The Bentley Bentayga EWB in the Alps: Grand Touring at Altitude
The Bentayga EWB brings the refinement of Crewe to mountain roads. In the Alps, it delivers a grand touring experience that no other vehicle can match.
Bentley's position in the landscape of luxury SUVs has always been defined by its refusal to choose between capability and refinement. The Bentayga EWB, Extended Wheelbase, is the fullest expression of this philosophy. With a rear cabin extended by 180 millimetres beyond the standard wheelbase, rear seats with 22-way adjustment, a Naim audio system producing 2,200 watts through 18 speakers, and the full-width panoramic sunroof that makes the Alpine sky part of the interior experience, the Bentayga EWB in the mountains is an argument for a particular way of travelling.
The technical specification for Alpine use is persuasive. The 4.0-litre V8 produces 550 bhp and 770 Nm of torque, which on a steep gradient with a full complement of passengers and ski equipment is a meaningful reserve. The adaptive air suspension, with off-road mode capable of raising the body by 50 millimetres, handles the transition between cleared motorway and the compacted snow of an Alpine approach road without any adjustment from the driver. The all-wheel drive system distributes torque with a sensitivity that the driver notices only by its absence from the passenger experience.
FFGR's Bentayga EWB is deployed primarily on the longer Alpine transfers: Geneva to Courchevel, Lyon to Val d'Isère, Chambéry airport to multiple resorts in sequence. The extended wheelbase makes it suitable for four passengers in the rear configuration used on executive travel, or two in the full first-class lounge arrangement with the fold-out tables deployed. For a family of four, it is a drawing room that happens to be traversing the Tarentaise.
The aesthetic of the Bentayga in the mountains is one that FFGR considers deliberately. A Bentley on a mountain road is a statement about the quality of the journey, not merely the vehicle. The Flying B mascot, the diamond-quilted seats visible through the window, the specific relationship between the car's proportions and the Alpine landscape: these create an arrival that registers before the door is opened. In Courchevel, where the standard of arrival is itself part of the hospitality, this matters.