Every premium automaker has a luxury SUV in its line-up today. There's the Rolls Royce Cullinan, the Lamborghini Urus, the Porsche Cayenne, and the Bentley Bentayga, to name a few. This segment is in great demand, and every manufacturer is tirelessly trying to outdo each other by introducing various engine options and what not. This time, Bentley is developing a faster Bentayga, called the Bentayga Speed. This SUV will not just be faster on the road; it's also set to feature some big design changes.

The Fast Might Get Faster

While the essence of any SUV is its off-road ability, things are different in the luxury SUV segment. Customers here also look for the comfort, better driving dynamics, and refinement. To counter the competition and pull back the potential customers from the Rolls Royce showrooms, Bentley is developing a performance-oriented SUV. According to Stefan Sielaff, head of Design, the Bentayga Speed will be a "big change" in design compared to the existing model. The Bentayga Speed was initially announced in 2016, but couldn't be worked on. Now, given that its main rival has launched an SUV as well, Bentley had to get going with the Speed.

Approaching At Warp 'Speed'!

. This means the new Bentayga on steroids will sprint quicker from 0-62 mph in less than the current 4.1 seconds. This increase could also result in a slightly higher top speed over the current 187 mph. To put things into perspective, if the Bentayga Speed could shave off 0.3 seconds from the regular Bentayga, it would be faster than the likes of Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Jaguar F-Pace SVR, and perhaps even the Maserati Levante Trofeo. That's insanely fast for a car this heavy!

Apart from the W-12 engine, the Bentayga is currently offered with 3 more engine options - a 4.0-liter, V-8 petrol engine that produces 540 horses and a 4.0-liter, V-8 diesel mill that produces 429 horses. There is a plug-in hybrid with a 3.0-liter, V-6 engine that churns out 456 horses. Phew! So many engine options! Typical Volkswagen.

Our Take

After being pushed off the center stage by the new releases (dare I say, new "kids" on the block!) like the Urus and the Cullinan, the performance-oriented Bentayga has entered the fray with a bang. The changes are not going to be just under the hood, but also cosmetically. You don't often see luxury automakers updating their cars frequently, but despite being just three years old, we might see 'big changes' with the Bentayga Speed. Now, this shows how competitive the luxury SUV segment has gotten. As for the launch of this beast, it's expected to 'fly' the roads in 2019; since the V-8 petrol mill and the plug-in hybrid were launched this year. What are your thoughts on the Bentayga Speed and the fast-evolving luxury SUV segment? Let us know in the comments section below.

Further Reading

Read our full speculative review on the 2018 Bentley Bentayga Speed.

Read our full review on the 2017 Bentley Bentayga.

Read more Bentley news.