Bentley’s late arrival in the all-electric space has been freighted with anticipation, especially given the relatively short shrift afforded its more punctual rivals, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar and especially Ferrari. To the untrained eye, the new Bentley Torcal follows an aesthetic path that has been well-trodden by the British luxury manufacturer. A sporting SUV/crossover, it sits below the Bentayga in price and scale and squares off some of that model’s more awkward edges.
The new Bentley Torcal
In short, the Torcal looks like a Bentley. Aside from a subtle shift in proportions, there’s little hint that the powertrain is electric and not the brand’s famed V8. To the uninitiated, it might therefore seem that Bentley has reined itself in, mindful of the reception afforded to Ferrari and Jaguar and wanting to stay out of the fray. However, that’s not how the industry works. Automotive planning is more akin to steering an oil tanker than weaving through the brickbats of social media.
The new Bentley Torcal
Even by the time Jaguar had become a tawdry meme amongst edgelord social conservatives and long before the Luce had lit the touchpaper of a bona fide car design controversy, it was way, way too late for Bentley to pivot. The Torcal and the ethos it embodies were already set in stone. It’s therefore not surprising to find members of the Bentley team privately confessing to first night nerves.
The new Bentley Torcal
Thankfully for them, the end result will not be setting the internet alight with angry missives. The Torcal sits on the VW Group’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE), sharing its 113kWh drive battery and 800V electrical architecture with the Porsche Cayenne.
Aimed squarely at the burgeoning sports SUV segment, Bentley have followed a now familiar playbook with the marketing, stressing the badge, the quality, the capability and the lineage. ‘The only focus was to make the next great Bentley,’ says Product Line Director Martin Page, revealing the car on screen for the first time.
The new Bentley Torcal
The lowdown on the electrical underpinnings come later, but it does reinforce a persistent feeling of caginess around electrification, especially amongst the luxury brands. Whilst at the bottom end of the market the case for EVs has been all but conclusively made, potential buyers of Bentley and its ilk are being painted as hesitant, conservative and generally allergic to an EV-focused approach.
The new Bentley Torcal
By now, the technology has matured to the point where the differences in performance and day-to-day usability are negligible. Bentley is emphasising the GT qualities of the Torcal above its performance abilities, although the latter are suitably impressive. Power is around 888PS (the most powerful Bentley ever), a number kept ‘low’ to avoid a neck-snapping, fire-breathing character (and perhaps to avoid treading on the toes of Porsche’s 1,156PS Cayenne Turbo Electric).
The all-important range is around 375 miles (600km), although exploring the 2.9 second sprint to 60mph or the 162mph top speed will swiftly bring that figure down (as will lugging a trailer of up to 2,700kg). Find a 400kW charger and it’ll take just over a quarter of an hour to top the car up from 10% to 80% of battery, in line with most other premium EVs.
Bentley Director of Design Robin Page and the new Torcal
Even though a more powerful S model is in the works, it’s not power, speed and/or the convenience of electrification that’ll sell these cars. What’s important is the design and the details. Bentley Director of Design Robin Page walks us through the four pillars that shape the Torcal, progressive, crafted, authentic and curated.
The profile showcases the endless bonnet line and ‘upright elegance’ of the squarish, foursquare stance. The flared rear wheel arches give the Torcal a sense of power and dynamism, what Bentley calls a ‘resting beast’ stance; the car itself is 50mm lower than the Bentayga.
The devil is in the details, and Bentley has clearly made a pact based on lighting design, with a front grille that’s evolved from air intake into a ‘piece of art’, a matrix of diamond shaped crystal forms that illuminate and sparkle alongside the vertical headlights (which in proportion and pattern evoke the earlier Continental T). It’s a bold move but not a pioneering one, with light features become a mainstay of premium design.
Bentley Torcal
Rear light clusters continue the diamond theme, as does the side projection lighting and animated puddle lamps. Inspiration for the swirling, geometric light forms came from real crystal; Bentley teamed up with manufacturer Cumbria Crystal, creating imagery of dynamic lighting patterns that have been translated into the interior graphics.
It’s the kind of above and beyond effort that typifies Bentley’s approach to materiality; work with an established supplier, push the envelop and emerge with a twist on a classic that tells a story as well as conveys a function.
Even the animated mood lighting is diamond-inspired
That storytelling approach is also in evidence in the use of merino wool on interior surfaces. Developed in collaboration with Somerset-based Fox & Sons (est. 1772), it’s the first time the material has been certified for automotive applications. There’s also a new sunburst aluminium finish on the dashboard as well as a specially developed engineering walnut veneer.
Finally, for the ultimate twist on dovetailing old and new, Bentley worked with a real orchestra to create the Torcal’s motive soundtrack. This ‘acoustic DNA’ was achieved by mimicking the distinctive burble, throb and thrum of a V8 engine using orchestral instruments, with musicians shifting in tone and rhythm to indicate speed of travel.
Page describes this as ‘more emotional than a V8’, with other sound signatures achieved in similar ways. The turn indicator is a craftsman’s hammer being tapped on leather, while the squeak of real crystal glass is used by the onboard digital assistant. Dig deeper into the car’s many modes and you’ll hear real birdsong and the sound of a flute.
Bentley Torcal front seat enviroment with crystal derived mood lighting
The latter surfaces in the Torcal’s mood curation modes. An evolution of the drive modes found in modern luxury cars, the Torcal offers Sport, Comfort and Refresh, three distinctive driving modes that are colour coded throughout the cabin (Blue, Orange and Green respectively) and give driver and passengers a distinctive environment that can be bolstered by the (all-new) seat massage system and other fripperies.
The new Bentley Torcal
Other niceties include a 28-speaker Naim stereo with Dolby Atmos, dashboard access via facial recognition, a switchable glass sunroof and four powered doors. Pointedly, there is no passenger screen. Not Bentley.
The new Bentley Torcal
We won’t get to sample the orchestral manoeuvres that replace the spark until some time next year when the first customer cars (and press fleet) are ready for action. In the meantime, consider the words of Bentley’s (German) Chairman and CEO, Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser: 'The best luxury motor cars come from Britain.’ Will the shift to electric change this global perception as Bentley looks to beat the curse of the luxury EV?
The new Bentley Torcal
Bentley Torcal, for pricing and reservation details visit BentleyMotors.com, @BentleyMotors