No one was expecting a styling miracle from Bentley when the company revealed its intentions to build an over-the-top SUV, but the awkwardly named EXP 9 F study that will be displayed at the Geneva Motor Show might be seen as some as having an even more awkward looking appearance.
The full-size luxury SUV concept, which looks very close to production in these images, infuses Bentley's traditional styling cues such as the Mulsanne's bold fascia and the heavily arched rear fenders to a shape that closely resembles the Range Rover. Of course, this isn't something you'll hear from Bentley's design team.
"The EXP 9 F had to represent the absolute pinnacle of the sport utility sector, setting a new benchmark for this type of vehicle," says Dirk van Braeckel, Director of Design at Bentley. "The style had to reflect Bentley’s sporting character despite its radically different package and purpose together with sculptured, flowing surfaces in keeping with the Bentley tradition.”
As you would expect, the prototype's interior, which features a 4+1 seating layout with a rear armrest lifting to reveal a cooled compartment for champagne and glasses, is sumptuous, to say the least.
“The challenge for the interior design team was to create a cabin which provides a blend of luxury and utility," Braeckel explains. "The result is a light and airy environment with a commanding view of the road and a versatile layout which showcases Bentley’s craft and design language in an innovative and contemporary way."
Bentley doesn't provide any information on the EXP 9 F's underpinnings, but the chassis will most likely be shared with either the current or the next generation of the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and VW Touareg triplets.
What Bentley did reveal today is that the study is based around its 6.0-liter, twin-turbocharged W12 engine with an 8-speed transmission, which it says could produce 600bhp and 800Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque in this application.
Bentley added that the company’s recently launched 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 or a hybrid drivetrain could also be offered on the production model.
46 Comments:
Frankenstein's monster lol
I bet it's not official
Design of this car is a joke
darn, lookings like the chinese version of Bentley...not the actual Bentley...disappointed!
it looks like a range rover and a grand cherokee with a caricature of the Bentley mulsannes front end.....beautiful interior though
Strange at the beginning but finally I like it !!
my eyes! my eyes!!
When I read EXP 9 I thought "Wow!!! Bentley is back at Le Mans!!! Amazing!!! They'll continue the traditon of the Bentley Boys!". Then I saw the Super Vulgar-and-innecesarily-huge-soccermommobile concept bit and realized...
This isn't the automotive world I used to love...
There are some plus points...
It's easily recognizable as a Bentley, nothing lesser.
It's going to be a great way for the British brand to get back to its historic roots as makers of the world's fastest trucks.
It's so shiny everybody in Russia, half the soccer players of the world and plenty of Arab high rollers will want one so sales should be through the roof.
horrible
advice for Bentley, stick with coupes ans sedans. Because that THING is going to kids nightmares, and make grown men wet there pants.
Wow. Not only is it ugly as balls, but it also gets a name that reminds me of an early Hyundai flagship.
Exactly. I love it, except the front, I prefer the Continental look over the Mulsanne look.
i like the interior but damn that front is ugly as hell!
I was really excited, maybe it will grow on me. That face is not attractive, reminds me of 60's american steel, and not in a good way. I like the profile, flanks & rear. Love the Mulsanne & GT. For the money, I'd buy a RRover and bank the difference. With a rework of the face and omission of the silly Jules Verne intakes, maybe. As is - no merci.
I was really excited, maybe it will grow on me. That face is not attractive, reminds me of 60's american steel, and not in a good way. I like the profile, flanks & rear. Love the Mulsanne & GT. For the money, I'd buy a RRover and bank the difference. With a rework of the face and omission of the silly Jules Verne intakes, maybe. As is - no merci.
Puff Daddy has just wet himself, that IS hideous.
It's Alive!!!
I got a stomach ache. I want to throw out. Blaaah
lol they really are going back to its roots!
The interior is very nice, but I would take a proper Range Rover any day over this.
Unbelievable - the Aston Martin Lagonada SUV concept has this beat by miles and I'l admit - it wasn't exactly stunning. Bentley Motors has so many resources available through the VW group - I'm surprised this looks like a lavishly re-skinned Q7. This may fly in China & the Middle East but in NA and other markets - no dice. They should go back to the drawing board and create something truly beautiful & worthy of the steep price of entry.
If They Made The Front Look Like The Front Of The Old Arnage It Might Probably Look Decent. Rest Of The Car's Design Is Pretty Good Though, Nice Aggressive Stance, Aggressive Rear Profile Courtesy Of The Continental, Make's It Look Like The Range Rover Sport's Rear Quarters In A Way. Interior Is Pure Bentley As Usual Very Luxurious With A Twist On Dynamic Excellence
Xingling Style.
first of all, that colour is not doing the car any favours. lose the side vents and overly large round intakes/foglights at the front, tone down the arched rear fenders and ditch the trim around the lights. also make the diffuser and integrated tailpipes look less like and overbite! lastly those wheels look like the old wires wheels, they have never looked good on an SUV.
so bluntly, if you want to sell an SUV Bentley, it needs to be moderately attractive and this is not. i think i rather drive that Lagonda concept from a few years back, a tleast i wouldn't gag each time i look at its face!
