Bentley EXP 9 F - Concept Luxury SUV

Over the decades, Bentley has shown the world how to travel in style and push the boundaries of speed and velocity while doing so. A fine example would be the Bentley Arnage or the Azure that corner hard and accelerate effortlessly due to the colossal torque they produce. At the 2012 Geneva International Salon d’Auto, Bentley offered an insight into their vision of the future with a concept SUV that will be an absolute all-round, everyday, anywhere luxury machine. 

Getting to the exterior design of the vehicle, the matrix grille upfront is a bold statement that symbolises power and the mini grilles along side it extend its beauty. The clear headlamps coupled with daytime running lights below them are a matching combination and add to the aesthetic signature of the car. The daytime running lights envelope what is an innovative concept by Bentley that sees two high power cooling fans or turbines that visibly blow air into the engine bay keeping it cool in all conditions.   

The turbine theme continues on to the 23-inch alloy wheels. The multiple spokes are reminiscent of the shape of turbine fan blades while the centrally mounted wheel nut is a visual reference both to Bentley’s Le Mans racers of the 1920s with centre-lock spinner and, to the single nut found on the modern-day Speed 8’s high-tech racing alloys. The bold design language of EXP 9 F is complemented by twin exhaust tailpipes with ‘rifled’ inner surfaces, their elliptical shapes echoing those of the rear light clusters.

The Bentley SUV’s styling is purely a love it or hate it affair. While some may find the Mulsanne and Continental-inspired bits and pieces on the EXP 9F awkward, some Bentley fans may find this bold and over-the-top iteration interesting.   

Combining utility with luxury, Bentley’s concept is elegant on the inside. The driver console including the instrument panel and the steering wheel are contemporary ‘Bentley’, including the wood finish dashboard and the gear shifter.

The engine will offer thunderous levels of performance, with the W12 6,000cc powertrain, that will develop 600PS of power and a barbaric 800Nm of torque competing with the best of the best in Sports Utility.