026 Bentley Bentayga comes with a three-year/unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, which includes complimentary scheduled servicing for up to five years at no cost up to 100,000km.

The latest Bentayga Speed service intervals are likely to be every 12 months or 16,000km, whichever is sooner.

When the 2026 Bentley Bentayga Speed arrives in the next couple of months it will be priced from $525,000, before on-road costs.

That means it will command a six-figure premium over the Aston Martin DBX ($429,000 plus on-roads) and cost significantly more than the Lamborghini Urus Performante ($465,876) but seem an absolute bargain beside both the Ferrari Purosangue ($728,000) and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge ($810,000).