Our esteemed colleagues at Motor1-UK recently drove the diesel powered Bentayga. Though we have no expectation of seeing this beast in North America anytime soon, we were too tickled with the vehicle not to share such a fortifying piece of forbidden fruit.

– Crewe, England

“Bentayga is all about firsts,” says Peter Guest, Bentley Product Line Director and the man referred to in Crewe as “Mr Bentayga.” “It was Bentley’s first SUV and now it’s Bentley’s first diesel. In time, it will become our first plug-in hybrid.”

Guest is a man with an enviable track-record: his CV includes the Aston Martin DB7 and Renaultsport Clio V6. Yet his enthusiasm for the Bentayga – a vehicle that, particularly with a diesel engine, seems the antithesis of a sports car – is infectious. Can a black-pump Bentley really be exciting?

Well, having 435 horsepower and a stonking 664 pound-feet of torque probably helps. The Bentayga’s 4.0-liter V8, shared with the Audi SQ7, boasts an electrically driven supercharger and two turbochargers. That means 0-62 miles per hour in just 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph – not bad for something the size of Vermont.

More importantly, the diesel Bentayga delivers an official 35.8 miles per gallon (that’s Imperial, not U.S.), versus just 21.6 mpg for the 6.0-liter petrol W12. ...