Bentley reveals new details about the electric SUV Torcal
Image: Bentley
Bentley is preparing to launch the Torcal as the first electric vehicle in its lineup. The Volkswagen Group-owned British brand has already shared more details about this model with the Edison portal. Positioned below the plug-in hybrid SUV Bentayga, it is intended to deliver luxury-level performance through a powerful drive system combined with comfort.
The technical foundation, similar to that of its sibling model the Porsche Cayenne Electric, is Volkswagen’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) designed for highly powerful and high-quality electric vehicles. The electric Bentley also features a 113 kilowatt-hour battery with 192 pouch cells, which is said to provide a range of over 600 kilometers.
The name of the first all-electric Bentley originates from Latin and means torque. The SUV can be charged at a maximum of 400 kW, allowing its batteries to go from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes. The power output of this roughly 2.7-ton electric vehicle is 653 kW/888 horsepower, with a maximum torque of 1,350 Newton meters.
"Whether a car accelerates to 100 km/h in 2.5, 2.4, or 1.9 seconds isn’t relevant to our customers. And a car with 1,000 horsepower isn’t automatically better," said Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser to Edison, also referring to the related Porsche model. The Torcal is equally highly agile, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in under three seconds.
"Every system is tailored for Bentley."
In addition, it features a suspension with single-chamber air springs and two-valve dampers, where the compression and rebound stages can be adjusted separately. “Each system is tuned specifically for Bentley,” emphasized Martin Page, head of the model line, in an interview with Edison. As a result, the Torcal receives only the top version of the suspension from the Cayenne Turbo Electric. Here, the active dampers are each connected to a motor-pump unit per axle. Bentley’s adjustments are designed to allow for greater variation between the different driving modes—Comfort, Bentley, Sport, Refresh—as well as the two off-road programs: Dirt & Trail and Snow & Grass.
The ground clearance changes depending on the driving mode and speed. According to the specifications, the Torcal has almost the same off-road capability as the Bentayga. Additionally, the suspension becomes stiffer in off-road modes. The vehicle’s body can lift up to 55 millimeters in off-road conditions.
“The Torcal controls the road, not the road the car,” quotes Edison, head of the model line, Page. “It’s meant to be a driver’s car.” The driver is assisted by level 2+ driver assistance systems. Comfort is not compromised despite the 22-inch wheels. The Torcal is also the only Bentley to date capable of performing a trained parking maneuver over a distance of up to 200 meters, provided the driver is in the car.
Instead of filling the silence of the electric drive with synthetic engine noises or amplifying electric motor sounds, Bentley’s luxury SUV relies on an “orchestral” sound landscape. This is achieved using recordings of real instruments that are shaped by the driver’s inputs. The inspiration for this sound comes from the manufacturer’s history, ranging from the powerful engines of the 1930s to the W12 engine.
Bentley has not yet announced the price of the Torcal. Edison expects the starting price to be at least 200,000 euros. For comparison, Porsche’s top model in the electric Cayenne series is available here for 165,500 euros.
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About the author
Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with professional experience in the automotive industry and finance sector. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.
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