Bentley Ultra Performance Hybrid V-8 Engine Revealed

The Bentley W-12 is dead. Long live the twin-turbocharged, hybridized V-8 engine! The newest range-topping powertrain in the lineup loses a couple of cylinders, but will owners miss the compact 12? Forgive us, but Bentley is attempting a trade-off here; a replacement for displacement (and cylinder count): more power and some EV-only range. The new powertrain provides a 90-hp bump out of the most potent of the old W-12s.

The result is “more than” 739 horsepower, which we presume is total system output. Beyond that, specifics are vague. The name is anything but; Bentley has christened it the “Ultra Performance Hybrid” powertrain, to give you a sense of how it is to be marketed.

However, if it’s anything like the PHEV powertrain in the Lamborghini Urus SE or the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid plug-ins—and, dear reader, it almost certainly is—then we do have a sense of what to expect. For one, the V-8 will be the ubiquitous 4.0-liter unit found in many states of tune in many VW and Bentley products. The e-motor will almost certainly be sandwiched between the engine and the transmission, and should make something close to the 189 and 174 hp of the Lamborghini and Porsche, respectively. Torque should be in the 339–356 lb-ft range, as well, if you look at the specs of those VW Group-mates.

Therefore, all this should make for a potent powertrain. Moreover, it promises to be a quiet one, for a spell. Bentley isn’t saying which vehicles will get the powertrain yet (the Bentayga is a safe bet for its debut, but any of the W-12-equipped models could receive the unit), but the powertrain is pegged for roughly 50 miles of EV-only cruising. That’s a sizable chunk and should help Bentley’s thirsty fleet with the various ultra-low emission zones in its home country. Consequently, we expect more details on this intriguing powertrain in the next few weeks.