Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, SUV, Geneva Motor Show, Bentley, Luxury
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There once was a time, not so long ago, that if you wanted a luxury SUV, your options basically came down to a Range Rover. The Bentley of off-road vehicles, they called it. But those days are behind us, as nearly every luxury automaker is making a sport-ute of its own. And soon, so will Bentley.
Called the EXP 9 F, the vehicle you see here is a concept, er, truck, that Bentley will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show this week. Although still a design study, strictly speaking, the EXP 9 F previews what could emerge as a third model line for Crewe to roll alongside the Continental and Mulsanne. Power comes from the same 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 as found in the Continental, but in a drastically different form, and V8 and hybrid propulsion are also being considered for production.
Charting new territory for the Flying B marque, the EXP 9 F aims to apply traditional Bentley styling cues to an SUV shape, from the oversized air intakes to the split rear tailgate. And based on these images… well, let’s just say we’re not convinced yet. The interior space, however, looks as pleasant a place to be as any vehicle ever to roll out of Crewe. And if that blend of questionable shape and beautiful cabin sounds familiar, look straight to the Porsche Cayenne, a vehicle ushered into reality - a first for its brand as well - by the same Wolfgang Dürheimer who now heads Bentley.
We’ll reserve final judgement for when we see it tomorrow in person in Geneva, where Bentley says it will be evaluating public reaction with an eye towards potential production. In the meantime you can check out the images in the gallery above and the press release below for a closer look.Continue reading Bentley previews luxury performance SUV with EXP 9 F concept
Bentley previews luxury performance SUV with EXP 9 F concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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