- Bentley built a lifted Bentayga concept to explore serious off road potential.
- Wider track, higher ride height and big tyres mean genuine dirt and snow ability.
- Positive reaction could lead to a production version of the Bentayga X soon.
Bentley is taking the Bentayga somewhere it rarely goes, and that is properly off road. Meet the Bentayga X Concept, a tougher, taller, wider take on the already speedy Bentayga Speed that hints at a future rugged production-line version of the luxury SUV.
Bentley says this concept is all about exploring a more focused off road direction. It’s testing the waters to see if customers with deep pockets also secretly want to cosplay as overlanders. Given the current obsession with rugged SUVs, that feels like a very safe bet.
Related: What Bentley’s Smaller SUV Could Look Like Is Already Stirring Debate
The changes are not just for show, though they certainly put on one. Ride height is up by 55 mm (2.2 inches), track width grows by 120 mm (4.7 inches), and chunky off road tyres wrap around forged 22 inch wheels. The wheel arches are pushed outward, suspension travel increases, and wading depth climbs past half a meter (19.7 inches).
Roof-Mounted Kart
Top-side, the X concept features roof-mounted spotlights and storage for longer trips away from paved civilization. The concept even carries a small electric go kart on top for ice-racing adventures. If you’re ever in the Alps in winter, you’ve got to try it at one of the rental spots.
Underneath, it keeps the air suspension and active anti-roll system to keep body movements in check. The titanium sports exhaust hooked up to the regular Bentayga Speed’s 641 hp (650 PS), 4.0-liter V8 remains, too, so your off-road excursion still comes with a muscle car soundtrack.
Bentley is giving the concept a public debut at the FAT Ice Race festival in Austria alongside the stickered-up Supersports coupe Travis Pastrana recently hooned around the company’s Crewe factory in the Supersports: Full Send film.
Could This One Actually Happen?
But the real story is what happens to the X next. If the reaction is strong, and it probably will be, don’t be surprised if a production Bentayga with genuine off-road credentials follows. In fact, Bentley has hinted as much, saying the concept “has been developed to stimulate and gain feedback for an enhanced off-road capable Bentayga.”
We wouldn’t be surprised if Bentley has already greenlit the production X and is simply using this concept to ease buyers into the idea. Do you think they should build it?