Bentley goes electric: Torcal revealed as £173k Range Rover rival
“The system is inherently soft. Every bit of stiffness we want to put in, we can calibrate in,” said Martin Page. “We found in the technology development that actually our engineers had taken this to the full extreme and calibrated a car that was supremely stiff and supremely dynamic, and we actually said: ‘Let’s tune that back out.’ We put some roll and some pitch in to give it that humanity, that customer-centricity that is traditional and in keeping with the Bentley DNA.”
That approach was taken with a view to emulating the luxurious attributes of other Bentley models but also to bolster the Torcal’s billing as a more urban-oriented proposition than its grand touring siblings.
In line with that, the Torcal also comes with rear steering as standard, which trims the turning circle to a Mini Cooper-rivalling 11.1m.
Stopping power, meanwhile is provided by iron discs as standard – 420mm up front and 370mm at the rear – or optionally by slightly bigger carbon-ceramic items.
NEW TECH DOESN’T DILUTE TACTILITY
Being based on the PPE platform means the Torcal brings a decentralised computing system, unlike its ICE-powered range-mates, which Martin Page said “allows us to bring in a significant number of additional customer features and demands”.
Among these is a new facial recognition function, which identifies a driver and automatically adjusts various settings – including the seat and climate control – to their preferences. There’s also an augmented-reality head-up display, and level-two-plus autonomous functionality for hands-free driving in certain conditions.
Other technical firsts for Bentley include the addition of heated and ventilated rear seats, a photochromatic roof that can be opacified in sections on demand, and a 28-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system that is “tuned to make sure that what you experience in the car is a true orchestral performance”, said Martin Page.
However, despite the significant technological uplift compared with existing Bentleys, the firm has retained a large number of intricately engineered physical switches and buttons, rather than relying on the large curved touchscreen – shared with the Cayenne – as the sole control interface. That’s part of a push to ensure new-era Bentleys continue to stand out from rivals for their enhanced ‘authenticity’ and tactility.
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