We first saw Bentley’s upcoming baby SUV back in July, but at the time, it was disguised as a Porsche. Now, new spy shots captured at the industry’s favorite testing facility, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, have given us our first look at the luxury-focused electric crossover’s production-bound body, and this time, there’s no doubt we’re looking at something from Crewe. Still, the proportions and platform are not unrelated to the British automaker’s corporate cousin’s forthcoming electric Cayenne, which is no surprise given that both are based on the Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Electric architecture.
Mostly Traditional Styling For Bentley’s Baby SUV
SH Proshots/Autoblog
Following the reveal of the polarizing EXP 15 Concept a couple of months ago, this sighting of Bentley’s new crossover may cause some to breathe a sigh of relief, as the design appears far more traditional. Up front, we have two pairs of rounded headlight housings either side of a blanked-off grille panel that we expect to feature the same sort of shape as combustion-powered Bentleys’ matrix grilles (ignore the bulge under the camouflage – that’s just there to throw us off). That being said, the panels around these lights are more angular than would be expected for round headlights, so we may get a more futuristic look after all. Lower down, diamond-shaped grille mesh adds more familiarity, but here, each lower intake curves inward at the center, creating a negative space in which the radar/lidar sensor suite sits. Higher up, the existence of shutlines indicates that there will be a capacious frunk for storage.
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Other notable elements include a panoramic sunroof and a badge with the Bentley wings on each front fender, while more cladding down the doors hides the exact contours thereof. Mildly bulged wheel arches hint at a sporty drive, as do the traditional pumped-up rear arches that flow into the rear end. The wheels are nothing we haven’t seen before, and moving backward, we see a relatively restrained diffuser panel above a tailgate opening that looks low enough to allow dogs to climb in the back and make luggage loading easy. The roof doesn’t slope down too aggressively, with a spoiler creating the necessary drama, indicating that there should be plenty of cargo capacity (and rear headroom). Lastly, the taillights are camouflaged to look not unlike those on the bigger Bentayga, but again, this is probably some intentional misdirection.
Performance And Predicted On-Sale Date
SH Proshots/Autoblog
Bentley has not officially named its new electric crossover, only describing it as the Luxury Urban SUV. What we do know is that it will measure under 16.4 feet in length because a sub-5-meter footprint will allow owners to park the vehicle on the streets of strict cities like London and Madrid without incurring hefty fines. That footprint also means a “much more agile” machine than the Bentayga, and dual motors will make it capable in the winter and thrilling under acceleration. The vehicle is likely to have the same 113 kWh battery capacity (108 kWh usable) as the electric Cayenne, which should translate to a WLTP range of around 350 miles. Charging at 400 kW is also expected from the 800-volt platform. Wireless charging is also possible. Bentley has confirmed that the vehicle will be launched in 2026, but series production will only follow the year after, so we can expect at least six months of spy shots at the ‘Ring and in northern Sweden when winter hits. With global demand for EVs proving weaker than expected when this vehicle was greenlit, don’t be surprised to see those dates shift.
SH Proshots/Autoblog
