New Bentley Bentayga Atelier Edition review: the understated, tasteful face of luxury SUVs

Verdict

Bentley has moved along its luxury with the times - no more clearly than in the release of the Bentayga SUV - yet has also maintained its heritage. To our eyes, the Bentley Bentayga Atelier Edition manages to strike that balance better than the other models in the Bentayga family. Colours and spec are subjective things, but we think this is as understated and tasteful as it’s possible for a luxury SUV to be – even if that means it’s no longer quite the class leader for comfort and refinement it once was. 

This is the Bentley Bentayga Atelier Edition – a £197,700 version of the brand’s luxury SUV which dips into Bentely’s most luxurious and exclusive Mulliner line. The result, in Bentley's words, is a "clean, contemporary luxury aesthetic”. 

Despite the contemporary claim, the Atelier seems to take a more traditional set of colours and designs than the more sporting S models in the line-up – and on our encounter with the car in our pictures, we think that’s a very good thing.

Setting an Atelier Edition apart from the outside are a series of small but subtle upgrades to the standard Bentley Bentayga package. At the front, there’s a dual-layer grille; the front vertical vanes are finished in chrome, while a more intricate panel behind is finished in a softer satin-silver effect. Both of these finishes are found elsewhere – the latter highlighting sections of the front and rear bumpers, plus the backing of the unique Atelier Edition badges. The 22-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels also sport a satin finish. 

Used - available now

2018 Bentley

Bentayga

69,185 milesAutomaticDiesel4.0L

Cash £60,000

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2026 Bentley

Bentayga

50,272 milesAutomaticPetrol4.0L

Cash £99,100

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2020 Bentley

Bentayga

45,000 milesAutomaticPetrol4.0L

Cash £64,900

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2018 Bentley

Bentayga

62,000 milesAutomaticDiesel4.0L

Cash £67,990

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The deep, lustrous green is named ‘Light Emerald’ and it looks glorious in person. It’s one of six colour combinations, from the Mulliner range, that Bentley has curated for the Atelier Edition, although customers are free to specify their own car however they like. Fair enough, on a six-figure luxury car, really.

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Inside, the Atelier Edition takes a much more traditional approach to luxury than the sportier S models in the range. This is a cabin full of immaculate diamond-stitched leather and contrasting seat piping; for the former, these special models gain a larger diamond stitch which stretches out across the top of the front backrests, plus Atelier Edition branding stitched into the seats. Further unique Atelier features include the animated welcome light sequence and sill plates which read ‘Hand Crafted in Crewe, England’. Mood lighting and the five-seat configuration rounds out the highlights of the Atelier interior spec.

In the case of our test car, it’s lovely to once again see a Bentley with a beautiful wood finish veneer on show – in this case it’s open-pore Hawaiian Koa. We appreciate that everyone has their own tastes, but whenever we see such beautiful craftsmanship covered up by a glossy piano-black finish, it seems like such a shame. 

The Bentayga’s cabin design betrays its Volkswagen Group roots a little more readily than other Bentley models – there are a few pieces of switchgear that can be picked out from Audi models – but the overall finish still feels gloriously sumptuous and, in this Atelier spec, very tasteful, too. One thing that you won’t find in any Audi, however, is the optional Naim Audio sound system. Along with the Naim packages in other Bentleys, it’s the best-sounding set-up you’ll find in any production car.

The back seats, even in the more practical three-seat bench specifications, are wonderfully comfortable. Space is generous all round, the view out is great, and the fit and finish is as immaculate as it is in the front.

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On the road, the driving experience is much like the rest of the Bentayga range, although one that is specced with all of the right extras. The Atelier features the Bentley Dynamic Ride – a 48-volt anti-roll system that keeps the car’s mass in check – as standard, plus four-wheel steering to improve low-speed manoeuvrability plus high-speed stability. 

Even with those add-ons, the Bentayga doesn’t quite ride with the grace of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, or even a BMW X7 – there’s a little too much low-speed fidget for that – but otherwise, comfort and refinement are excellent. It can even be hustled with a surprising amount of enthusiasm through the corners, too, considering its 2.4-tonne kerbweight. The steering is light and precise, and the assistance from the rear axle feels natural whether driving gently or with a little more urgency.

As ever, the engine remains an absolute star. The 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 offers endless, effortless performance. Officially, 0-62mph takes 4.6 seconds, and it’s a benchmark that feels all the more surreal in a car this tall, this large and this luxurious. The noise is beautifully judged, too; under hard acceleration, plenty of that V8 thunder makes its way into the cabin, but it almost disappears entirely at a cruise. At those motorway speeds, there’s enough torque that just a tickle of the throttle sees the car surge forward effortlessly, barely ever needing to even kick down, despite the engine settling to barely over tickover at 70mph. The hybrid powertrain is also available, but the V8 would always be our choice.

Surprisingly, given the £197,700 price tag, there’s a generous number of alternatives to the Bentayga at this end of the SUV market. The Bentayga is certainly the car we’d have over its VW Group cousin, the Lamborghini Urus; it’s fast, and isn’t short on drama, but it’s not particularly comfortable or refined for a car like this. The Ferrari Purosangue shows that both comfort and driving dynamics can go hand-in-hand, plus it adds the benefit of a sublime V12 engine. Also a V12, but with a very different character, is the Rolls-Royce Cullinan; it feels like a step up in quality and refinement than the Bentley, but it should when it’s priced at more than £350,000.

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