Range Rover Sport VS Bentley Bentayga
Range Rover Sport
Likes
- New more powerful, more efficient powertrain
- Handling is remarkable for an SUV this size
- Purposeful look and plush interior
Dislikes
- Body and Soul seats are clever but feel gimmicky
- Already sold out for the first year
- Miss the sound of the old supercharged V8
Bentley Bentayga
Likes
- Practical and spacious
- Remarkable dynamics for its size and weight
- Twin-turbo V8 is no W12 but still awesome
Dislikes
- Not great value for money, but that's not the point
- Awkward looking to my eyes
- Interior could be more special
Summary
Range Rover Sport
Breadth of capability. That’s the key phrase the engineers, public relations managers and even the support crew keep using when discussing the all-new Range Rover Sport SV. And with good reason.
There aren’t too many SUVs on the market that can match it for its bandwidth. Within the space of a few hours at the recent launch in Portugal, we hit 233km/h down the front straight at the Portimao race track, carved through country back roads and then drove down a muddy track, across a small creek and then conquered an off-road obstacle course.
Most of its rivals can do some of those things, but none can do all of them.
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Range Rovers have always had a Swiss Army knife element to their appeal, but the Sport SV adds a new dimension with its sheer dynamic ability.
The company confidently calls it its most dynamic model yet, which isn’t saying much for a brand that’s history is focused on off-road performance rather than worrying too much about paved roads.
But not only is it clearly the most dynamic Range Rover ever, it’s also now a clear front-runner in the highly-competitive performance SUV market, capable of holding its own against the likes of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX.
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| Engine Type | 4.4L turbo |
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| Fuel Efficiency | —L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Bentley Bentayga
Yes, you can drive your Bentley and keep your family. It's called compromise, or the Bentayga, Bentley's SUV.
The Bentayga my family has been living with is the Azure grade which promises to be even more comfortable and pleasant than the rest of the range.
Comfort is important and we'll cover the Bentayga's lavish details in time, but our mission first and foremost is to find out if the Bentayga makes a good family SUV.
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| Engine Type | — |
| Fuel Type | — |
| Fuel Efficiency | —L/100km |
| Seating | — |
Verdict
Range Rover Sport8.1/10
Range Rover proudly calls it its “most dynamic” model ever, and based on our first experience that’s most definitely true. Its ability to be genuinely exciting to drive on a race track is nothing short of remarkable for a brand whose history is all about off-road prowess.
On the road it shines just as brightly, with its potent engine and state-of-the-art suspension system working in unison to make for a stunningly dynamic large and luxurious SUV. And then, if you need to cut across a field or scramble up a slippery hill, it will do that too.
Range Rover’s claims of ‘breadth of capability’ is apt but arguably an understatement. I’d stop short of calling the Sport SV the obvious class-leader in the high-end, high-performance SUV market because it’s up against some seriously impressive rivals, but the Range Rover offers a broader range of ability than any of its competitors.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.
Bentley Bentayga7.9/10
The Bentley Bentayga Azure may look a bit awkward and it surely isn't great value for money, but it is a true Bentley and a very good family SUV that not only provides terrific practicality but superb performance and comfort.
Design
Range Rover Sport
Range Rover is a brand synonymous with big, imposing and off-road capable SUVs, not dynamic and sporty vehicles. But in recent years the Evoque and Velar have added a new layer of style and a sleekness to the brand’s reputation.
The latest generation Sport is still a big and imposing two-tonne SUV, but it’s also definitely sportier to look at and the SV changes only add to that.
It only takes a moment looking at it and it’s clear this is an SUV that means business. The 23-inch wheels fill out the guards, the air-suspension can lower the body to the ground and the aerodynamic package, including the front splitter, make for a purposeful look.
The carbon-fibre bonnet can be finished with the centre section exposed, showing off the weave of the fibres, which is a nice touch, although fake vents on the bonnet and front fenders are a bit disappointing.
Bentley Bentayga
You'd think of all automotive brands Bentley, with its beautiful swooping and powerful saloons, would be able to floor us with something just exquisite in SUV form. But right from the 2012 concept the Bentayga has struggled to stun the world with its design.
