Bentley has just announced its most powerful production car ever. But it’s not going to be an even more powerful Continental or anything like that. Sorry purists, but this one won’t have any combustion engine under the hood.
We’re talking about the company’s new EV, the Torcal, which will also be the quickest-accelerating Bentley ever. And it’s an SUV to boot.
A Long History Of Engines Lost In Time, Like Tears In Rain
Bentley Torcal PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
Engines have always been a key part of a Bentley. The company’s founder built engines before he built cars. Not for Spitfires and Lancasters in the Second World War like his colleague Henry Royce, but for the Sopwith Camel in the first Great War.
The British ultra-luxury carmaker is taking a step away from these motors. It says the Torcal EV will be its most powerful production car ever, but instead of a hair-raising number, it focuses on the experience. “Seemingly limitless reserves of power, delivered with refinement, composure and confidence.”
It gave a similar sentiment about the acceleration. The Torcal will accelerate more quickly than any previous Bentley production car, but it will “remain within the limits of comfort.”
Just How Powerful Will This Bentley Be?
2028 Bentley Torcal Interior Teaser Center Console ‘Curation Engine’Bentley
We’re not sure how Bentley will avoid the nauseating rush of acceleration found in its siblings, including the Porsche Cayenne Electric, but we look forward to finding out. After all, a Bentley doesn’t blast ahead or charge forward; it “transforms every journey into an experience of effortless progression.” So… elegant motion sickness, then?
The current owner of the trophy for most powerful Bentley is the Continental GT Speed. It uses a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and plug-in hybrid assist to make 771 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. The GT Speed can also go from zero to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds, so the Torcal will need to beat both.
It shouldn’t be a problem for Bentley to destroy that power figure, though. The Torcal uses the Premium Platform Electric architecture shared with the Porsche Cayenne EV. That Porsche delivers 402 hp in base form, 536 as the Cayenne S, and 835 in Turbo form with 1,139 hp in overboost. The Bentley sounds like it will share its motors with the Turbo, though possibly with acceleration limited slightly to stay within those comfort limits.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Bentley W12 End Of ProductionBentley
Bentley has always offered iconic engines, from its earliest Blower cars to the sublime 6.75-liter V8, and the wild W12. The company is about to find out if buyers care about that or if they simply want to go quickly when they feel like it and be whisked along serenely the rest of the time.
With a near-flood of other luxury EVs hitting the market, Bentley needs to appeal to a wider group than simply “ultra-luxury buyers who want an electric SUV.” It will have to offer an experience those other models can’t.
Expect more teases from Bentley, trickling out information about its compact electric crossover ahead of its reveal date. The reveal is set for September 23, with customer deliveries starting a year later.
