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Bentley SUV Spied Wearing Less Camouflage

Remember when the Range Rover was virtually in a class of its own? Well, that title will not survive by the end of the decade because a plethora of ultra luxurious sports utility vehicles is expected to appear. Maserati and Bentley are currently developing such vehicles, while Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini are also considering to make similar ultra luxurious SUVs. This time around we'll talk about the mysterious Bentley SUV, expected to debut in late 2015, with first deliveries slated for early 2016. Not only will it boast with one of the most luxurious cabins in the biz, but voices in the industry also hint at unrivaled specs for the luxury SUV segment thanks to a 200 mph (320 km/h) top speed. Take that, Range Rover SVR! Though it's wearing Great Britain plates, the Bentley SUV prototype caught on film by our team of carparazzi is a left-hand drive machine, so it's rather clear the upcoming model will be developed with the American customer in mind. Nevertheless, just think for a moment about the following scenario: most of the sales volume will end up in the hands of those rich oil sheikhs from the Middle East, innit? The epitome of ultra luxurious SUVs
Bentley SUV Spied Near the Nurburgring 26 photos
Photo: CarPix
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Spied very close to the Nurburgring circuit in Germany, this Bentley SUV test mule appears to be pretty near to the production ready luxury sports utility vehicle. Based on the same platform that'll underpin the next-gen Audi Q7, Volkswagen Touareg and more upmakert Porsche Cayenne, the all-wheel drive Bentley SUV will employ either a twin-turbo V8 or the aging W12 that powers the outgoing Continental GT lineup. To boot, rumors suggest an eight-cylinder TDI turbo diesel mill might be offered as well.

Even the styling is more or less Bentley Continental GT thanks to the ginormous trapezoidal radiator grille, four round and elegant headlights and gracefully penned tail lights. This brute will also spawn the brand's first ever plug-in hybrid, while pricing will start from around £140,000 ($235.000/€172,685).

PHOTO UPDATE: we've just received photos of the Bentley SUV dropping hot laps on the Nurburgring.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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