Bentley introduces eco-friendly Bentayga Odyssean
Nothing says sustainability like a limited-run, massive hybrid SUV
Luxury carmakers have always had it relatively easy when it comes to launching a special edition. Take something that’s already dressed to the nines, plaster anything that isn’t wood or glass in leather and use some ultra-rare materials that can only be sourced from meteorites on the gear lever and, voila, you’ve got yourself a million-pound special edition. Simple.
Times are a-changing, though, and nothing says success like driving a two-and-a-half-tonne SUV coated in sustainably sourced interior trim. If you’re a powerfully built but very earth-conscious CEO, then Bentley’s got you covered with its new Bentayga Odyssean Edition, the second product to feature in its burgeoning line-up of eco-friendly special edition vehicles. It’s inspired by the EXP 100 GT concept car that, despite taking the form of a nearly six-metre coupe, was all about “creating a wellness-enriching environment” through the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. Buckle up, things are about to get green.
There’s still the usual mix of wood and leather in the Odyssean Edition, only it’s been specially designed to be kinder to the environment. Bentley has cut the lacquer on the Koa veneer on the centre console by 90% over regular high-gloss trim, which “allows the natural surface texture and aesthetic of the wood to be enjoyed”, apparently. And while Bentley hasn’t gone full vegan by ditching animal skin, the leather employed in the Odyssean Edition is sustainably sourced. Of course, animal skin itself is sustainable, but the leather used here doesn’t use products that would be considered harmful to the environment (just not the cows themselves).
On the outside, all cars come with Pale Brodgar (a fancy term for a bronzy gold) accents whereas you might find chrome or piano black on the regular Bentayga. Bentley will recommend six colours that it thinks will work best with the new gold bits, but if you want to undo all its hard work by speccing the thing in, say, bright green then it won’t stand in your way. You’ll also find Pale Brodgar highlights on the redesigned 22-inch wheels and, it goes without saying, there are endless personalisation options for those with deep enough pockets.
As its W12 and V8 models could be seen as suboptimal for the ozone layer, the Bentayga Odyssean Edition is only available with the V6 plug-in hybrid. It still packs a decent punch with 462hp and 516lb ft of torque, with the zip from the electric motor getting you from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds. It’ll do that while returning a claimed 83.1mpg, so long as you keep the battery charged up, and can muster an EV-only range of up to 28 miles on a single charge.
So near-silent running and a brighter, greener cabin that has your wellness in mind awaits you with the Odyssean Edition. On that note, the model comes with 22-way front seats with heating and ventilation as standard, along with the Touring Pack that comes bundled with some semi-autonomous driving features which, again, do their very best to take the strain away from driving. There’s no word on pricing, but only 70 examples will be sold worldwide, so expect a notable premium over the £183,575 of the base Bentayga. Saving the planet doesn’t come cheap, you know...
- Nauseating virtue signalling.
- "There’s still the usual mix of wood and leather in the Odyssean Edition...". Riiight.
- "...And while Bentley hasn’t gone full vegan by ditching animal skin...". Riiight.
- V6 petrol engine.
- I don't get the name Odyssean, unless this is going to be the beginning of a 'journey' for Bentley and we'll see silly unnecessary special editions of all models. I'm up on my Greek mythology but can't recall any links with Odysseus and nature or being environmentally conscious. Perhaps I skipped the chapter in which he used sustainable wood in his boat.
Its like making a pork pie with 2 percent less meat "for the vegetarians".
Better fit the Audi 3.0L V6 d they used in Macans + wait for it the tidily batteries that do 28 miles range .
Or if dirty diesel isn’t coming back after it’s sudden chop by VAG in 2017 then go the whole hog and fit the ubiquitous golf GTI petrol 2.0i suitably detuned for low down torque , gearbox / final drive modded and a bigger set of batts , bit like Bimmers 7 series efforts of shutting up Greta and other tree huggers .
Also option a cloth interior and drop the price to near £100 K for the “ planet saving 2.0i e “
As it is now this V6 petrol and tiddly batts is something or nothing really .
VAG has the worlds largest parts bins to have a rummage in .
Its like making a pork pie with 2 percent less meat "for the vegetarians".
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