Only the day before I would be surprised with a passenger ride in a prototype of Bentley’s new electric SUV, I just so happened to be engaged in a conversation about why an EV would be so well suited to this brand in particular. Yes, as we’ve said in the past, EVs are perfect for luxury applications – smooth, silent and effortless as they are. But the other realisation we made was that Bentley, despite leaning into sportiness as one of its core brand pillars, has never been a slave to weight loss. Even its lightest car in 85 years – the new, stripped-down Supersports – is but one kilogram shy of two tonnes! And yet its cars have always managed to deliver the comfort expected of a super-luxury vehicle, and somehow also the poise and agility of a sports tourer. A tricky balance indeed. 

Reining in 2.5-tonne-plus vehicles, then, isn’t so much a challenge for Bentley’s chassis engineers as it is standard operating procedure. And thus, when the time came to create the brand’s first EV – a five-metre SUV no less – weight management was the last thing on their minds. Being a luxury EV with the full technological might of the Volkswagen Group behind its development, it would be all too easy to just squeeze out a bunch of eye-watering performance figures and leave it at that. But Bentley engineers say that won’t necessarily be the case, and certainly not the focus. The focus, instead, was on making the Torcal walk the razor-thin line between sport and luxury that every one of their cars is required to. 

The Torcal prototype rolls silently into view at the driveway of our hotel in Monterey, California shrouded as it is in its crystalline camouflage – a motif we’ll revisit later. It hides the details well enough, but what’s clear is that this a tall and squared-off SUV, much like the Bentayga, and though aerodynamics will no doubt have been a consideration, that Bentley boldness is recognisable in its bluff front fascia. It’s actually a little smaller than a Bentayga, but the smaller front overhangs tell me they’re making good use of its wheelbase.

We’re ushered quickly into the cabin, which too is wrapped up from floor to headliner, and quickly given a brief before prying eyes can come in for a closer look. There’s stuff we’re told about that I can’t reveal today, but I’m hurriedly making notes all the same. But then Torcal product line director Martin Page presses the start button, and my brain does a somersault. “It’s… idling?” I mutter, as he cracks a smile from the driver’s seat.

Digital meets analogue

Yes, they’ve given the Torcal the sound of a V8, the most enduring engine layout the brand has used in its century of making cars. And while this is hardly the first EV to mimic an engine, there’s a mesmerising authenticity to it that I’ve never experienced from a synthetised setup before. I’d go as far as saying sounds better – more layered and full-bodied than the twin-turbo 4.0-litre you’ll find in the Continental range, and we’re still at a standstill. It’s uncanny.

As we move off, the sound swells, ebbs and flows with an almost flawed resonance that fills up the cabin. It’s not loud or overwhelming; but it’s ever present, though I’m told it can be switched off if not desired. I’m told the car is in ‘Bentley’ mode – the middle ground, as we know from existing models – and once on the move, the sound fades into the background.

The story behind the V8 sound is almost as fascinating as the sound itself. Any other brand would record one of its V8 engines, play the recording through the speakers and call it a day. But in keeping with Bentley’s history of doing things painstakingly by hand, they recorded the sound and got an orchestra to recreate it with live instruments. What I’m listening to is a mix of drums, viola and bass guitar – every beat and note fed into a machine and algorithmically meted back out in proportion with the torque demand. Moving up to Sport mode suitably increases the volume and even alters the pitch slightly, but what doesn’t change is the genuine feeling that somewhere up front, an old-school, hairy-chested V8 is thumping away to move us forward.

The crystal method

The over-engineering doesn’t stop there, however; Bentley’s handcrafted approach extends to the graphics of the Torcal – both physical and digital. The diamond motif has long been a part of the Bentley brand, and you’ll see it everywhere from its cars’ grille mesh patterns, to stitching, to upholstery quilting. Something catches my eye from under the sheet that covers the rear doors, which I carefully lift up to catch a sneak peek.

It’s ambient lighting, shimmering, moving as it cascades across a soft Merino wool door card. The idea was to simulate light flowing through crystal, and though it’s probably a simulated effect, it is incredibly convincing, and oddly relaxing to stare at. Curiously, it’s blue, and we’re in Sport mode, Bentley having chosen to buck the trend of equating ‘Sport’ with ‘red’.

But as Martin cycles back and forth through the modes of the ‘Curation Engine’ – a luxurious way to say ‘drive mode selector’ – I notice something else. The graphics on the curved touchscreen – also with a crystalline theme – are slick and incredibly sharp, in a way I haven’t seen in any Bentley before. Credit to the new-gen PPE (Premium Platform Electric) and its E&E architecture the Torcal shares with the electric Cayenne, I suppose. 

I then glance at the digital speedo, which shows a digital number encased in a ring of crystal, which again hides a fascinating story. This seemingly innocuous graphical element is not the result of Adobe After Effects or, god forbid, generative AI. Bentley commissioned Cumbria Crystal to make a cut crystal tube and then shone light through it from various angles. This was filmed and then programmed to play back in sync with the car’s speed, so what you’re seeing is high-res footage of real light passing through real glass, moving in a circle as the car goes faster. But what is luxury, if not unnecessary excess?

Effortless heft

My mind circles back to my conversation from the previous evening, however, as we approach the Freeway. Bentley hasn’t revealed power and torque figures yet, describing them only as ‘ample’, and that’s clear as we break off the on-ramp and merge into the swarm of American commuters hurrying to work. The seat-of-the-pants sensation is one of power that feels effortless, if not hurried, if that makes sense, which is in line with any of the V8 hybrid cars Bentley also sells.

Bentley also hasn’t revealed the kerb weight figure, but going by other EVs of this size and nature, my guess puts it well past 2.5 tonnes and closer to 2.7 or 2.8. Not that you can tell from inside, where there’s a composure that feels truest to the contemporary range of Bentley models. The Torcal uses two-chamber air suspension, adaptive dampers and active anti-roll bars to control its immense mass, and I suspect a bit of magic too, because here too, they’ve managed to find a balance. I noticed the prototype was riding on 22-inch wheels with supercar-like 315-section rear tyres, and road noise is kept incredibly well in check. 

The ride is hefty but not harsh like some sports SUVs, comfortable but not floaty like some outright luxury SUVs. It stays steady on the Freeway, and as we get back to the narrower roads that snake around Pebble Beach, it stomps out imperfections with authority. As Martin takes the opportunity to lean it into some curvier bits of road, I sense a bit of give and roll, but not too much. I’m told they could have erased it entirely, but that would feel too unnatural.

And that sums up the Torcal nicely. It feels ‘natural’, and even from this short passenger ride, a great exercise in manufacturing analogue authenticity from what is a very digital set of tools. When advancing beyond the realm of mundane transportation and into more desirable applications – luxury, or performance, for instance, of which Bentleys have to do both – an EV has to be more convincing. So far, ballistic numbers have been that route for most, but there is an increasing effort to build tangible character into these cars that must be applauded. The Torcal feels like one of the best examples of this yet, and though far from the finished product, it’s a promising sign that Bentley is on the right track with its first EV.