The Bentley Bentayga is slowly but surely making an impression in the tuning scene. The high-performance luxury SUV only made its world debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show and we’re now seeing aftermarket companies unveiling their tuning kits for the Bentayga. Mansory got the ball rolling at the 2016 SEMA Auto Show and DMC has just followed suit with the “Gigante” program that helps enhance the Bentayga’s output to 700 horsepower and 778 pound-feet of torque.

The “Gigante” name is pretty self-explanatory when you take into account the number of modifications DMC made to the body and engine of the Bentayga. In fact, if you go back to Mansory’s own program for the SUV, you’ll see plenty of similarities as far as the scope of the upgrades are concerned. There are exterior changes, interior upgrades, and engine enhancements. Even better, these modifications aren't extravagant to the point that they take away from the Bentayga's own luxury characteristics.

That’s not only a testament to the ingenuity of DMC and Mansory, but also to Bentley for creating a product that has proven to be worth all the hype it has received.

Soon enough, we’re going to see more tuners develop kits for the Bentley Bentayga. That’s not a question of “if,” but “when.” For now though, Mansory and DMC headline the list of tuners with existing programs and the latter’s Gigante kit for the SUV appears to have all the tools to be worth the look, that is if you’re looking to get more out of the Bentayga than what it already has.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Bentley Bentayga “Gigante” by DMC.

2017 Bentley Bentayga Gigante by DMC

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2017 Bentley Bentayga Gigante by DMC
  • Engine/Motor: V12
  • Horsepower: 692
  • Torque: 778
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

One look at the Bentayga and you know that it’s unmistakably a Bentley. The British luxury brand’s trademark style is evident on the SUV too and DMC played it smart by not being too aggressive in changing the model’s looks. Instead, the tuner opted for more complementary modifications, mostly of the carbon fiber variety. The Bentayga’s front hood, for example, gets matching triangular carbon fiber elements right smack in the middle. Over at the sides, there are carbon fiber skirts extending from the front door to the rear, where it meets with the muscular shoulder line. The rear section also gets a similar treatment with the carbon fiber extending from taillight to taillight just above the Bentley badge. Finishing off the exterior upgrades is a new set of forged aluminum wheels that DMC is offering in a variety of sizes from 22 inches to 24 inches. The wheels are particularly attractive considering that the stock wheels have been regarded as one of the Bentayga’s few sore spots.

Overall, DMC’s exterior program for the Bentayga is lacking any meaningful aerodynamic additions, but the inclusion of carbon fiber makes up for that, at least from a cosmetic point of view.

What other tuners have done

Note: photo of Bentley Bentayga by Mansory.

If it’s aerodynamic kits you want for your Bentayga, Mansory may be the way to go. Remember though that with the aero kits, the Bentayga’s going to look a little bit different so if you’re prepared to that route, don’t expect the SUV to retain its standard design. After all, we’re talking about Mansory here, the same tuner that has earned a reputation for being one of the more radical tuners in the game today. Its exterior program for the Bentayga follows a similar template as changes abound in all sections of the SUV.

The front end, for one, is the recipient of a new apron that comes with its own carbon fiber front lip with integrated LED daytime running lights. The hood is also now made from carbon fiber – the whole hood, mind you, not just sections of it – while the front grille also received its own share of the lightweight material. The sides of the SUV also gets fender flares and side skirts that help extend the width of the SUV while the rear section gets a two-part roof spoiler and a rear skirt with a custom diffuser. A new set of 23-inch Y5/1 diamond-polished lightweight wheels round out Mansory’s extensive work on the exterior of the Bentayga.

The two kits come with two different interpretations of Bentley’s SUV and it really just boils down to how you want your Bentayga to look in this regard.

Interior

DMC’s interior upgrades for the Bentley Bentayga is also as straight forward as it’s going to get as the tuner’s offerings mainly include Italian leather, hand-stitched floor mats, and a custom carbon fiber steering wheel. That said, the tuner is also open to client requests, which means that if you can afford going the personalization route on the whole cabin of your Bentayga, DMC will be able to accommodate your requests. That’s the good news about the tuner’s interior program for the SUV. The bad news is that it’s got some competition from Mansory and, well, from Bentley itself.

What other tuners are offering

Note: photo of the interior of the Bentley Bentayga by Mansory.

I think we’ve already established the fact that Mansory has no issues going all-out with its tuning programs. The kit it presented for the Bentayga is no different because the interior appointments included in it are what you can describe as excess in luxury. From the finely-appointed, hand-made leather upholstery that can drown the entire cabin of the SUV to the individually stitched floor mats and the redesigned airbag steering wheel, Mansory’s options for the Bentayga’s interior are as wide-ranging as any tuner out there. In fact, the tuner is also open to customer suggestions just like DMC is. Tell Mansory what you want to see in the interior of your Bentayga and to the best of its ability and resources, it’s going to make it happen, one way or another.

Then again, if it’s personalization that you prefer, you may not have to go the aftermarket route to get that done because Bentley’s personal coachbuilder Mulliner is a bonafide expert in that regard.

What Mulliner is offering

Let’s put it this way. Mulliner has created a handful of special edition Bentleys in the past, some of which were released as recently as 2016. Remember the GQ Korea Flying Spur? how about the Bamford X Bentley Mulliner?

