Bentley Bentayga Speed will be crazy fast

The new Bentley Bentayga Speed is an insane 2.5-tonne chunk of engineering.

Revealed today ahead of its public debut at the 2019 Geneva motor show in early March, the Bentley Bentayga Speed lives up to its name by dethroning (on paper) the Lamborghini Urus as the world's fastest SUV.

Claiming the crown of the fastest high-riding wagon on the planet, the Bentayga Speed is propelled by a steroidal 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine that belts out an almighty 467kW of power and 900Nm of torque.

If bragging rights are everything in the performance car world, then the Bentley Bentayga Speed now has more swagger than a pop idol walking down the red carpet – although technically it's only 5km/h faster than the previous Italian record holder.

Despite its blocky exterior design the big British road rocket has a top speed of 309km/h, which will see the Bentley Bentayga Speed ease past the 304km/h Lambo Urus on the autobahn. It's not a big difference but it's enough.

Interestingly, the Lamborghini Urus SUV is still faster in the 0-100km/h sprint, taking 3.6 seconds while the new Bentayga Speed takes 3.9 seconds to reach triple-digit speeds.

This is not the first 12-cylinder Bentley SUV to deliver a blistering top-speed, following the VW Group-owned luxury car-maker’s release of the standard Bentayga W12 in 2015. But it can manage 'only' 301km/h and is 20kW down on the Speed.

In order to deal with the extra herbs and spices that slam into all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission (with a little help from an electronic diff lock), the scorching SUV gets a reworked suspension system, big 22-inch alloy wheels and optional carbon ceramic brakes that shed 20kg.

The exhaust system has been recalibrated to deliver more theatre or, as Bentley coins it, "greater exhaust character during start up and gear downshifts".

Visual updates include a darker front grille, body coloured front and rear splitters, a rear spoiler, tinted headlights and tail-lights, and 'discreet' Speed logos on the bottom of the front doors.

Most potential customers consider Bentley vehicles for their sumptuous interiors and the Bentayga Speed doesn't disappoint with handcrafted diamond-quilted leather upholstery and optional 22-way adjustable front seats.

There's also a new two-tone brown-on-black colour scheme in the cabin which is "designed to highlight unique styling lines", according to Bentley. It incorporates sweat-absorbing Alcantara trim should driver and/or passengers decide to test out the 309km/h speed zenith.

New 'swooshes' have been added around the door grabs and on the edge of the seat cushions and backrest bolsters. Like all Bentley Bentaygas it can be specified as a four- or five-seat SUV, and it also features 'Speed' logos around the cabin to remind occupants of its raison d'être.

Pricing on the new model has not yet been announced but given the three current Bentley Bentayga model grades fitted with a 4.0-litre turbo-petrol V8, 6.0-litre turbo-petrol W12 and 4.0-litre turbo-diesel V8 range between $335,000 and $427,000 – before on-road costs are added – expect the world's fastest SUV to cost at least half a million bucks.

In 2018 the Bentayga SUV was Bentley's top-selling model in Australia, with a total of 98 sales.