2028 Bentley Torcal S: Bentley's First EV Is Its Most Powerful Car Ever

The 2028 Bentley Torcal S marks a genuine first for Crewe: it is Bentley's first-ever series-production electric vehicle, and — with 876 hp on tap — the most powerful car the marque has ever built. Unveiled in London on September 23, 2026, the Torcal is a mid-size electric SUV that slots below the Bentayga as Bentley's second SUV, sharing its 800-volt Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings with the Porsche Cayenne Electric. Bentley builds the car by hand in a renovated 1938 factory at Crewe, England, part of a self-funded £350 million investment in the site. Two versions reach customers: the standard Torcal at 810 hp and the flagship Torcal S tested here at 876 hp (888 PS / 653 kW), both built on a 113 kWh battery rated up to 375 miles (600 km) WLTP. Pricing starts at £173,330 (about $230,000) for the base car and £199,300 (about $265,000) for the S, with first customer deliveries due in the second quarter of 2027. The name borrows from El Torcal de Antequera, a dramatic limestone rock formation in southern Spain, and doubles as a nod to the Latin torquere — the root of "torque," the force that spins the Torcal's dual electric motors.

Performance & Specs

Both Torcal variants use a pair of permanent-magnet synchronous motors driving all four wheels, fed by an 800-volt architecture built around 192 lithium-ion pouch cells. The standard Torcal makes 600 kW (821 PS / 810 hp) and 1,194 Nm (881 lb-ft) of torque, enough for a 3.3-second sprint to 60 mph and a 155 mph (250 km/h) top speed. Step up to the Torcal S and output climbs to 653 kW (888 PS / 876 hp), with 1,350 Nm (996 lb-ft) of torque available with Launch Control engaged — the highest torque figure of any Bentley ever built. That drops the 0-60 mph time to 2.8 seconds (roughly 2.9 seconds to 100 km/h) and raises the top speed to 162 mph (260 km/h). Every Torcal rides on Bentley's first fully active suspension, with independently adjustable two-valve dampers at each corner, electronic all-wheel steering that turns the rear wheels up to five degrees, and a locking rear differential; an optional carbon silicon carbide ceramic brake package is available for drivers who plan to use that performance regularly.

Powertrain	Dual-motor AWD BEV
Power	653 kW (888 PS / 876 hp)
Torque	1,350 Nm (996 lb-ft)
0–100 km/h	~2.9 s (2.8 s 0–60 mph)
Battery	113 kWh
Range	up to 600 km WLTP

Dimensions & Practicality

Length	5,000 mm
Width	2,017 mm
Height	1,676 mm
Wheelbase	3,023 mm
Turning circle	11.1 m

At exactly 5 meters (196.9 in) long on a 3,023 mm (119.0 in) wheelbase, the Torcal is shorter and lower than a standard-wheelbase Bentayga, giving it more of a sporting-SUV stance than a full-size luxury barge. Inside, the cabin seats five, with a three-seat electric rear bench and — a first for Bentley — a power-fold function for those rear seats to expand cargo space on demand. The boot holds 460 liters with the rear seats up, and a further 90-liter frunk sits under the hood for a charging cable or a spare bag, useful given there's no engine to package up front. A tight 11.1-meter turning circle keeps the big SUV manageable on the same narrow British roads Bentley used to test it ahead of launch.

Charging & Battery

The Torcal's 113 kWh net battery pack accepts up to 400 kW of DC fast-charging power, enough for Bentley to claim a 10-80% top-up in around 16 minutes, or roughly 100 miles (161 km) added in just seven minutes on a suitably powerful charger. The pack carries a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Bentley quotes a single WLTP range figure of up to 375 miles (600 km) for the Torcal nameplate; that number applies most directly to the standard car on its smaller 21-inch wheels, and Bentley has not published a separate WLTP figure for the heavier-footprint, more performance-focused Torcal S riding on standard 22-inch wheels, so buyers prioritizing maximum range should expect the S to land somewhat under that headline number in real-world driving.

