Remember when everyone said pollution laws would kill 12-cylinder engines? Harmful emissions are caused by low-compression engines found in cheap cars. That’s why race engines and exotic cars are much cleaner and kinder to the environment. In an effort to make their W12 cleaner, Bentley engineers raised the compression ratio and then developed all-new software for the new 2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed.
Whenever you don’t need 626 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, the computer shuts off alternating patterns of six cylinders. Twelve cylinder engines have 2nd order harmonic balance, so it can run silky smooth on 6 with power to spare. Allowing six cylinders to cool down not only saves fuel, it allows the catalytic converters time to rest. So this could be the cleanest 12-cylinder engine on the market.
Another genius move is to unlock the transmission when you let off the gas pedal. In 5th to 8th gear, coasting shifts the transmission into neutral like the freewheel clutch on your bicycle. This lets the engine idle until its needed again. Flooring the skinny pedal will have you at 62 mph in 3.9 seconds on your way to 190 mph.
The engine offers 664 lb-ft of torque from 1,500 to 5,000 rpm, so be prepared for brutal acceleration in any situation. Each one is built by hand, and it represents 10% of the time needed to build the entire car. If this is too much for you, the Bentayga V8 still offers 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque, its a tough choice! Click the button above to find out more from our dealers and stay with us for all your Bentley news.
