Bentley has revealed its first-ever EV, and everyone hates it.
The 2028 Bentley Torcal is a very boxy SUV with rounded edges and a bulbous rear end. Nothing about it is sexy or aggressive.
Even worse, it looks like many existing luxury EVs, adding to the uninspired feel of the reveal. The Torcal has the boxy shape and oversized grille of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the rear of the Porsche Cayenne, and the, well, everything of the Toyota Century.
Said one Reddit user: “It looks like China copied a Rolls-Royce.”
That’s not really what you want to think when you see a Bentley. Up until now, Bentley was known for its meticulous craftsmanship and bold, exaggerated proportions. It’s what made Bentley a revered symbol of luxury to the car community, worth its hefty price tag.
On another thread, someone wrote: “Funny, if you took away the badges and made me guess which was the more expensive car, I might pick the Cayenne.”
The (luxurious) details of the 2028 Bentley Torcal
In reality, the 2028 Bentley Torcal is more expensive than the Porsche Cayenne at $230,000.
The big attention-grabber that other media outlets are latching onto is that the Torcal is Bentley’s most powerful vehicle yet. That’s definitely a headline-worthy thing to note, since Bentley has been around for 107 years. The dual-motor powertrain makes 876 horsepower (on the Torcal S model), allowing it to reach 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds. Pretty impressive for a 16-foot-long SUV that weighs around 6,000 pounds.
I think a lot of people would argue, however, that nobody really gets Bentley vehicles to race hooligans at red lights. The real draw is the Torcal’s interior, which is elegant and diamond-themed. There’s a curved OLED touchscreen, ambient lighting, 16-way power-adjustable seats that are heated, ventilated, and massage-capable, and a panoramic sunroof. A review from MotorTrend ahead of the reveal noted the extreme amount of room inside the Torcal as well.
Oh, and there’s a reason it’s constantly compared to the Porsche Cayenne. It shares the same skeletal structure, including a 119-inch wheelbase, an 800-volt electrical system with a 108 kWh battery pack, and that aforementioned curved OLED touchscreen.
Another interesting detail from MotorTrend’s review (which didn’t include getting to drive the Torcal) was the fake V8 engine sounds. “Let’s talk about those remarkable fake engine sounds — and they are remarkable, without doubt the most realistic we’ve ever heard. The simulated startup is rather cheesy — seems no automaker can get this right — but once you’re on the move, the auditory resemblance to a gas-powered Bentley is uncanny.”
The sounds, combined with the stunning interior, led MotorTrend to conclude that the Torcal most definitely feels like a Bentley, despite being an EV. However, the exterior takes away from that now that it’s been fully revealed.
It’s nowhere near as blasphemous as the Ferrari Luce, but it seems like luxury brands are truly struggling to make an EV that isn’t disappointing. I’m shocked they keep trying after others have struggled, even including the Porsche Cayenne. Porsche was even forced to ditch its all-electric plans.
But here we are.