In English we just capitalise the first word in a sentence, names, and proper nouns. In German they still capitilise all nouns including common nouns. No one capitalises everything.
This is likely to be a slightly tarted up version of a possible if not already scheduled production car. I like the basic Bently style DNA, but this thing has some problems. The whole greenhouse, which is not going to change in production (and a lot of the rest) looks old fashioned, and not in a good way.
Love the built in cocktail stuff though. Perfect for your tailgate parties at Ascot or Wimbleton.
I for one am excited to see how Chrysler will rip-off this one!
that is one big ugly rolling piece of VW sh1t.
Wow, how come it needs extra grilles next to the headlights when the main grille is SO ENORMOUS? I don't know about those headlights, either. The interior's more than a bit OTT to boot. I'm sure Ryan Friedlinghaus will stay busy doing one for every rapper but that face sure looks like every member of a large design team got to add at least one styling element.
Clearly Bentley has lost its design styling... Perhaps the Chinese can help because even they can do this better!
Honestly, I will never be able to afford one of these, but...I seriously would be embarresed if I was every seen in one.
Gold plated Dubai editions coming in 3... 2... 1...
The EXP 9F? How about EXP WTF? ....the Vag doing what it does best ...
When Geely showed something a bit like this everybody sneered.
Alright, here's what I think.
Like the rear seats. They look very luxurious and comfortable. However, they are not the best out there. I like Maybach 62 rear seats even more. When it comes to front seats and dashboard, I'm not feeling it. It's too noisy (especially the steering wheel and dials). And I don't care much for the navigation-thingy either. It should be mounted into the dashboard - it looks out of place as it is now. And what's up with the gearbox knob? It looks like a champagne cork (probably taken from the bottle stored in the backseat fridge). The more I look at the interior, the more I'm beginning to dislike it. I just noticed the light-brown leather on the dashboard. It really doesn't work with the wooden part. It all just blows. Don't want to look at it anymore, so I'll move on.
Looking at the back end, it looks a lot like a Range Rover. Only with out-of-place rear lights and some awful exhaust pipes. It looks rather ugly. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any better from the front end. The car looks like a huge moron. I really hate Bentley's new look. Ever since the Mulsanne came out, they have been making ass-looking cars. Seriously, the first thing that comes to my mind is a terrible-looking donkey who is missing some chromosomes. These new lights of Bentley really blow (although I have to say that this car looks slightly better than the Mulsanne... but it doesn't mean I love it. It's just slightly less ugly). I can't put my finger on it, but these lights remind me of something. Maybe a back-end of the jet-engine? Or some part of the robot-machines from the Matrix movie? I know it's something ridicules!!
And the rims. Who on earth came up with them? And what's up with the size of the wheels? It makes the entire car look weird and disproportional. It looks a rather sad combination of an SUV, minivan and a classical Bentley sedan. Not cool. Not cool at all.
And last, but not least.. what the #%$€ is going on in the trunk of the car? Alright, you may need some glasses, but forks? knives? spoons? plates? What is this a moving restaurant? Besides, there wasn't that much room in the back seats for eating. You could probably eat in a Maybach 62, but not in this car. Having dishes in a car is a really bad idea. I know it first hand. Firstly, you never really want to use them. Why? Because once you do, you need to figure out where to put the dirty dishes. You can't put them in a plastic bag - they'll break. Does Bentley have a special box for them? Secondly, it's rather annoying to keep carrying dishes in and out of the house all the time. ''Manfred, did you remember to load the car with clean dishes?'' is something very unusual to ask your driver. Besides, what would you be eating from them? You'll probably bring a sandwich with you (in a plastic bag), so why do you need forks and Bentley 500-dollar plates? Why can't you just eat your sandwich straight from the bag? That's utter nonsense here.
FUGLY
stands for fucking ugly
It might not be to everybody's taste but to slag it off totally is wrong and shows immaturity by some of the people that have 'contributed' to this comments page.
It's just.. ugly as hell
Lets hope it stays a concept.
So a VW Toureg becomes a Porsche Cayenne which becomes a Bentley? Anyone else feel this is disgusting badge engineering?
yuk
Looks like a Thunderbirds version of a London taxi...
quick! kill it before it lays eggs!
Here's an instance where the Chinese facsimile will actually look BETTER than the original. Hideous!
subaru impreza. wonderful car
At first I thought the Italians had finally beat Nissan with their Fiat 500L for worst designed car of the decade, but not to be out-done, the Germans have captured that title with ease and get bonus points for most moronic name as well. Seriously there must have been real effort put in to design a vehicle as ugly as this thing is. Audi/VW Group need to fire the guy who designed this thing and hire Radovan Varicak who sketched up this idea of a Bentley SUV http://image.automobilemag.com/f/36574978+w750+st0/bentley-left-side-view.jpg
The ugly think of the decade!
NicE, That'S HoW A ParagrapH ShoulD BE WritteN
Post a Comment