Design & Interior

The Torcal's biggest visual signature is its floating diamond grille: 76 individually hand-applied LED diamonds that fade in from darkness the moment the car is unlocked, echoing the protective wire radiator mesh Bentleys wore in the 1920s while updating it for an electric age. Split headlights with razor-thin daytime running lights flank the grille, and the design borrows cues from the Continental T, with reduced surface lines and muscular rear haunches that Bentley's designers describe as a "resting beast" stance. Inside, the cabin leans hard on craft: seats trimmed in the world's first 100% Merino wool automotive fabric (carrying Responsible Wool Standard certification), an Ombré Walnut finish built from 1,000 layered walnut off-cuts pressed and sliced into a single dashboard strip, and Sunburst Aluminium finished with a three-way brush pattern. Buyers can choose from 15 leather hues — including three new shades, Teal, Terra and Glaze — and six wood veneer options. Front seats offer 16-way adjustment with heating, cooling, massage and adjustable bolsters, plus Bentley's Postural Adjust and Smart Seat Climate systems, and the massage function now extends to the rear bench as well.

Technology & Features

A curved OLED touchscreen — a shape Bentley says is unique to this model — anchors the dashboard, paired with an augmented-reality head-up display that projects navigation and driving data onto the road ahead. The system supports facial recognition to load a driver's saved profile automatically, plus a Mobile Device Key so owners can unlock and start the car from a phone. Bentley fits a standard 620-watt, 16-speaker audio system, with an optional 1,780-watt, 28-speaker Naim setup with Dolby Atmos 7.1 surround for buyers who want a full concert-hall upgrade. One unusual touch: the Torcal plays a "Bentley Dynamic Symphony," a human-recorded soundtrack of drums, viola and bass guitar built to echo the rhythm of a V8 engine, that rises and falls with torque demand and road speed. Drivers can toggle between four Experience Modes — Bentley, Comfort, Sport and Refresh — to change the car's character, from calm cruising to a livelier, sportier setup.

Safety & ADAS

The Torcal carries a suite of 25 radars, sensors and cameras feeding its driver-assistance systems, all packaged discreetly behind Bentley's signature exterior surfaces rather than left visibly bolted on. Electronic all-wheel steering and the fully active suspension both double as stability aids at speed, while the optional carbon silicon carbide brakes shorten stopping distances for drivers who spec the performance package. Bentley has not published a specific SAE automation level for the system as of this writing, describing it instead as a comprehensive assisted-driving suite built around that 25-sensor array.

Available Versions

Pricing & Availability

Bentley unveiled the Torcal in London on September 23, 2026, pricing the standard car from £173,330 (about $230,000) and the Torcal S from £199,300 (about $265,000), both figures before options and before Bentley's bespoke Mulliner personalization program, which can push a fully loaded S toward $300,000. The car is designed, engineered and built entirely in Crewe, England, with production beginning in early 2027 inside a renovated 1938 factory that forms part of a £350 million self-funded investment in the site. First customer deliveries are expected in the second quarter of 2027. Bentley says early customer interest has been split roughly evenly between existing owners and first-time buyers, with strong demand reported from Europe, the Middle East and U.S. states with high EV adoption; a dedicated China market launch campaign is planned for 2027. Final pricing and specification for markets outside the UK, including the US, had not been published as of this writing.

How It Compares

Nothing in Bentley's own lineup competes with the Torcal on price or powertrain, so the closest points of reference come from elsewhere in the ultra-luxury EV world. The Rolls-Royce Spectre Series II is the nearest thing to a same-tier rival in outright prestige, though its 577 hp coupe body and $420,000 price sit in a different shape and budget entirely. The Lotus Eletre is the closer match on paper — a genuine electric luxury SUV with 905 hp and a claimed 560 km range — and undercuts the Torcal S by nearly $115,000, making the case that a chunk of the Torcal's price goes to badge and craft rather than outright pace. For buyers willing to look outside the segment altogether, a Cadillac Escalade IQ delivers a similarly commanding, tech-laden American electric SUV experience with 680 hp for roughly half the Torcal S's asking price — a useful reminder of how much of the Torcal's sticker goes toward hand-finished wood, wool and 76 hand-applied LED diamonds rather than raw specification.