Photo: Bentley
Bentley sends the Mulliner Batur on an extensive test-drive campaign before putting the grand tourer into its exclusivist production. Two test mules will undergo multiple scrutinous validation runs under real-road driving conditions to push the car's limits to the boundary of performance and quality.
The Batur will enter production sometime in the late spring of 2023, with deliveries expected to open by mid-next year. That is, of course, if all goes well in the test-drive session that's about to begin. Noteworthy is the fact that this time around, the trials will focus on literally everything, from the engine to the stitching on the seats.
The Batur has already amassed some two years' worth of engine testing until now, and the next step is to demonstrate the other capabilities of the luxury vehicle. As far as powerplant testing is concerned, the prolonged examination of the hand-built W12 hurricane comes very naturally. Bentley claims that the 6.0-liter puncher with its pair of blowers strapped on it is poised to deliver "at least 740 ps" (720 hp).
This rating makes the Batur the most powerful car ever to adorn Bentley's long list of muscle-bound luxury-on-wheels. Loyal to the British manufacturer tradition, everything about their vehicles needs to be perfect, not just what's under the hood.
Hence, a 1,500-mile-long journey (some 2,500 km) is the first testing phase, with car no. "0" driving through Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. Environmental compatibility, sunlight exposure, high-speed stability, aerodynamics, noise, vibration, and driving dynamics - the Batur must prove right on each.
Overall, north of 120 individual assessments will tell if the car is ready to go into production. By the time the first automobile rolls off the assembly line, the Batur project will have garnered over three years of combined testing. No surprises here, as Bentley holds the Batur to the highest of stakes.
The proving grounds are seven-week-long Herculean labors for the British luxury GT. The car needs to give everything it has in terms of dynamic automotive performance. High-speed runs, mixed surface drives, handling, and rough-road behavior will make or break the Batur. The chassis of this ultimate luxury GT will get its seal of approval. The air suspension, electric active anti-roll control, limited slip diff, torque vectoring, and all-wheel-steering will go through every single imaginable road stress a Batur is set to experience.
But it's not game over after this ordeal. Four thousand seven hundred miles (7,500 kilometers) of road seasoning is waiting for this Bentley, with some 600 hours of "solar loading" scheduled during that test session. That's the rough equivalent of a five-year daily use in the deserts of Arizona, according to the manufacturer.
The Batur has already amassed some two years' worth of engine testing until now, and the next step is to demonstrate the other capabilities of the luxury vehicle. As far as powerplant testing is concerned, the prolonged examination of the hand-built W12 hurricane comes very naturally. Bentley claims that the 6.0-liter puncher with its pair of blowers strapped on it is poised to deliver "at least 740 ps" (720 hp).
This rating makes the Batur the most powerful car ever to adorn Bentley's long list of muscle-bound luxury-on-wheels. Loyal to the British manufacturer tradition, everything about their vehicles needs to be perfect, not just what's under the hood.
Hence, a 1,500-mile-long journey (some 2,500 km) is the first testing phase, with car no. "0" driving through Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. Environmental compatibility, sunlight exposure, high-speed stability, aerodynamics, noise, vibration, and driving dynamics - the Batur must prove right on each.
Overall, north of 120 individual assessments will tell if the car is ready to go into production. By the time the first automobile rolls off the assembly line, the Batur project will have garnered over three years of combined testing. No surprises here, as Bentley holds the Batur to the highest of stakes.
The proving grounds are seven-week-long Herculean labors for the British luxury GT. The car needs to give everything it has in terms of dynamic automotive performance. High-speed runs, mixed surface drives, handling, and rough-road behavior will make or break the Batur. The chassis of this ultimate luxury GT will get its seal of approval. The air suspension, electric active anti-roll control, limited slip diff, torque vectoring, and all-wheel-steering will go through every single imaginable road stress a Batur is set to experience.
But it's not game over after this ordeal. Four thousand seven hundred miles (7,500 kilometers) of road seasoning is waiting for this Bentley, with some 600 hours of "solar loading" scheduled during that test session. That's the rough equivalent of a five-year daily use in the deserts of Arizona, according to the manufacturer.
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