SHARP Drives: The Bentley Bentayga Azure SUV Is the Antidote to Gridlock
It’s a rare machine that can make a driver look forward to cross-town commutes and downtown traffic, but the Bentley Bentayga Azure is no ordinary SUV. Bentley’s recently introduced Azure line is all about comfort and relaxation, in contrast to, for example, Bentley’s Speed line that prioritizes (you guessed it) speed and performance. As Bentley explains, the Azure line — available on the Bentayga, Continental GT, and Flying Spur — “will provide an oasis of calm and serenity.”
Normally, this sort of marketing hyperbole is just that, but not here. The Azure really does offer an oasis of calm and serenity, which is, frankly, exactly what you need when driving anywhere in downtown Toronto these days. (Surely the same goes for Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver or most other big cities around the world.)
What’s New With the Bentayga?
The Bentayga is aging gracefully. When the British brand first introduced its ultra-lux sport utility as a concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the reaction was mainly shock with a dash of ridicule. A Bentley SUV? A Travesty! Sacrilege! Online commenters had a field day with the concept’s controversial design too. Nevertheless, a production-ready Bentayga was shown in 2015 at the Frankfurt show and Bentley has never looked back. Sales boomed and it pushed the brand to new heights.
Look at the ultra-lux SUV market now. After Bentley, brands including Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Alpina, and Mercedes-Maybach all dove into the market while Range Rover pushed its flagship product upmarket to meet these new rivals.
Bentley fired back in 2020, giving the Bentayga a series of major exterior and interior updates to compete against its new rivals. To make a long story short, the Bentayga is an ongoing success story, a pioneer in the market; through the first half of this year the Bentayga made up 41 per cent of all Bentley’s sold. Sacrilege? Not at all.
What’s Under the Hood?
As you’d expect from Bentley, customers have choices, lots of choices. The old W12 has left the engine lineup, but the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is still on the menu, joined by a V6 plug-in hybrid. An eight-speed automatic gearbox sends power down to all-four wheels.
The Azure models all feature Bentley’s Dynamic Ride system of active anti-roll bars that adjust in milliseconds to keep the car on an even keel whilst tackling corners or road imperfections. In addition, an all-wheel steering system makes maneuvering this beast a non-issue, whether it’s at high-speeds on the highway, or low-speeds around a tight underground parking lot.
What’s the Bentley Bentayga Azure Like to Drive?
Our particular Azure was fitted with the twin-turbo V8, which churns out 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. It’s a mighty engine, providing a tidal wave of acceleration on demand — but it doesn’t matter. The beauty of the Bentayga Azure is that, while it can hustle when it needs to, it makes you want to drive slow. It wants to waft through traffic at a an easy pace. Where some cars beg their drivers to go faster, the Bentley simply wants you to relax.
It’s all about the atmosphere. Every time you climb aboard and shut the doors, the world goes quiet. The rich American Black Walnut wood veneer looks as thick and solid as a dining room table. The two-tone leather steering wheel features incredible stitching with a delicate, hand-made, tactile quality to it. Of course, there’s leather — with diamond-pattern quilting — over almost every surface. It’s sourced exclusively from cows that graze high above sea level in Northern Europe in order to avoid insect bites and other blemishes. Even the tiny, hidden knob used to adjust the steering wheel position is made of tactile, knurled metal. The Front Seat Comfort Specification, a standard-fit option on the Azure, offers 22-way adjustable, heated, and ventilated seats that feel like your favourite easy chair.
As for the rear seats, they’re among our only complaints with the current Bentayga; they feel more cramped than you’d expect from Bentley. (Of course the extended-wheelbase model would solve that problem, for a price.) While we’re on the topic of complaints, we do wish the central screen would flip out of sight as in the Continental and Flying Spur, but oh well.
On the road, the Bentayga Azure isn’t as floaty or pillowy as the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, but then the Bentley feels sharper and more agile through corners. It does a nice job at isolating occupants from bad roads. Put simply, your daily commute will feel much more pleasant and serene if you do it in the Bentley.
How Much Does the Bentley Bentayga Cost?
Here in Canada, the Bentley Bentayga Azure starts at $298,100, but loaded with options — including a mesmerizing $13,000 paint job — this particular example came out to $343,695. That puts it right between a full-size Range Rover and the aforementioned Rolls-Royce. Whether the Bentley is worth the premium over the Range Rover, that’s a question each owner will have to decide for themselves. What we can say is that during our time with the Bentayga Azure, it charmed us. It’s not the newest ultra-lux SUV or the most cutting-edge; the cabin has a bit of an old-timey cigar lounge vibe (in the best possible way). Perhaps the latest Bentayga’s greatest achievement, however, is that it makes being stuck in downtown gridlock feel pretty good actually. The Bentayga is the best cure we’ve yet found for traffic congestion.