So, while there are Bentley family traits all over the Bentayga, from the intricate headlights and mesh grille, to the oval tail-lights and body which squats over the rear wheels, the overall design looks awkward to my eyes.
To me it appears the boxy design with the tall, flat roofline and elevated ride height favours practicality over the sleekness possessed by a lower, more coupe-like SUV.
I favour dark coloured clothes because it hides my shapes, creases and bulges, but these are the things you want to see in a car and our Bentley's 'Onyx Black' paint, despite being a beautiful colour with a blue hue added, make it a featureless blob in the sunlight.
A lighter shade or something outlandish like a turquoise or yellow would look amazing, and even better, upset your neighbours.
Let's look at the interior design which is lavish with all the quilted leather and Mulliner customisation, but lacks the modern look of many contemporary cabins with its smallish media screen and busy mosaic of buttons.
I like the little chrome plungers for the air vents, the winged styling to the dashboard and the stitched leather upholstery, but it's easy to spot parts that are shared by other members of the Volkswagen Group (which owns Bentley).
For example, there are the indicator and wiper stalks, as well as the steering wheel buttons, all from Audi. Surely Bentley should have its own crafted parts?
The interior colour scheme on our Bentayga is 'Beluga' (black) and 'Camel' (tan) and the Mulliner option split the colours with a cream tone.
From a family perspective the tan and black will hide dirt, although the cream will struggle. It's possibly the best leather on the planet, however, coming from cattle living high enough that their hides are unblemished by insect stings.
Practicality
Range Rover Sport
There are two stand-out features in the cabin, beyond the standard high-level of luxury you expect from a Range Rover Sport.
The first is the SV-specific steering wheel with illuminated paddles, which feels solid in your hands. But the second is by far the most interesting, the so-called Body and Soul Seats (BASS), which Range Rover has developed in conjunction with Coventry University.
Available with either genuine leather or ‘ultra fabric’ and a 3D-print knit trim, the seats look great on the outside but it’s what’s inside them that’s special.
There are four audio transducers integrated into the seat back which can vibrate to the beat of whatever audio track you’re listening to. The system uses AI to detect the lower frequencies and then work out which beats to transmit.
This is technology used by musicians, Coldplay’s Chris Martin reportedly wears transducers integrated into a vest when he performs, but Range Rover is confident it will add to the ownership experience.
It’s certainly an interesting technology and a demonstration across different music genres highlights the way the system adapts to individual songs, but it’s hard not to feel like this is more of a gimmick than something an owner will use every day.
If you don’t like listening to music with it, the Body and Soul Seats also work with a ‘Wellness’ setting that features six audio pieces (designed by Coventry University musicians) - calm, soothe, serene, cool, tonic and invigorate.
It’s probably what you need to help settle your heart rate after you unleash the full performance potential of the Sport SV.
In the back seat there’s none of this technology but they do feature heating and ventilation as well as power recline functions. There’s also four-zone climate control, so every occupant can be comfortable.
Bentley Bentayga
Being shaped like a bus does nothing for the Bentayga's beauty but makes it spacious for cargo and roomy for people.
With its large doors and elevated ride height (the car can be lowered for easier access) it's great for families.
Our Bentayga is a five-seater, which is fine for my little family of four, but there are four- and seven-seat configurations available, too.
Second row legroom is exceptional, even for me at 189cm tall, and sitting behind my own driving position there's still plenty of room.
Headroom is also outstanding throughout. We could be a family that loves top hats, on our way to the top hat championships, and not have to remove our top hats. That's how good headroom and hat room is.
Sun blinds in the second row are vital in Australia, and the electric ones in the Bentayga raise and lower quickly, not just offering protection but also more privacy.
Storage is good throughout with big door pockets and five cupholders.
It seems the cabin space eats into the cargo area because the boot isn't overly large at 484 litres with all seats in place.
Buttons in the cargo area allow the rear of the car to be raised and lowered to make it easier to hoist items in the boot.
For devices there's a wireless phone charger up front along with USB ports in both rows.
Price and features
Range Rover Sport
To be blunt, the Range Rover Sport SV is one of those vehicles that if you have to ask, you can’t afford. Particularly in this case, as the model has launched in a single specification level, the Sport SV Edition One, which is priced from $360,800, plus on-road costs.
