British automaker Bentley is close to revealing its first-ever all-electric vehicle, the Torcal, and it’s released a couple of new teasers to build anticipation. In the latest, Bentley says the Torcal will be “the most powerful and fastest-accelerating production Bentley ever created,” yet this power will be delivered “within the limits of comfort.” That suggests mammoth output without the sort of breakneck acceleration that causes nausea or whiplash, but no figures were revealed. Fortunately, MotorTrend recently got to spend some time with the electric SUV, and it says the dual-motor powertrain will produce more than 838 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. But that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg.
Powerful Bentley Torcal May Get Even Wilder
The upcoming Torcal shares much of its makeup with the Porsche Cayenne Electric, which makes up to 1,140 hp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque, so there’s clearly room to push the performance envelope further, perhaps with a ‘Speed’ variant. According to MT, the Torcal is targeting up to 373 miles of range (on the optimistic WLTP cycle; expect lower figures on the EPA’s tests), a recharge from 10-80 percent in under 20 minutes, and 100 miles of range from just 7 minutes of being plugged in (on a 400kW charger). The Torcal weighs in the region of 6,000 pounds, so it’s not light, but it is getting a Bentley-specific take on the Cayenne Electric’s active suspension system, so it should manage its weight relatively well. Bentley also says it will have decent off-road chops, despite its focus on effortless acceleration and supreme comfort. Other highlights worth mentioning but not depicted visually include physical switchgear and powered doors, but sadly, the organ-stop pulls for adjusting the air vents in other Bentleys have inexplicably been deleted, with the controls moving to the touchscreen. Hopefully, this decision will be undone when the Torcal is refreshed circa 2031.
Bentley’s Fake Sounds Don’t Mimic W12 Engines
While many other high-dollar EVs attempt to recreate the sounds made by the engines of their combustion-powered forebears with synthesized recordings, the Bentley Torcal marches to the beat of its own drum. In a recent episode of the Figuring Out podcast, Bentley CEO Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser alluded to the Bentley’s sounds being closely inspired by music, and MT gives us a little more insight, saying that while the Torcal’s V8-like soundtrack sounds eerily convincing, it’s actually created by live musicians playing drums. Bentley says the musicians were recorded playing a beat based on the firing order of the iconic 6.75-liter V8, last seen in the Bentley Mulsanne in 2020. We’ll see the finished product revealed on September 23, and if it goes well, expect Bentley to take things further with special editions in the coming years.
