Bentley does not build many cars like the Bentley EXP 9 F: a 5-door SUV with 6.0 L twin-turbo W12, built from 2012 as electrification stopped being an experiment and the crossover took every market. Its designer of record is Dirk van Braeckel.
The story
The Bentley EXP 9 F is a concept car produced by Bentley and first shown to the public at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It evolved into the production Bentayga SUV. A luxury SUV capable of seating four adults, the concept was designed by Dirk van Braeckel and developed by Bentley Crewe's based design department.
The concept is powered by a re-engineered version of the existing 6.0-litre petrol W12 engine, but in production could also be available with a V8 diesel engine or a V6-based plug-in hybrid powertrain. It is based on the Volkswagen Group PL71 platform, the same platform used in the other Volkswagen Group large SUVs including the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. In July 2013, Bentley announced the production of an SUV model for 2016, based on the next-generation Volkswagen Group large SUV platform. Called Bentayga, Bentley's first production SUV was the company's fourth model alongside the Continental GT, Flying Spur, and the Mulsanne.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 6.0 L twin-turbo W12. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Peugeot 208, the Tesla Model X, the Mazda CX-5. Nearby in the Bentley catalogue sit the Armoured Arnage and the Bentley 3 Litre.