Luxury SUVs are expensive, but that term can vary depending on someone's purchasing power. While a Land Rover Range Rover Sport is already out of reach for most of us, a Bentley Bentayga easily costs twice as much. Does this mean that the Bentayga is two times better than the Range Rover Sport?

Thankfully, Carwow is here to help us out. At least in the UK, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport has a starting price of £75,000, while the Bentayga starts at £155,000. Here in the US, the Range Rover Sport starts at $69,500, while the Bentayga starts at $180,500, which means that it's also pretty much the same scenario for American car buyers.

Exterior Design

First impressions last, and the Bentley Bentayga definitely is a luxury SUV that screams money, especially at the front. The Range Rover Sport looks more reserved and Carwow presenter Mat Watson thinks it's the SUV that has a better face.

When it comes to the side and the rear, Mat prefers the look of the Bentayga. However, as a whole, he thinks that the exterior design of the Bentayga is not twice as good as the Range Rover Sport.

Interior Design

Moving towards their interiors, and this is undeniably where the Bentley has the edge. This isn't surprising considering its exquisite craftsmanship, premium materials, and even the presence of double sun visors.

Some of the Bentayga's buttons are not as nice according to Mat, but they're minor quibbles to an otherwise luxurious cabin. The Range Rover Sport is still a luxurious place to be in, but Bentayga has better controls and infotainment.

Rear Seat Space

In terms of rear-seat space and amenities, the Bentley Bentayga in the video is equipped with rear picnic tables, but it's a £1,700 option.

Even without the tables, the Bentayga edges the Range Rover Sport in terms of space, but this is mainly due to the Bentley being a slightly bigger SUV.

Engines

The comparison video also demonstrated the difference in the performance of the two vehicles. Both are plug-in hybrids, and while the Bentayga's 17 kWh battery pack is 4 kWh more than the Range Rover Sport's, both SUVs still ended up having the same claimed pure electric range of 25 miles.

The Bentley Bentayga Hybrid has a 3.0-liter V6 plug-in hybrid system that puts out a total of 449 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque, driving all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic.

The Land Rover Range Rover Sport's plug-in hybrid powertrain also has an 8-speed automatic driving all four wheels. However, the Range Rover Sport uses a smaller 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine mated to an electric motor, producing a total of 404 hp and 640 Nm (472 lb-ft) of torque.

Performance

Based on these numbers, their performance is quite similar. The Bentayga does the 0-60 mph dash in 5.2 seconds, while the Range Rover Sport is ever-so-slightly slower at 5.9 seconds. In the real world, however, the difference in acceleration times is pretty much negligible. The Range Rover Sport reached 60 mph in 5.53 seconds while the Bentayga did the same job in 5.52 seconds.

Unfortunately, while these plug-in hybrid luxury SUVs were originally meant to provide excellent fuel economy, this is not anymore the case once the batteries have been depleted. The Land Rover Range Rover Sport is only averaging at 23 MPG (19.15 US MPG) while the Bentley Bentayga is only doing 25 MPG (20.82 US MPG), which are far below the manufacturer's claims.

If there's one thing that negatively affects every single aspect of a car's performance, that would be weight. The Bentley Bentayga weighs in at 2,648 kg (5,838 lbs) while the Land Rover Range Rover Sport weighs a little less at 2,464 kg (5,432 lbs).

Both of these figures are heavier by around 200 kg (441 lb) compared to their non-hybrid counterparts. Still, in terms of braking performance, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport stopped from 60 mph in 35 meters (115 feet), while the heavier Bentley Bentayga did the same job in 2 meters (6.6 feet) less.

Lastly, as for the driving experience, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport provides excellent refinement except for a bit of wind noise due to its boxy shape and the less pleasant engine noise compared to the Bentayga's V6. The Bentley Bentayga is more refined and comfortable, especially with how well-tuned its plug-in hybrid powertrain is, but the differences are very subtle. The Bentley also handles slightly better than the Range Rover Sport in twisty roads, but again, the differences are very minor.

Verdict

As a whole, the Bentley Bentayga is indeed a better car than the Land Rover Range Rover Sport. However, Mat concludes that it is not twice as good as the Range Rover Sport. As a result, the winner of this comparison is the Land Rover Range Rover Sport.

With these results out of the way, do you agree with Mat Watson's verdict? Does the comparison between the two differently-priced luxury SUVs make sense? Which of the two luxury SUVs would you choose?