Introduced in late 2015, the Bentayga is Bentley’s first-ever SUV. It’s also the most expensive and luxurious, factory-built SUV in the world as of 2016, as well as the quickest to 60 mph and the fastest in terms of top speed thanks to its brand-new, 600-horsepower W-12 engine. The people hauler is also equipped with Bentley’s latest convenience features and the finest leather and wood trim available on the market and the company's most customizable vehicle to date. All told, until Rolls-Royce launches its SUV later this decade, the Bentayga is the fanciest option you have if you're in the market for a luxury SUV. In 2016, Bentley enlarged the Bentayga family by adding a diesel drivetrain, making the SUV its first-even vehicle to use an oil burner.

It's no secret that Bentley plans to turn the Bentayga into a full-size lineup of vehicles, with both a gasoline V-8 and a hybrid version being in the making. However, the big news for 2017 is the arrival of the Bentayga Diesel, the company's first vehicle to use a different type of fuel other than gasoline. The reasoning behind it is that Bentley wants to provide a more fuel-efficient alternative to the W-12 Bentayga, as well as reduce its overall carbon footprint in anticipation of upcoming, more stringent regulations for automakers in both the European Union and the United States. Much like any recent Bentley automobile, the Bentayga Diesel borrowed its drivetrain from other Volkswagen Group products. In this case, the engine came from the performance-oriented Audi SQ7. On the other hand, the Bentayga Diesel retained all the fancy features available in the W-12 model, including its incredibly expensive options. Find out more about it in our detailed review of the SUV.

Updated 09/21/2016: Bentley dropped the official details on the Bentayga Diesel.

Continue reading to learn more about the Bentley Bentayga Diesel.

Exterior

Not surprisingly, Bentley's first oil burner shares most of its exterior features with the standard gasoline model. Setting it apart is the black Maxtrix grille with chrome surround and central bar, the "V8 Diesel" badge on the lower front door edge, and the twin-quad exhaust tailpipe design. The SUV also comes with a new, 20-inch ten-spoke alloy wheel design, while a new 21-inch Mulliner version in silver or grey is available at extra cost.

Other than that, the SUV has the same design language based on the top-selling Continental GT, including the quad headlamps and the muscular rear haunches. The diesel also employs the same aluminum body panels, which save some 520 pounds compared to a traditional steel body construction. All told, nobody will really know that under the hood lurks an oil burner instead of the mighty W-12 engine offered in the gasoline model until they see small badge on the door.

Exterior Dimensions

Interior

Just like the exterior, the interior carries over almost unchanged from the gasoline model. It boasts the same Continental GT-based cockpit with a wider center console and raised armrests in the door panels, redesigned, three-layer dashboard, and all the luxury features you can get from an automaker such as Bentley.

The cabin is packed with handcrafted leather, wood, and metal trim, and equipped with an eight-inch touchscreen and a large dial in the center console. The front seats are adjustable 22 ways and feature heating, ventilation, and massage functions. Customers have access to two seating configurations for either four or five people. In the four-seat version, the rear seats are adjustable 15 ways. Rear-seat entertainment includes a 10.2-inch Android tablet.

Naturally, legroom and headroom are generous, while the rear offers tons of luggage room if you don’t pick any of Bentley’s fancy options, such as the sliding and folding Event Seat.

So what sets it apart from the gasoline version? Well, Bentley debuted a new Liquid Amber finish with the diesel version. It's not much, but the idea is for all trim levels to be similar, with only the drivetrain accounting for a major difference.

Just like the W-12 model, the diesel is also available with numerous options from the Mulliner division. These include a Hamper Set, complete with refrigerator, bespoke fine Linley china cutlery, crockery and crystal glass, and storage area for dry goods, as well as the bespoke, mechanical Tourbillon clock by Breitling. The latter is described as the most complex of watch mechanisms, being automatically wound periodically by a dedicated high-precision winding mechanism within the car. The watch is machined in solid gold, with a choice of either a mother-of-pearl or black ebony face, and decorated with eight diamond indexes. It's also incredibly expensive at $160,000!

Drivetrain

As expected, the Bentayga Diesel gets its juice from a 4.0-liter V-8 engine produced by the Volkswagen Group. The unit is already on the streets in the Audi SQ7, and produces 429 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque in the German SUV. The unit features three turbochargers, two being exhaust-driven and one that is electric. The latter works in coordination with the exhaust-powered ones and is generally active at lower speeds, providing the boost the engine needs without the turbo lag associated with exhaust-driven turbos.

The output is identical in the Bentley, making it the least powerful Bentayga yet. On the other hand, the diesel SUV has the lowest CO2 emissions of any Bentley at 210 grams per kilometer, as well as a range of "over 621 miles."

The V-8 mates to an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission that allows the Bentayga to hit the 60-mph benchmark in 4.6 seconds, which is similar to that of the Q7. Top speed is limited at 168 mph, 13 mph more than the Q7 and a welcome increase over the German-specific 155-mph standard.

The Bentayga Diesel is also equipped with a bespoke exhaust system that has been acoustically engineered to be as quiet and refined as possible. Other features include a Selective Catalytic Reduction and stop-start systems.

Drivetrain Specifications

Prices

U.S. pricing is not yet available, for obvious reasons, but the SUV retails from £135,800 in the United Kingdom.That's a £26,900 reduction compared to the standard W-12 Bentayga, priced from £162,700, which makes it the most affordable iteration of the SUV yet. With the gasoline model retailing from $229,100 in the U.S., the diesel variant could start from around $192,000 when it crosses the pond to North America.

Competition

Audi SQ7

Naturally, the Bentayga Diesel's main competitor will be the SUV that shares its drivetrain. Launched for the 2017 model year, the Audi SQ7 is based on the latest-generation Q7, featuring an aluminum construction, a more angular exterior design, and Audi's new interior styling that revolves around the "continuous air vent" dashboard. As previously mentioned, the 4.0-liter, turbodiesel V-8 packs 435 PS (429 horsepower) and 664 pound-feet of torque, enabling the massive SUV to hit 62 mph from a standing start in an impressive 4.8 seconds. Not yet available in the U.S., the SQ7 retails from €89,900 in Germany, which converts to around $100,170.

Find out more about the Audi SQ7 here.

Porsche Cayenne S Diesel

The Cayenne has been available with a diesel engine as early as 2007, only five years after the nameplate was launched. Originally equipped with a 3.0-liter V-6 that delivered as much as 258 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque in the second-generation model, the Cayenne Diesel received a larger V-8 with the latest facelift. The twin-turbo, 4.1-liter unit cranks out 380 horses and 630 pound-feet of twist. Not as powerful as the SQ7, the Cayenne S Diesel is also slower, needing 5.4 seconds to hit 62 mph from a standing start. Fuel economy, on the other hand, is rated at up to 35.3 mpg combined on the European cycle, making it the most efficient luxury, performance oil burner on the market. Just like the SQ7, it is not yet available on the U.S. market. In Germany it retails from €87,442, which converts to around $97,375.

Learn more about the Porsche Cayenne S Diesel here.

Conclusion

It’s difficult to tell how customers will react to the Bentayga Diesel in the long run, but the British marque definitely needed a diesel poweplant in its lineup. Luxury buyers are becoming increasingly concerned about fuel economy and Bentley will soon need to deliver not just diesel engines, but hybrid drivetrains too. Fortunately, the Bentayga Diesel marks the beginning of a new era during which Bentley will finally join the ranks of those aiming for smaller carbon footprints. The good news is that those concerned about performance will get a stout engine. The V-8 is plenty powerful, making the Bentayga one of the quickest diesel SUVs on the market, while returning strong fuel economy.