Bentley‘s first-ever electric SUV has been caught as it undergoes winter testing in northern Europe, and for the first time, spy photographers have caught a glimpse of the interior. Unsurprisingly, this takes cues from the recently unveiled Porsche Cayenne EV, with which it shares much, but more on that later. The prototype has shed some camouflage since we last spotted the upcoming EV on the Nürburgring, but it still looks somewhat awkward at the moment, with exaggerated headlight graphics and substantial body cladding hiding the true form of the crossover that will sit below the Bentayga.
Bentley Baby SUV Exterior Begins Taking Shape
SH Proshots/Autoblog
Darker camouflage helps us get a better idea of the electric crossover’s basic shape, though cladding around the lower front bumper and the taillights continues to obscure much of the final silhouette. At the front, the area between the headlights will feature a blank panel that we expect to be adorned with illumination. The oval recess seen on this development mule likely serves as a placeholder for the Bentley wings, while the headlights themselves adhere to the semi-circular motif that recent Bentleys have, though we suspect the final production units will be considerably smaller than these appear to be.
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Lower down, the split of the intake grilles is oddly reminiscent of Porsche, even with Bentley-specific mesh, while the rear of the vehicle reveals a slightly swoppy roofline that indicates relatively low cargo volume. Expect this area of the SUV to get sleeker, too, as the body cladding is adding both width and length to the vehicle. Finally, we can see a dual-pane glass roof, and this will certainly make production.
A Lavish Interior for the Baby Bentley
SH Proshots/Autoblog
A quick look inside reveals a two-tone leather cabin with plenty of aluminum brightwork. The steering wheel bears physical buttons and switches, and behind it, a thick upper stalk to the left side of the steering column indicates more of that desire to put controls where they can be easily found. That said, the large instrument cluster and curved central infotainment display, as found in the Cayenne EV, will doubtless be responsible for several other controls. Speaking of the Cayenne, that SUV has a 113 kWh battery with a range of up to 398 miles on Europe’s WLTP cycle (EPA figures are yet to be released). This new Bentley should at least match that, but much more won’t be necessary because most Bentley buyers take flights for longer trips. Codenamed the Luxury Urban SUV, this EV is meant for city-dwelling. We’ll know more next year, when Bentley’s first EV is expected to debut as a 2027 model, but with winter testing progressing and more camouflage being removed, we may well have more news before then.
SH Proshots/Autoblog
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