Nobody has yet raved about the V6 hybrid Bentleys. Where the W12 may have won you over with its titanic power, or the V8 with its snarling soundtrack, the electrified Crewes missiles haven’t hit the mark just yet. Not that powerful, not boasting a great range, not that brilliant to listen to. But that all looks set to change very soon with confirmation of a new V8 Ultra Performance Hybrid for the entire Bentley line-up.
And when Bentley says Ultra Performance, you know it’s going to be something serious. So power is going to be above 750hp (i.e., more than any W12 ever), torque will be a four-figure number of newton metres ‘over a wider plateau’, and there will be 50 miles of EV-only range. Drastic improvements on the V6, basically. With CO2 set to be less than 50g/km as well. Bentley suggests that this setup combines an ‘incredible powerful combustion engine with advanced hybrid technology’; we’ll assume it’s related to that seen in the current Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid, all 739hp and 700lb ft of it, which is a huge achievement as far as PHEVs with a decent range and awesome performance.
Bentley’s aware that numbers aren’t the be all and end all, however; engine character is a huge part of why people buy Bentleys, and surely part of the reason why the V6 hasn’t been universally adored. To whet the appetite, a sound preview has already been released - it’s definitely a V8 alright! Even compared to the Porsche, the gurgles and growls have been amplified. Bentley reckons the new powertrain offers a ‘seamless fusion of electric luxury with supercar performance.’
We’re told to expect more details on the PHEV in due course (and to get the final W12s and non-hybrid V8s while they’re here); it seems likely that the Ultra Performance Hybrid will go into the Continental GT first. The Bentayga and Flying Spur already have plug-in models, the old W12 was most keenly associated with the GT and, well, there was a test mule on the M25 last week. A near-800hp V8 would be just the thing for a Continental GT to take on the new Aston Martin Vanquish and similarly configured Mercedes-AMG GT 63. More news as we have it.
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