Bentley has spent more than a century building luxury cars around craftsmanship, comfort and powerful combustion engines. Now, the British brand is taking one of the biggest steps in its history with the 2027 Bentley Torcal, its first fully electric car.
ArabGT founder Mousub Shashaa attended the launch to get a closer look at the Torcal and discover how Bentley plans to bring its familiar character into the electric era. And while the powertrain is completely new territory for the company, Bentley clearly hasn’t forgotten what its customers expect from the badge.
It Starts With The Small Details
The experience begins before you even start driving. All four doors are electrically operated, and once Mousub settled behind the wheel, one particularly clever feature stood out. Fasten the seatbelt and the driver’s door quietly closes by itself. A light press of the brake pedal can do the same thing.
It’s a small feature, but also a very Bentley way of making an everyday action feel effortless.
Still Unmistakably A Bentley
Going electric gave Bentley an opportunity to rethink its design, but the company hasn’t gone overboard with the futuristic look.
The Torcal still has the imposing presence expected from a Bentley SUV. Up front is a large grille filled with more than 67 diamond shaped elements, protected by the same coating used on the headlights to help resist stone chips.
Lighting also plays a major role in the new design, with an illuminated strip surrounding the grille, jewel inspired headlights and a glowing Bentley badge at the center. Depending on the specification, buyers can choose black exterior details or traditional bright chrome.
Huge 22 inch wheels fill the arches, while sculpted bodywork and carbon fiber mirrors add a sportier edge. At the rear, curved glass and crystal inspired taillights continue the theme without making the Torcal look disconnected from the rest of the Bentley family.
Big Outside And Even Bigger Inside
The Torcal measures five meters long, two meters wide and 1.70 meters tall. It weighs around 2,800 kg and can tow up to 2,700 kg.
It is actually around 20 cm shorter than the Bentayga, but the electric platform allows Bentley to use the available space more efficiently. According to the company, interior room is comparable to the long wheelbase Bentayga EWB.
There’s a front trunk for charging cables, a large rear cargo area with a reversible floor covering, and rear seats that fold down when more space is needed. Intelligent all wheel drive and a dedicated Off Road mode also mean Bentley hasn’t designed its first EV purely for city streets.
875 HP Changes The Conversation
The Torcal will be available in two versions, with the Torcal S sitting at the top of the range.
It produces 875 hp, equivalent to 888 PS, along with a massive 1,350 Nm of torque. Despite weighing close to 2.8 tonnes, the Torcal S can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds.
Range is equally important for a Bentley, especially considering the brand’s grand touring heritage. The Torcal offers up to 600 km of driving on a full charge, while fast charging can take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in a claimed 16 minutes under suitable conditions.
Bentley Craftsmanship Takes A New Direction
Inside, the Torcal feels more experimental without abandoning the craftsmanship Bentley is known for.
For the first time, customers can choose sculpted polished aluminum as a three dimensional alternative to traditional wood trim. Those who still want the classic Bentley look can opt for Spanish oak made from more than 1,000 individual pieces, assembled by hand to keep the grain flowing naturally across the cabin.
Bentley is also introducing natural sheep’s wool on parts of the doors and headliner, while the panoramic glass roof features multi stage electronic dimming.
Mulliner personalization remains part of the experience too, allowing owners to add details such as names or family emblems to the leather headrests.
Even The Sounds Have A Story
Bentley has paid unusual attention to details most manufacturers would probably overlook.
Some of the visuals in the digital instrument cluster were created using footage of real crystal rather than relying entirely on computer generated graphics.
The same approach was taken with the car’s sounds. The indicator sound comes from recordings of tools used by Bentley craftspeople working with leather, while other alerts were created using crystal glasses and sounds inspired by birdsong.
The cabin also gets a 27 speaker Naim audio system with Dolby Atmos.
The Car Watches How You Feel
The Torcal introduces Bentley’s Wellbeing Coach, using sensors in the seats and steering wheel together with a camera that monitors eye movement.
The system can track indicators such as heart rate and stress and then adjust parts of the cabin experience when needed.
Refresh mode, for example, turns the ambient lighting green and increases the flow of cool air. Comfort mode focuses on the smoothness of Bentley’s air suspension, while Sport mode introduces a more aggressive soundtrack inspired by the character of a V8 engine.
How Much Will The Bentley Torcal Cost?
The Bentley Torcal is expected to arrive as a 2027 model, with prices starting at around £165,000, approximately $218,580.
The more powerful Torcal S is expected to start at around £200,000, or approximately $265,000, before dipping into Bentley’s extensive list of personalization options.
And despite the arrival of its first fully electric model, Bentley isn’t saying goodbye to combustion engines just yet. V8 powered versions of the Bentayga, Flying Spur and Continental GT will continue alongside plug in hybrid options.
For Mousub and the ArabGT team, seeing the Torcal at its launch offered an early look at a very different kind of Bentley. The numbers are impressive, especially the 875 hp, 1,350 Nm of torque, 600 km range and 2.9 second acceleration time, but the more interesting question is whether Bentley can make an electric car feel as special as the combustion powered machines that built its reputation.
Judging by the attention given to everything from the materials and sounds to the way the driver’s door closes, Bentley clearly understands that its first EV needs to deliver much more than impressive numbers.
