Behold: the new Bentley Torcal, the most powerful Flying B ever built

Many (electric) horsepowers, much torque, no noise: welcome to Bentley's EV future

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Big news for affluent moths: this is the new Bentley Torcal. Visible, eh? You certainly won’t miss it coming up the back of you on the motorway at night. But don’t be fooled by that luminescent schnozz - behind it is an EV at great pains to make as little fuss as possible about the fact it’s electric. In what we’re coining the “Anti-Luce approach”, Bentley has designed the Torcal to blend seamlessly into its existing lineup, presumably in the hope you might buy one quite by accident, and only realise months later that it’s electric when you can’t find a hole to put the petrol in.

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More on that later - first some numbers. Such is the nature of EVs, the Torcal is the most powerful and torquey Bentley ever, boasting 875bhp and 996lb ft. Bentley describes these figures as “sufficient”. Quite. The EV platform is shared with the new Cayenne, so the Torcal gets the same whopping 113kWh pack, for an ample range figure of 360 miles. This, combined with 400kW charging, should make for a capable transcontinental cruiser - but if you’re going somewhere with limited charging infrastructure, just take your Conti GT. Interestingly, the Torcal’s NMCA (Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt-Aluminium) pack is designed not just for big range and fast charging, but longevity. Bentley regards its cars as heirlooms, intended to be passed down through generations along with cygnet rings and crumbly castles.

And so to ensure the grandkids aren’t just inheriting a giant paperweight, the Crewe marque has ensured the Torcal’s battery retains 90 per cent of its original capacity after 100,000 miles of driving. We were too polite to point out that most EVs do that these days. Onto the design. Measuring just under five metres, the Torcal slots in just underneath a SWB Bentayga. Bentley says the Torcal represents “the most considered design process” it has ever undertaken and the result… looks like a Bentley SUV. The proportions and surfacing are unmistakable - flat, imposing front, long bonnet, muscular haunches and general air of “get out my way” all present and correct - it’s the detailing where the Bentley design team has let its hair down a little.

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In the headlights, the iconic Bentley twin circle signature is replaced by two vertical lines, and the illuminated grille is strikingly three dimensional up close, as if luminescent crystals are organically sprouting out of the fascia. It won’t be for everyone, but it needs to be seen up close to be properly appreciated. All in all the Torcal feels a fairly safe design, light up gnashers notwithstanding.

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There’s a sense that Bentley, not unlike VW with the new ID. Polo, is endeavouring to make its new EV as familiar as possible to existing customers, to make the notion of switching to electric (or indeed adding an EV to the stable) as seamless and fuss-free as possible. Like we said: the anti-Luce approach. Inside, there’s a new dash design with a shape inspired by the flying B badge, the centrepiece of which is a new curved infotainment screen. The idea here is that with your elbow resting on the centre console, the screen is always equidistant from your prodding finger as you move your wrist, making it less fiddly to operate. Makes sense, but we can’t hide our sadness that there’s no button to rotate the screen away entirely and replace it with analogue clocks as in its combustion powered siblings.

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