Million Air Winter 2022

DISCOVER

etr li at ve eler WINTER 2022/23 62

The Bentayga EWB Azure model comes with an ‘airplane seat’

by Alexandra Cheney Motoring The notion of wellness has finally caught up with the auto industry. While adrenaline-inducing performance and horsepower remain germane, the spotlight lands on the belief that spending time in one of these three vehicles, whether a driver or a passenger, can make you feel better The new pinnacle Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB) Azure

secondary ride comfort, and introduce automatic power-close to the SUV as well as the generous windows. When sampling the airline seat option (think Praetor 500), there’s positional adjustability, posture-correction via lumbar and thigh bladders, up to 40° of reclining, a motorized footrest, massage

Positioning the new Bentayga EWB, Bentley has called for “the rise of the luxury SUV and the fall of the luxury sedan.” In other words: Goodbye, longstanding flagship Mulsanne; hello, new $100m+ investment. Beginning in downtown Vancouver and weaving up the Sea to Sky Highway through Squamish, past Mt. Garibaldi and Whistler through to Lillooet Lake, it’s impossible to ignore the awe. Verdant forests and towering mountains, complete with bursts of sun, create a surreal-in-its perfection atmosphere (likely one of the reasons Greenpeace was founded there). Uninterrupted daydreams blossom in the rear seat of the Bentayga EWB Azure model, thanks in part to a sunroof that’s intentionally situated above the second-row seats and a 22-way adjustment ‘airline seat.’ To extend the wheelbase, a 7.1-inch elongation between the axles was applied to the space behind the driver. Once spotted, the Bentayga EWB’s sizable rear doors are easy to identify; they’ve been redesigned to optimize

options, and climatic adaptability via humidity and body temperature monitoring with thermal response (via heating and ventilation). Although the standard Bentayga is available in a hybrid, the new EWB culls power from the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 as the gas-powered SUV. The 542 horsepower remains, but with a softer exhaust note. According to Bentley, “the smoother the ride, the more calming the journey.” 2023 Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase Azure from $263,500, bentleymotors.com

Bentley Bentayga EWB Azure

Photos Kelly Serfoss