The Bentley Torcal: A New Expression of British Grandeur
Bentley’s first fully electric model brings the marque’s handcraftsmanship, formidable performance and unmistakable sense of occasion into a new era.
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By Arnie S Hira
There are moments in the history of a great marque when a new motor car carries more than the weight of expectation. It must honour everything that came before it while revealing what the future might become. For Bentley, the unveiling of the Torcal is one such moment.
Presented in London on 23 September 2026, the Torcal is Bentley’s first fully electric car and a fourth model line. Designed, engineered and built in Crewe, it takes the form of a low, sculptural SUV. Yet its significance extends far beyond its powertrain. This is Bentley setting out its vision of luxury for the years ahead: rich in human craft, confident in its technology and deeply attentive to the experience of every journey.
An unmistakable silhouette
Under the direction of Bentley Design Director Robin Page, the Torcal adopts a long wheelbase, short overhangs and an upright frontal presence. Its generous bonnet and powerful rear haunches lend it the poised assurance that has long distinguished the marque’s finest cars.
Look closer and the details begin to emerge. An illuminated diamond grille gives the front its identity, while carefully composed surfaces allow light and shadow to reveal the body’s shape. Bentley’s familiar diamond motif returns throughout the design, sometimes prominent, sometimes woven discreetly into a texture or finish. The Torcal is also the first model to wear Bentley’s redesigned emblem.
The result is a motor car with presence that need not announce itself loudly. Its proportions do much of the talking.
The art of effortless power
The Torcal’s electric powertrain pairs two motors with an 113 kWh battery. In the Torcal S, Bentley quotes up to 888 PS and 1,350 Nm of torque, with 0–60 mph achieved in as little as 2.8 seconds. The standard model offers 821 PS and reaches 60 mph in 3.3 seconds.
Those figures are extraordinary, though Bentley’s more interesting ambition lies in how that performance is delivered. The company describes acceleration that is progressive and accessible, accompanied by its most advanced chassis technology to date. Fully active suspension and adaptive dampers are designed to preserve the composure and comfort expected of a Bentley, while standard all-wheel steering gives this five-metre SUV a quoted turning circle of 11.1 metres.
Bentley states a range of up to 375 miles, or 600 kilometres, on the WLTP cycle. At a suitable 400 kW charger, it says the Torcal can add approximately 100 miles of range in seven minutes. As ever, real-world range and charging times will depend on conditions and the charger available.
A cabin shaped by human hands
Inside, Bentley gives its materials room to speak. Leather, veneer, wool and aluminium sit within a dashboard inspired by the company’s winged emblem. Knurled controls and reinterpreted bullseye vents preserve a welcome sense of tactility; physical switches remain for functions occupants will instinctively want to touch.
The Torcal also introduces a collaboration with Fox Brothers, the Somerset textile maker. Together, they have developed a 100 per cent Merino wool fabric for the cabin. Through Mulliner, customers may choose Ombré Walnut, a layered finish made using selected walnut offcuts and recycled paper, or Sunburst Aluminium, which draws on Bentley’s tradition of engine-turned dashboards.
Comfort receives equal consideration. The standard front seats offer heating, ventilation, massage and 16-way adjustment. Optional systems can make subtle changes to seating pressure and cabin temperature over a long journey. In the rear, a powered folding seat appears in a Bentley for the first time.
Giving electricity a voice
Perhaps the Torcal’s most imaginative detail is its sound. Rather than simply reproducing the noise of a combustion engine, Bentley enlisted musicians to create what it calls the Bentley Dynamic Symphony. Drums, viola and bass guitar contribute to a soundtrack inspired by the rhythm of the marque’s 6¾-litre V8.
Its character changes with speed and the driver’s demand for power, becoming more expressive in Sport mode. Those who prefer the serenity of electric travel can turn it off entirely. It is a thoughtful answer to a distinctly Bentley question: how should a car feel alive when its propulsion is almost silent?
Four Experience Modes — Bentley, Comfort, Sport and Refresh — extend that attention to atmosphere, adjusting elements including lighting, climate, sound and the presentation of digital information. The intention is that the cabin should respond to the occasion, whether the journey calls for exhilaration or quiet repose.
A new chapter from Crewe
The Torcal arrives in standard and S forms, offering two interpretations of the same idea. One favours a quieter visual elegance; the other adds darker exterior detailing and a more sporting character. Both carry the unmistakable imprint of the craftspeople of Crewe.
Electric propulsion changes the mechanics of a Bentley, but the Torcal suggests that the marque’s enduring appeal resides elsewhere: in the assurance of its proportions, the generosity of its cabin, the care devoted to a surface or switch, and the rare pleasure of arriving entirely at ease.