2023 Bentley Bentayga EWB Marks a Comfortable Stretch

Call us hidebound traditionalists, but we prefer to review cars using impressions harvested while sitting in the driver's seat rather than those acquired while being chauffeured in the back. That rule is largely going to be broken here with what can be considered a pilot episode of Car and Passenger.

Because while there is still joy to be found from behind its leather-and-wood steering wheel, the Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase is all about its rear seats. As its name suggests, Bentley has followed the time-honored expedient of adding grandness via what is effectively a high-class stretch job. That means a 7.1-inch extension between the axles, taking the wheelbase to 125 inches and overall length to a sizable 208.9 inches. The entirety of this elongation has been added to the legroom available to rear-seat occupants. And to help them make the most of it, Bentley has also added the option of a new ultra-adjustable "Airline Seat." And that name is referring to the kind you'd find in a Gulfstream G5 rather than in the aft end of a 737.

Alas, this isn't one of those natty lie-flat beds from the plusher type of first class. Even an extended-wheelbase Bentayga doesn't have the room to accommodate one of those without wiping out all luggage space, and the company admits it also would have needed to develop an all-new restraint system to allow a fully recumbent position to meet occupant safety standards. Instead, the Airline Seat reclines up to 40 degrees, and selecting its Relax mode also motors the front passenger seat as far forward and upright as possible, deploying a motorized footrest as it does so.

Positional adjustability is comprehensive, but so is the new seat's climatic adaptability. Many seats are heated and some are ventilated, but the Airline Seat controls these functions by carefully monitoring the temperature and also the humidity of the body that is pressed against it, micro-adjusting thermal inputs to ensure optimal comfort. This function worked so seamlessly that we didn't notice it doing anything during a long stint in the back, although we did feel entirely comfortable. The intervention of a programmable range of massage and posture-correcting orthopedic programs was more obvious.

One thing it lacks—surprisingly, given its name—is an airline-style fold-out table, something that Maybach offers with its ultra-luxe seating in the S-class and the GLS. The rear seat's position farther back means the beautiful walnut table integrated into the front seatback is too far away to be used for anything rear passengers might want to reach, although it does make a beautiful tablet stand. Despite this omission, the price of the Airline Seat looks like respectable value by the standards of Bentley options. It's yours for a mere $11,195, although you will also need to spend another quarter mil on the rest of the Bentayga.

Motoring in the EWB in beautiful British Columbia gave us the chance to experience it both in downtown Vancouver and on twisty, bumpy mountain roads. Canadian traffic prefers to travel at a gentle pace that suited the EWB well. The elongated Bentayga's most obvious problem, when compared to lower limousines, is one dictated by physics. Being taller, its center of gravity is higher, so the effect of even gentler cornering forces becomes stronger. The EWB gets Bentley's 48-volt anti-roll system as standard, but this still allows discernible lean in the softest Comfort driving mode. Aside from that, refinement was outstanding thanks to the combination of the pillowy air springs and generous sound insulation. The Bentayga certainly feels both more hushed and comfortable than the Mulsanne sedan that previously topped the model range, although with a less stately presence.