That puts it into the same financial category as the likes of the Aston Martin DBX ($356,512), Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe ($364,700) and Lamborghini Urus ($409,744) - especially when we discuss some of the pricier options.
For that price the Sport SV Edition One comes with exclusive branding on the front splitter, centre console, treadplates and puddle lamps as well as a raft of standard features likely to carry-over to the 2025 model year version.
These include carbon-fibre badges, forged 23-inch alloy wheels, digital LED headlights, a carbon-fibre bonnet, 16-way electronically adjustable front seats, Meridian 'Signature' sound system, 13.1-inch multimedia touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and newly developed ‘Body and Soul Seats’ (more on those later).
But if you’re feeling really sporty, you can upgrade your Sport SV with lightweight carbon fibre wheels and carbon ceramic brakes.
These will cost you a staggering $16,130 and $13,500, respectively, but the wheels measure 23-inches and are the largest fitted to a production car (and are also Australian-made by Carbon Revolution in Geelong).
Unfortunately, for now at least, this is all a moot point because Range Rover Australia has already invited and sold all examples of the Sport SV Edition One, so you'll need to be patient and wait until at least 2025 to have the option to buy one.
Bentley Bentayga
Reviewing every type of car on the market provides a pretty good perspective, but when it comes to Bentleys we enter a realm where value-for-money often isn't as crucial as it is for more mainstream options.
The same goes for the price. Bentleys are among the most expensive cars in the world. So if, like me, you flinch at the thought of paying more than half a million dollars for an SUV, it may not be the car for us right now.
With that I can tell you the Bentley Bentayga Azure's list price is $475,000 and our car with all of its options comes to $515,000.
That's more money than any SUV from Mercedes-Benz and BMW costs. Even Range Rover can't quite reach that mark.
Only the likes of Aston Martin's DBX 707 and Lamborghini's Urus can match the price.
There are always bigger fish, though, and Rolls Royce's Cullinan swims in at $700,000, making the Bentayga's price seem quite reasonable.
Let's look at the standard features.
Coming standard on the Bentayga Azure are the prettiest LED headlights in the world. There are LED tail-lights, too, as well as a proximity key, roof rails and a panoramic glass roof, plus a hands-free tailgate.
Inside there's the 10.9-inch media screen, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto.
The diamond quilting to the door trims is also standard and so are the Bentley sports pedals.
Many of these features are standard on lower grades in the Bentayga range, but the point in choosing the Azure is that many of the optional bundles on offer are fitted as standard here.
So, while leather upholstery is of course standard the 'Colour Specification' package gives you a choice of all interior colour combinations and an extended choice of hide colours.
The 'City Specification' brings extra safety tech like rear cross-traffic alert and a top view camera.
The 'Front Seat Comfort' specification adds 20-way power front seats, ventilation and massage as well as comfort headrests.
The 'Touring Specification' brings adaptive cruise control, a head up display, lane keeping assistance and 'Night Vision'.
And then the 'Sunshine Package' adds electric sun blinds, which are great for kids in the back.
Despite the multitude of standard packages there's plenty left to option on the Azure.
Our car was fitted with about a dozen options including piano black veneer ($5884), 22-inch alloy wheels ($4733), rear privacy glass ($2617), LED welcome lights ($2238), self-levelling wheel centre caps ($1208), a heated acoustic windscreen ($1094), luggage management for the boot ($937) and a heated steering wheel ($543).
Then there's Mulliner, Bentley's in-house customisation division which will personalise your Bentley.
The Mulliner custom features on our Bentayga Azure include the addition of an extra colour in the leather upholstery ($13,492), 'Honeycomb' stitching on the steering wheel ($5391) and contrasting stitching on the quilted areas of leather trim ($2688).
Best family features would have to be the privacy glass, temperature control in the second row and the rear sun blinds.
The second row also comes with a removable tablet which can be used to adjust the climate control, sunroof and media settings among other functions.
In the hands of children this is every parent's nightmare and there's a 100 percent chance of the tablet being lost forever, possibly on the motorway between Sydney and Canberra.
