2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid facelift – updated looks, nicer cabin, but same 449 PS 3.0L V6 PHEV powertrain

Bentley has finally introduced the Bentayga Hybrid facelift, roughly five months after its V8 sibling broke cover. Interestingly, no changes have been made to the electrified powertrain, but Bentley is confident the hybrid will go on to be the best-selling Bentayga variant.

In terms of powertrain, it uses the existing 3.0 litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine that’s mated to an electric motor (integrated into the transmission). The total system output is unchanged at 449 PS and 700 Nm of torque, but it’s still capable of propelling the 3-tonne behemoth from standstill to 100 km/h in about 5.5 seconds.

Like before, a 17.3 kWh lithium-ion battery offers a pure electric range of up to 50 km. Bentley claims the combined range is around 862 km, whereas the electric motor alone can cruise at up to 135 km/h. It also features the mandatory external speaker to warn pedestrians of its presence when driving in full EV mode.

For charging, the automaker says the battery can be fully juiced up in 2.5 hours, and the maximum charging rate is 7.2 kW. No DC charging info has been released yet.

In the looks department, the Bentayga Hybrid facelift is pretty much identical to its V8 and V12 counterpart. The nose is raised by 30 mm for a more muscular aesthetic, and both the front and rear sections have been extensively remodelled with expensive crystal cut headlights and tail lights. Of course, colours, trims and wheel designs can all be individually customised.

Inside, there are newly designed seats for better comfort, revised centre fascia and digital instrument cluster (the hybrid gets a unique EV dial to replace the tachometer, and a battery status in place of the coolant temperature gauge), new door trims and steering wheel, and a 30 mm increase in rear legroom when opting for the four-seat variant.

Other niceties include a 10.9-inch touchscreen display with anti-reflection and anti-glare coating. The head unit also supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Smartphone mirroring is available, too, but this requires a wired connection to a dedicated USB-C socket.

Bentley did not mention what the Bentayga Hybrid has for safety, but expect it to feature everything that was offered before, and then some. That includes Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Traffic Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Park Assist, Electronic Night Vision and a head-up display.

The Bentayga Hybrid is the first out of two plug-in hybrid models that Bentley will introduce this year. According to its research, over 90% of Bentayga Hybrid owners use the car on a daily basis or several times a week, with half of them consistently undertaking journeys of less than 30 miles.

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