Bentley takes the wraps off refreshed Bentayga SUV

Revealed at a lawn tea-party down the road from Bentley's Crewe factory, the refreshed Bentayga continues to serve tradition and Bentley's new design principles. The facelifted SUV, also available with a hybrid option, is the first launch under the Bentley Beyond100 business plan, which aims to set the tone for the century-old brand for the future, with a clear focus on electrification. Prices for the new car, while not yet specified, are expected to be 5 per cent higher than the outgoing model.

Telling the two models apart is perhaps easier when viewed from the rear, with the new model eschewing rectangular tail lights for elliptical LED units, in line with the redesigned Continental GT. With Stefen Sielaff taking over the reigns as Bentley's Design Director in 2016 from Luc Doncerkwolke, the new influence can be seen quite clearly. Overall, the Bentayga is said to be completely new from the A-pillars forward, with a hood line that's 30mm lower than before.

From a distance, the more-elliptical shape of the headlights is just about discernible, but a closer look reveals the crystal-cut detailing inside the units, taking Bentley's famed attention-to-detail up several notches all at once. Apart from the larger interpretation of Bentley's matrix grille, a more aggressive bumper design rounds off the changes at the front end. It also gains 20mm in track width at the rear, making for a slightly more squared out stance, with the new 20-inch wheels unique to the Bentayga.

Bentley is perhaps more proud of the changes to the cabin in the Bentayga, with enhanced technology and more interior room. Kicking things off, an embedded SIM card enables an enhanced suite of connected car technology, apart from the new fully-digital instrumentation panel and larger 10.9-inch touchscreen infotainment nestled between the wings of the dashboard. Wireless Apple CarPlay, along with wired Android Auto, is available for the first time in the Bentayga. A new steering wheel and trim finish, a lovely dark tinted diamond brushed aluminium, freshens things up further. The four-seat model gains up to 100mm in legroom, while the five-seat model also offers seat cooling all around now.

With no mechanical changes, the Bentayga continues to offer the V8 with 550PS/770Nm, while the plug-in hybrid and W12 Speed models are expected later this year.