As the world continues to shift towards the adoption of new energy vehicles, more and more manufacturers seem to be conforming to the trends and introducing these adaptations to their lineup. Latest to join the trend is the UK-bred luxury automaker Bentley as they debut the all-new Torcal full EV, marking a new era within the brand's heritage.
It is certainly about time that Bentley joined the chat since close rivals in the form of Rolls-Royce had already been in the lead in terms of introducing an EV in the Spectre, which has already taken a good liking from those who, well, can afford it. So then, the plunge is a necessary one ; since this is a first for the brand, it was high time that Bentley leveraged some of its positioning within the Volkswagen Group.
This means that even though the car will be built and put together in the existing Crewe plant located in London, it will be utilizing an upgraded setup thanks to a generous £350 million spent on ensuring that there is no need for the Torcal to be made elsewhere but right in the heart of the UK. With that said, it is also worthy to mention that the Torcal will be put together on the upcoming electric Porsche Cayenne , which has a Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture. It shares major structural components, its 800-volt electrical system, and its 113 kWh battery pack.
Sharing a platform with a Porsche is previsionary thing and the Bentley is set to have a soul of its own
Although the all-new EV Torcal will be based on a shared platform, Bentley has ensured all of its clients that they have spent personal and intimate time with the platform to tweak it so that the Torcal's ride and power delivery have been calibrated in-house to ensure it drives like a traditional "wafty" Bentley.
It also looks nothing like a Porsche but also not really like a typical Bentley either
Obviously, whenever a vehicle is designed to be an electric vehicle from the ground up, there are often plenty of changes or adaptations that need to be considered when making the vehicle's chassis and shell. The focus is always placed on creating a drag coefficient vehicle without making the car look like a smooth potato. We are glad to report that this is not the case with the Torcal, thankfully.
The Torcal features a long wheelbase, short overhangs, and a proud frontal aspect, which are elements designed to create a powerful stance and evoke 'upright elegance,' one of Bentley's guiding design principles. The face of the Torcal differs from the modern Bentley lineup but draws inspiration from the Continental T convertible models. Here, the setup is reinterpreted in a modern way, consisting of advanced lighting, thin daytime running lights that sit separated above the main beams, and a distinctive new illuminated diamond grille.
When approaching the vehicle, you are greeted by a welcome signature that illuminates all crystals embedded in the illuminating grille and lights, and there is a signature goodbye signal for when you are leaving the vehicle.
The side profile of the vehicle is clean and clutterless. Surprisingly, here, there are no flush pop - out door handles; instead , normal handles are present. A neat party trick is having the ability to open all doors with the press of a key fob. I'm not sure why you would want to open all doors at once, but I am glad that it's an option. The Torcal comes with a 21" wheel as standard, with the S model featuring a ten-twin-spoke 22" design. Three further optional 22" wheels are available, including a dedicated aerodynamically focused option, while 21" and 22" tires are available with summer and winter treads and compounds, with a 22" all-season tire completing the range.
The rear of the vehicle continues the theme of not being like any other modern-day Bentley, with the exception of the limited-run Batur being the closest thing to it when speaking about the light fixture design. Here, you get thin taillights that continue the theme of diamond-incrusted lighting, neatly tucked in between the 'prestigious shield', a design principle first explored with the EXP 15 Concept Car.
The interior has a very clear indication of platform sharing form a curved screen setup
Things get even posher once you enter the cabin of the Torcal because here your fingertips and retinas will only spot the highest quality materials such as leather, wool, veneer, and aluminum. The dashboard debuts a curved OLED display similar to the one found in the Porsche Cayenne Electric, with phone connectivity capabilities and a permanent digital strip at the bottom dedicated entirely to HVAC controls.
There, however, is a sense of practicality and focus on enjoying the ride instead of being caught up in passenger-side screens, which have been intentionally left out by the brand, as they claim that "an over-abundance of glass displays undercuts true luxury." This then leaves room for physical dials and buttons to join the chat, further improving tactility and reducing the amount of digging in the screen you would have to do without them.
Interior seating includes a standard 6-way adjustment, heating, ventilation, adjustable bolsters, and a new massage function. Additionally, there is a focus on seating comfort, which is why there is an adaptation of the Postural Adjust and Smart Seat Climate systems. One can take things up a notch by ticking a box that includes the dedicated Wellness Seat Specification, which allows for massaging in the thigh area as well.
For the first time in an automotive application, the doors and seating can be wrapped in 100% pure Merino wool. Sourced from Fox Brothers (a British mill weaving since 1772), it comes in five colors blended to match the hides. More amenities to tie the luxurious cabin together are the Dynamic Waterfall Lighting, which allows the light to literally react to the physics of the car, shifting backward when you accelerate and forward when you brake. Optionally, there is a 28-speaker, 1,780W Naim sound system that includes Dolby Atmos 7.1 for all your audio enjoyment.
"The Torcal is ultimately as comfortable as a Flying Spur, and as dynamic as a Continental GT Speed"
The first important part worth noting is the enhancements made to the existing software that manages the air springs. These have been calibrated by the British automaker to create and mimic the heavy, smooth, and effortless "waftability" of traditional gas-powered Bentleys. Thanks to the Torcals' newly found fully active suspension system paired with adaptive two-valve dampers, the vehicle can independently raise or lower each individual wheel instantaneously to create an infinitely adjustable anti-roll torque.
When you feel more engaged to drive and want to push the car, Bentley has given the Torcal characteristic, which claims are just like those felt from a Continental GT Speed. Thanks to a combination of rear-wheel steering and Bentley's active setup, the vehicle can turn in sharply and completely separates ride comfort from roll control. This allows the outer dampers to immediately stiffen and lift the car's body to resist leaning, keeping the chassis perfectly level when you steer into a sharp corner.
Two models at launch: Core and S
The Torcal launches with two distinct models – the core car, and a more sporting S version. The core Torcal model will launch with 60kW and 1,194 Nm peak torque, capable of accelerating to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.3 secs (0-100 km/h in 3.4 secs) and reaching a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). The S version goes further, with 653kW and 1,350 Nm when Launch Control is active, delivering a 2.8 second sprint to 60 mph (0-100 km/h in 2.9 secs) and a top speed of 162 mph (260 km/h).
The source of power is a high voltage battery consists of 192 lithium-ion pouch cells in series, running at 800V nominal, with a total net capacity of 113 kWh. The Torcal, supports ultra-fast 400 kW DC rapid charging, 10% to 80% charging in possible as well and only takes 16 minutes or just under 20 minutes depending on the exact charger and thermal conditions.
While the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture it shares with Porsche handles bidirectional electricity exceptionally well behind the scenes to optimize charging, Bentley purposefully omitted external 120V/240V power plugs or outbound vehicle-to-home backup features. The battery is covered by a 100,000 mile, 10-year warranty.
Martin Page, Product Line Director, Torcal: “The Torcal represents something new, and I think unique. It has been engineered with great care to ensure it remains a Bentley to its core, enhanced rather than dominated by technology – from luxury, to refinement and effortless performance – the Torcal has taken the elements that define a Bentley to extraordinary new levels.”
Bentley say that the official factory production at the modernized Crewe campus is scheduled to kick off in Q2 (Spring) of 2027 with no official word on when the Torcal will hit our shores.