Bentley Bentayga Speed

The 2020 Bentley Bentayga Speed sits in a particularly revealing place in a 600-car garage: it is one of just 12 cars in the catalogue using a W12, and one of only 12 pairing that engine layout with AWD. More specifically, it is the single turbocharged W12 car in the collection. That combination captures what this moment of the market was prepared to pursue, a large SUV shape carrying a highly specialised specification rather than following a simpler formula.

The Bentayga Speed’s position is not defined by one headline figure alone. Its 626 bhp places it 162nd for power across the full 600 cars, putting it in the top 27% of the catalogue. Its 0-100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds is faster than 308 of the cars here, while its 306 km/h top speed sits 242nd. These rankings show a machine that is not simply about chasing the highest numbers, but about bringing several demanding traits together in one package.

That balance comes from a 6.0 litre turbocharged W12 producing 900 Nm of torque, sent through AWD. The result is a 4/5 seater SUV with the figures associated with much more focused performance cars, while retaining the practicality expected from its body style. The cost of that approach is clear within the catalogue too. At a used price of £175,000, it ranks 201st for expense, sitting above 399 cars in this collection. At £280 per bhp, its value is measured through the unusual combination it offers rather than a simple pursuit of output.

Bentley’s presence in the catalogue totals 22 cars, and the marque’s origin is the UK, a country represented by 160 of the 600 entries. The Bentayga Speed therefore occupies a specific corner of this wider landscape, where heritage and engineering choices meet the demands of a modern SUV.

A garage containing the Bentayga Speed would change its overall shape. Without it, a collection may have powerful cars, fast cars, and SUVs, but it would miss the particular idea represented by a turbocharged W12 AWD SUV with these figures. With it, the garage gains a car built around a rare technical pairing, a reminder that performance can arrive in forms that do not follow the expected path.