Under the bonnet
Range Rover Sport
Sadly the wonderfully evocative supercharged V8 engine from the previous generation Range Rover Sport SVR is gone.
But, thankfully, in its place is a more powerful engine that’s exclusive to the Sport SV in the Jaguar Land Rover family.
It’s a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine with mild-hybrid assistance, which is actually built by BMW and based on the same powertrain as you’ll find in the M5, albeit with some specific Range Rover elements for more off-road capability.
It’s also more powerful than the old supercharged V8, making an impressive 467kW of power and 750Nm of torque, which is a 44kW and 50Nm improvement over the old engine.
It’s paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission, again with a specific SV calibration for improved performance.
And, of course, being a Land Rover, it’s also got a four-wheel drive system with full off-road systems as well as an active locking differential.
Bentley Bentayga
When Bentley stopped putting its W12 into the Bentayga this year I was unsurprised yet sad. The world is moving toward tighter fuel emissions but the twin-turbo petrol V8 in this Azure is still a beast.
The 4.0-litre turbo-petrol V8 is from the Audi family and I love it as much for its plentiful torque and superb acceleration as the deep rumble of its exhaust.
Making 404kW and 770Nm the V8 can lift and throw the 2.5-tonne Bentayga to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and onto a top speed of 290km/h. I reckon you could get it to 300km/h with the wind behind you.
Drive goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed transmission and a Torsen-type centre differential.
Default drive balance is 40/60 front to rear, with up to 70 per cent of power able to be sent to the front wheels and up to 85 per cent to the rear axle.
I don't think you'll be astounded to hear this powertrain uses a lot of fuel? Let's go there...
Efficiency
Range Rover Sport
Despite all the extra power, thanks to the mild-hybrid system it’s more fuel efficient and produces less emissions than the old 5.0-litre V8.
Still, it’s all relative, and as you’d expect from a twin-turbo V8 SUV it’s still thirsty and uses 11.7-12.5-litres per 100km, based on European specifications.
The mild hybrid system uses a crank-integrated starter generator instead of a conventional alternator, providing a boost of up to 20kW and 175Nm of electrical power when needed, with the energy captured during braking and stored in a 48-volt lithium-ion battery.
Bentley Bentayga
Bentley says the Bentayga Azure with the V8 petrol engine will use an average of 11.4L/100km over a combination of open and urban roads.
But what happens if you live in the suburbs not far from the city and drive the Azure every day to do the school drop offs and trips to the shops and then take in some fun country roads? You use an average of 22.8L/100km according to the car's trip computer.
This is still not as high as I was expecting. I've driven V6-powered SUVs which use more than this under the same conditions.
That said, even when using as much fuel as Bentley says you should, an 85-litre fuel tank is only going to deliver an approximate 745km driving range.
Safety
Range Rover Sport
The Sport SV comes generously equipped with safety gear, as you’d expect at this price point. There’s all the usual passive safety, including airbag coverage for all occupants, and plenty of active safety including adaptive cruise control with steering assist, remote park assist and 3D surround cameras - which are used for off-roading as well as parking.
As with the rest of the Range Rover Sport range, it has been awarded a maximum five-star rating from safety agency, ANCAP.
Bentley Bentayga
The Bentley Bentayga doesn't have a safety rating as like many extremely high-end cars it hasn't been assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.
That said, the Azure grade comes standard with an armoury of safety tech including AEB (with turn assistance), lane keeping assistance, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, evasive steering assistance, and adaptive cruise control.
Front and rear parking sensors are standard (and the most relied-upon feature I use daily), while exit warning saved my child and myself more than a few times from leaping out into the traffic on the school run.
Ownership
Range Rover Sport
If you’re worrying about servicing costs, you’re probably shopping at the wrong end of the market, but as with the range-topping Range Rover model the price of the car is expected to include servicing for the first five years and roadside assistance for the same period.
It’s also covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.
As with all Range Rovers the car will tell you when it needs a service depending on driving conditions. For example, if you hit the track or go off-roading it will likely need a visit quicker than if you're just commuting to and from work.
Bentley Bentayga
The Bentayga is covered by Bentley's three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 16,000km.
The good news is all new Bentley's have five years regular servicing included in the cost of the vehicle.