Note: side-by-side photo of the interior of the Bentley GQ Korea Flying Spur and the Bamford X Bentley Mulliner.

Granted, those custom personalization programs were dedicated to other Bentley models, but the Bentayga has also been the subject of a Mulliner project with the Bentayga Flying Fish Edition. The magic in that custom project can be found in the SUV’s trunk lid where Mulliner installed enough bespoke equipment to have a very successful day on the river. For instance, there are four rods stored in special tubes trimmed in saddle-colored leather with Linen cross-stitching and located on the underside of the parcel shelf. A pair of landing nets in matching leather bags are stored in a carpet-trimmed hard pocket built into the side of the trunk. A master tackle station, a refreshment case, and waterproof wader-stowage trunk, all trimmed in saddle leather, are also included.

Note: interior photo of the Bentley Flying Fish Edition.

With all these options available, the question now is what kind of interior are you looking for with your Bentley Bentaygas?

Drivetrain

The numbers to remember here are 692 horsepower and 778 pound-feet of torque. That represents a nice increase of 100 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque, good enough at least to help improve the luxury SUV’s performance credentials.

For its part, DMC reached that total by using the tried-and-tested software upgrade to the Bentayga’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine and complementing it with a new high-performance exhaust system. The result is what you see above and those new figures translate to an SUV that can hit 0 to 60 mph in under four seconds to go with a new top speed of 193 mph, six mph quicker than the 187-mph top speed of the standard Bentayga.

The numbers are exciting, but if you’re looking at another option, look no further than Mansory’s own program for the Bentayga.

What other tuners are offering

Here’s a little spoiler: the similarities are uncanny between the two programs.

For instance, Mansory’s engine upgrade also follows the software-and-new-exhaust-system blueprint. The results are also near identical with Mansory getting as much as 691 horsepower and 773 pound-feet of torque out of the Bentayga’s massive V-12. Those numbers also translate to a 0-to-60-mph sprint time of under four seconds and a top speed of 193 mph, exactly the same as what DMC was able to coax out of the SUV.

Check out the near-identical numbers in the table below and see which of the two programs you prefer.

What other tuners are offering

Tuner

Horsepower

Torque

0 to 60 MPH

DMC

692 horsepower

778 pound-feet

under four seconds*

193 mph

Mansory

691 horsepower

773 pound-feet

under four seconds*

193 mph


If you can’t decide between the two engine upgrades, you’re going to need to make a decision based on the exterior and interior upgrades that DMC and Mansory are offering. That, or you can hold off on going the aftermarket route for your Bentayga and instead wait it out for more tuning companies to launch their own kits for the luxury SUV. That’s an appealing third option if the numbers don’t add up for you.

Pricing

DMC hasn't announced the pricing for its "Gigante" program for the Bentley Bentayga. In this like this, the best way to get a handle on the costs would be to contact the German tuner directly. Since there's a great deal of customization involved in the kit (mostly in the interior), the total price could vary depending on what customers want to get done in that cabin.

Competition

Since Mansory's the only other tuning company that has released a tuning program for the Bentley Bentayga, let's take a different route here and look at who the Bentayga's (upcoming) competition is going to be. Remember, the luxury SUV market is growing and there are two models in particular that have yet to be released that will undoubtedly give the Bentayga a serious run for its money.

Lamborghini Urus

At the moment, the Bentley Bentayga’s competition are the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and the Maserati Levante. With respect to the two SUVs though, the real competition for the Bentayga will only arrive once the Lamborghini Urus hits the market. The Urus is shaping up to be what we all expect it to be: a Lamborghini in an SUV body, but a Lamborghini nonetheless. It will come with a a twin-turbo V-8 engine that’s rumored to have an output in excess of 600 horsepower and quite possibly, 700 pound-feet of torque. It’s also being developed, in the words of Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali, as a “pure Lamborghini.” That usually means that the SUV will have an abundance of luxury and performance capabilities. Sure, the Urus and the Bentayga may technically be cousins since both are under the Volkswagen umbrella, but like everything else in the auto industry, all’s fair in love and high-performance luxury SUVs.

Read more about the Lamborghini Urus here.

Rolls-Royce Cullinan

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is the most direct rival to the Bentley Bentayga. Inch for inch, Rolls-Royce can match whatever Bentley can do and vice versa. We don’t know too much about the Culling yet – it has a launch timetable of around 2019 – but we do believe that it’s going to carry Rollers’ 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V-12 unit and that it should conservatively produce about 600 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. Regardless of the amount of power it has, the Cullinan will likely supplant the Bentayga as the most expensive SUV in the market with a price tag that could reach $250,000. That’s just how Rolls-Royce rolls.

Find out more about the Rolls-Royce Cullinan here.

Conclusion

Given the dearth of aftermarket options we have for the Bentley Bentayga, it's understandable to see DMC's kit for the SUV as an "all-or-nothing" option. To be fair, the quality is there and the German tuner doesn't disappoint with its engine upgrades. That said, there should be other options available in due time and taking a more prudent approach might not be a bad idea at all. Wait it out to see what the market has to offer in the coming months and if none end up being as appealing as DMC's program, then you can revisit this option and bring it back to the table.