Bentley Torcal Arrives Ahead Of Rolls-Royce’s Electric SUV

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Packing up to 876 horsepower and a 375-mile range, Bentley’s first electric SUV is finally here. The Torcal beats Rolls-Royce’s high-riding EV to the punch, but the latter isn’t far behind.

The Bentley Torcal gives us a clear sense of where the ultra-luxury electric SUV segment is heading, and it arrives at an interesting time for Rolls-Royce. Bentley has just revealed its first fully electric model, just as car paparazzi spotted RR putting the finishing touches on its own electric SUV.

The Torcal arrives as Bentley’s fourth model line, joining the Bentayga, Continental GT/GTC, and Flying Spur. It also becomes the first Bentley with no combustion engine whatsoever. The company designed, engineered, and builds the SUV at its Crewe factory in the United Kingdom. However, it’s not an all-Bentley effort, since there are strong ties to another high-end VW Group product: the Porsche Cayenne Electric.

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Bentley offers two versions from launch. The standard Torcal produces 810 hp and 1,194 Nm (881 lb-ft) from a pair of electric motors. Even the base model does 0-100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 3.4 seconds and tops out at 250 km/h (155 mph). Then there’s the hotter S, which turns the insanity dial up to 876 hp and a rather ludicrous 1,350 Nm (996 lb-ft). It needs just 2.9 seconds to complete the sprint and can continue accelerating to 260 km/h (162 mph).

They Could Have Made It Even Quicker

Interestingly, Bentley says it deliberately stopped short of chasing even more extreme acceleration. If you’re wondering why, we’re told that customers who buy vehicles carrying the Flying B mascot don’t necessarily want their luxury SUV to rearrange their internal organs every time they hit the accelerator. To be fair, that makes sense.

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Whether it’s the standard Torcal or the S, both use a large 113-kWh battery and an 800-volt electrical architecture. Bentley quotes up to 600 kilometers (373 miles) of WLTP range and a maximum DC charging rate of 400 kW, with a 10-to-80 percent charge taking about 16 minutes. If those numbers sound familiar, that’s because they are. The Torcal shares its Volkswagen Group PPE underpinnings with the Cayenne we mentioned earlier. However, Bentley has put its own spin on the hardware to create a very different driving experience.

Despite the electric powertrain underneath, Bentley hasn’t taken the slippery, anonymous EV route some Mercedes models have. The Torcal retains a long hood, upright front end, muscular rear haunches, and an imposingly large grille. It also introduces a new design language that Bentley says will influence future models.

A Luxury Cocoon

Inside, the Torcal goes heavy on the luxury without abandoning the tech expected from a modern EV. Bentley wraps the cabin in premium materials, with the usual mix of leather, metal, wood, and plenty of customization options. The dashboard gets a wide, curved touchscreen that dominates the center of the cabin, giving the Torcal a distinctly modern look without turning the interior into a giant tablet on wheels. In fact, there’s no option for a passenger screen, which its Cayenne cousin gets.

That screen will look familiar to anyone who has seen the new electric Porsche Cayenne. Bentley, naturally, adds its own software, materials, and design touches to make the cabin feel more like a model from Crewe than Zuffenhausen underneath all that shared hardware.

As for Rolls-Royce, its EV will also modernize things while staying true to its heritage. The connection between past and future could hide in plain sight. Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, there’s a good chance the split-opening hood is coming back. Not to access the engine, but presumably to a front cargo compartment.

Rolls-Royce’s Electric SUV Will Have The Best EV Tech BMW Has To Offer

While all the details about the Torcal are now out, Rolls-Royce has not disclosed the technical specifications of its upcoming electric SUV. Nevertheless, we can reasonably assume where some of the hardware will come from. We believe it’ll get the BMW Group’s Gen6 battery tech, and given the size and weight, something around the 141-kWh pack available in the iX5 would hardly be surprising. Dual motors and all-wheel drive are also a safe bet, while Rolls-Royce will obviously prioritize effortless performance over chasing Nürburgring lap times.

The Range Rover Electric is another heavyweight entering this increasingly crowded club. JLR has finally opened the order books for its first fully electric Range Rover, which sticks remarkably close to the familiar design. At the same time, it still has real all-terrain chops by retaining the off-road credentials that have defined the Range Rover for decades.

Looking ahead, Rolls-Royce’s electric SUV debuting next year might not be the only adversary for the Bentley coming from the BMW Group. The next-generation X7 arrives in 2027 with an electric iX7, and while that won’t compete directly with the Torcal, the rumored ALPINA version will. We’ve heard through the grapevine that a BMW ALPINA-badged iX7 is coming as a more upscale version with a higher price tag, though it won’t step into Rolls-Royce territory.