Do buyers really want the passenger-side screens that are popping up in new models these days? The empty side of the dashboard in Bentley’s new Torcal EV could be the answer to that question.
And it seems that luxury buyers aren’t the only ones who don’t see the need for a wall-to-wall display.
The Real In-Car Display Is The Windshield
2028 Bentley TorcalBentley
More is better has been the rule for in-car screens for about the last decade. The industry has moved quickly from a single 4-inch screen for the radio to wall-to-wall units offering more display space than the flat screen in your living room.
When Bentley revealed the tech-forward Torcal with nothing but wood veneer in front of the passenger, it was a surprise. But it shouldn’t be.
“Technology has to add value. It should not dominate the experience,” product line director Martin Page told media (via Motor1).
Page said that the automaker would “never” add a passenger-side screen. Bentley considered it, but said it was a solution looking for a problem, and that it wasn’t in line with the company’s efforts to focus on the person.
That doesn’t rule them out forever. Page said that a second screen could be more useful when vehicles are autonomous. Though even then, “autonomous” Bentleys already exist, and the screen wouldn’t be of use there either. What’s the “autonomous” Bentley you ask? That’s the one that has a chauffeur, and the people looking at screens sit in the back.
Do Buyers Want A Best Buy’s Worth Of Screens?
Bentley Flying Spur rotating display screenBentley Motors
It seems like Bentley is making the right decisions here. The recent JD Power US Tech Experience Index, which surveys owners on their feelings about and use of tech in their cars, shows just how undesirable the passenger screens are.
The study found that 35% of vehicle owners with a passenger screen have never tried to use it. Just 6% use it every time they drive. Plus, passenger screens were one of the most problematic tech features in the study, and vehicles with them have higher rates of infotainment system problems.
Bentley isn’t missing out by not having a passenger screen, but it may be missing out with its curved center display. Bentley’s rotating center screen, as found in the Bentayga, Continental GT, and others, is a work of art. A screen on one side and a beautifully crafted blank panel at the touch of a button.
It’s an expensive option, and it’s missing from the Torcal. Instead, buyers get an OLED screen with a curved lower section. Bentley calls it “unique” to the car, but it looks like the one in the Porsche Cayenne EV. In any other model, the bent screen would be very cool. In a Bentley, where we know what it could be, it’s somehow less.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2026 Porsche Cayenne Turbo ElectricPorsche
Bentley is showing what the head of design at Benz stated more than a year ago: Screens are not luxury. Though unlike Benz, which has gone through Superscreen, Hyperscreen, and we presume soon Ludiscreen, Bentley is walking the walk.
Will some buyers miss the passenger display? It doesn’t sound like it. Why would you, when you can have Merino wool seats instead? Something you will use and enjoy every time you get in.
Source: Bentley, JD Power, Motor1
