Bentley Bentayga, London. What's the point?

[The Moose]

A Range Rover will be over £100k. Bentayga probably £180k. It's not like you're £50k and £200k - it's less than double! If you can afford to buy a £100k Range Rover, you can afford to buy a Fiat 500 as well (or whatever it is you think he should spend his time in).

A Bentayga is a significantly more pleasant place to be by almost every metric you can think of than a Fiat 500 (other than letting bikes filter past it seems) and if he has a long commute, he'll get out the other end feeling a lot better and more relaxed.

[J4CKO]

My concern would be the size of cars like that in London, but am guessing that folk who can afford to buy and run one perhaps consider that, plus have parking available where they need it.

[ettore]

Size not an issue really in London - couple of narrow bridges and the odd dodgy snicket (oh err). Big red buses quite sizeable.

[clowesy]

Having spent plenty of time driving Bentayga's around the centre of London, I can tell you that they are in fact a wonderful way to get around. The world outside is almost completely filtered out, you can leave most of the driving to the ADAS systems, have a massage and listen to your music through the incredible audio system. You can even make it reasonably environmentally responsible if you go for the PHEV model (which is very good by the way). If you can, you should.

[Algarve]

MarJay said:

I encountered something rather unexpected on my commute into London yesterday. A Bentley Bentayga.

It was enormous, and it was difficult to filter past (on the bike) and it was stuck in traffic just the same as any other car. Then, surprisingly on the way home I also encountered the same car. Also stuck in traffic, also difficult (but not impossible) to get by.

Since then, it's stuck in the back of my mind. Why? Why not buy a Range Rover? Why show off that you can afford to splurge 200 grand or whatever it is on a car that is just going to sit on the M3? I assume it's not a regular trip as I've never seen it before but if you've got a Bentayga, wouldn't you have a Fiat 500 or something just to nip into town with?

I'm not even sure why I'm puzzled. I'm not sure if I'd even be as affected if I saw someone doing the journey in a 488 or something.

I suppose it says something about me. I would like to be in a situation where I can afford a 200 grand car, but if I were would it be a Bentayga? No of course not. I thought they were produced purely for rich Chinese businessmen where being ostentatious is of the fashion, or perhaps the occasional Premiership footballer. Yeah I might expect to see one in Cheshire, but driving into London on the M3? I'd buy a Rangie and with the change I'd buy a bunch of fun cars or bikes.

Waftmobile, yes I can see the point. Range Rover? Not my thing, but I can see the point. Sports car? Definitely. Supercar? Definitely. Cars for people who need to transport people and things? I don't like them, but they are most certainly a necessity. A 200 grand supersoft leather trimmed 600hp piece of bling? Who am I? Wayne Rooney?

(I just looked up the 2020 Range Rover, and the cheapest is £89k. Sheesh! but at least they are subtle to some extent?)

I just don't get it, and it would be great if someone could explain it to me. Mind you, I don't get 'Adventure' bikes or 'SUV's or 'Crossovers' at the best of times, so maybe it's just me?

These owners drive a Bentayga instead of a Range Rover for the exact same reasons you drive a BMW 1 Series 130i M sport instead of a Ford Focus.

[g3org3y]

Cool story bro.

[Its Just Adz]

I think most people would choose Bentley over a bike.

[Pericoloso]

g3org3y said:

Cool story bro.

Was it ?

1/10 rant.

The drop top version will be launched soon.

[NickCQ]

Its Just Adz said:

I think most people would choose Bentley over a bike.

Not for the average London commute.

[Greshamst]

I would guess the answer would be... “why not?”

You’re not going to get anywhere quicker in a fiat 500, they still take up a car space in the traffic jam.

Not sure why you’d get your knickers in such a twist about someone’s choice of SUV.

[tommoooo]

Really? You can drive these things around London all day long and no one bats an eyelid.

[MarJay]

With regard to my 130i that someone helpfully pointed out (A lot of effort to go to... *shrug*) I will not and never have taken it into London. It's too thirsty, and too big and has far too many wheels. The only way I want to get into London is by motorcycle. Going by bike means that I arrive, by and large, in the same season in which I set off.

In actual fact I hardly use the 1er any more, and may very well sell it soon. That is by the by though, I wouldn't take it into London.

Also addressing the point that 'people don't care either way'. Oh they do. Very much so. Ever had a car keyed? No? Then you're lucky. Ever had to try to escape from a group of shifty types on mopeds? No? You're lucky.

As I said, I'd love to be in a situation where I could afford to drop £150-200k on a car, but it would most certainly not be anything as ostentatious as a 650bhp SUV. If I did, I'd probably never drive it as I'd spend my life paranoid about scratches, dents and car jacking. As it is it's taken me almost ten years of ownership to not worry about the 1 series, just in time for me to sell it on. As far as I see it, 200k cars should be a sports car or a GT, or perhaps occasionally a waft-o-matic super saloon-cum-limo. But as mentioned, this could well be because I can't see the point of even ordinary SUV's unless you're a Crofter in Scotland or you live on the isle of Skye or something.

I have to say, poor show PH for this one. So many boring comments. I could have come up with 'because they wanted one' as a reason. Sheesh, a bit of imagination could go a long way! We don't make the effort to post on here to get that kind of reply do we?

