2023 Bentley Bentayga Review

Ten years ago, the idea of a Bentley SUV seemed absurd, almost sacrilegious. Credit the Bentley brain trust for rightly gauging the global appetite for SUVs, as the Bentayga has in just five years of production become the brand's best-seller. It's not hard to see why. The Bentayga packages the exceptional comfort, blistering performance and impeccable quality expected of a Bentley luxury sedan into a seven-passenger SUV that has few rivals.

For 2023, an extended-wheelbase version (dubbed EWB) joins the portfolio, adding 7 inches to the Bentayga's rear seat area. It's reviewed separately on Edmunds, but you should know that increased legroom is just the beginning. The EWB also offers diamond-quilted leather, massaging and climate-controlled seats, dual air ionizers, and even a repositioned panoramic sunroof designed for maximum sunlight. Optional is the new Airline Seat Specification package that adds footrests and 40-degree reclining rear seats that automatically adjust for optimal temperature and position. Bentley says constant and imperceptible changes in pressure points reduce passenger fatigue.

The optional Diamond Illumination package is a further masterstroke of Bentley detail, employing LEDs below perforated leather door panels for a dramatic nighttime effect. The EWB also comes with rear-wheel steering, which Bentley says makes the long SUV nimbler around turns than the standard Bentayga. Finally, a new Azure trim prioritizes comfort through increased sound insulation and standard driver assistance features, while two new special-edition models make this exclusive SUV even more so.

The new extended-length Bentayga makes Bentley's top seller even more appealing. While the Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS, Land Rover Range Rover, and other ultra-luxury SUVs offer similar comfort and performance, none but the more stratospherically priced Rolls-Royce Cullinan mind the handcrafted details quite like Bentley.

The standard-wheelbase 2023 Bentley Bentayga is available in four primary trim levels: base Bentayga, Azure, S and Speed. The base and Azure are also available with an extended wheelbase (EWB), and that model is reviewed separately.