[ettore]

I suspect this is all your issue rather than the wider world’s.

Haven’t had a car keyed ever.

[RazerSauber]

Is it possible they spend a lot of time touring the country and you just happened to see them in London? Might never have been there before for all we know.

If they want a Bentayga then they can buy one.

The Ford Focus point remains though, what made you want to purchase your BMW over Focus? It'll have a USP for you whether it's RWD, power, badge, comfort, quietness and it's the same reason they bought a Bentayga over a RR. There was something about a Bentayga they wanted over the RR. Also when your car is in 6 figures, I imagine you're capable of having someone remove dings and scratches from your car.

[J4CKO]

MarJay said:

I'd probably never drive it as I'd spend my life paranoid about scratches, dents and car jacking

You are applying a poor persons logic to a rich persons situation there, not calling you poor really but compared to most Bentayga owners you and I are, comparatively so.

People who have money, especially when they are use to it just use things, it is there as their servant, not their master like it would be to us "Must keep shiny thing shiny", where a lot of owners will still be careful, but it wont stop them using it, they wont sit in a restaurant worrying if the car is ok.

If it got damaged, they will say "Oh dear", it will be collected and returned all shiny again, either via insurance or they just pay the bill, where we would be plunged into deep depression and fret about either getting it fixed or what the insurance will charge next time.

I knew a chap who was a serial BMW Seven series buyer, not quite a Bentayga but an expensive car, new one every three years and they went back mechanically fine but always needed cosmetic attention, always damaged and he really didnt care as it went in PX, they knocked the damage off which paled next to the depreciation, he chose his new one and handed over a cheque for the difference, a month of it being a novelty then back to treating it like st.

[NickCQ]

RazerSauber said:

Is it possible they spend a lot of time touring the country and you just happened to see them in London? Might never have been there before for all we know.

Possible, but unlikely. I think a substantial proportion of high end cars driven in London are owned by Gulf residents that spend no more than a few months in London a year and don't stray outside the Heathrow - Knightsbridge - Mayfair corridor. (Northolt / Biggin Hill if they are real high rollers).

[swagmeister]

MarJay said:

I encountered something rather unexpected on my commute into London yesterday. A Bentley Bentayga.

It was enormous, and it was difficult to filter past (on the bike) and it was stuck in traffic just the same as any other car. Then, surprisingly on the way home I also encountered the same car. Also stuck in traffic, also difficult (but not impossible) to get by.

Since then, it's stuck in the back of my mind. Why? Why not buy a Range Rover? Why show off that you can afford to splurge 200 grand or whatever it is on a car that is just going to sit on the M3? I assume it's not a regular trip as I've never seen it before but if you've got a Bentayga, wouldn't you have a Fiat 500 or something just to nip into town with?

I'm not even sure why I'm puzzled. I'm not sure if I'd even be as affected if I saw someone doing the journey in a 488 or something.

I suppose it says something about me. I would like to be in a situation where I can afford a 200 grand car, but if I were would it be a Bentayga? No of course not. I thought they were produced purely for rich Chinese businessmen where being ostentatious is of the fashion, or perhaps the occasional Premiership footballer. Yeah I might expect to see one in Cheshire, but driving into London on the M3? I'd buy a Rangie and with the change I'd buy a bunch of fun cars or bikes.

Waftmobile, yes I can see the point. Range Rover? Not my thing, but I can see the point. Sports car? Definitely. Supercar? Definitely. Cars for people who need to transport people and things? I don't like them, but they are most certainly a necessity. A 200 grand supersoft leather trimmed 600hp piece of bling? Who am I? Wayne Rooney?

(I just looked up the 2020 Range Rover, and the cheapest is £89k. Sheesh! but at least they are subtle to some extent?)

I just don't get it, and it would be great if someone could explain it to me. Mind you, I don't get 'Adventure' bikes or 'SUV's or 'Crossovers' at the best of times, so maybe it's just me?

Simple = Individual Choice, he chose to travel by £200k car, you chose a bike. As for questioning his choice of car, well same could be said for anyones choice of wife, shoes, lunch, haircut, - its all individual choice and nobodys choices are any better or any worse than yours.

[DaveCWK]

I think you're emphasising the fact it's a 200k car a bit too much OP. An IT monkey living alone on an 80k London salary can probably 'afford' to lease one.

[NickCQ]

DaveCWK said:

I think you're emphasising the fact it's a 200k car a bit too much OP. An IT monkey living alone on an 80k London salary can probably 'afford' to lease one.

Looked this up for amusement's sake and you aren't far wrong - you can be in one for £12k down and £1.3k a month

[MarJay]

DaveCWK said:

I think you're emphasising the fact it's a 200k car a bit too much OP. An IT monkey living alone on an 80k London salary can probably 'afford' to lease one.

You might be right there. I (mostly) pay for my cars and bikes.

On the point that the RR costs nearly as much... yes it does. Jeez. I never realised. Some people have either got too much money, or buy literally everything on lease/credit/PCP.

A few years ago I couldn't imagine spending more than 10 grand on a car. I did do that, but it was difficult and I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. It was on Finance, but HP not PCP. I'm sort of glad I did, but I don't think I ever would again.