Bentley Bentayga is the “world’s fastest SUV”

It’s a dubious distinction, and the information doesn’t exactly come from an unbiased source but Brit luxury carmaker Bentley says its forthcoming Bentayga is the ‘world’s fastest SUV,’ with an apparently track-tested top speed of 301 km/h.

For the record, that’s one whole kilometre per hour faster than the former record holder, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. Why are we rolling our eyes? Because Bentley and Porsche are corporate relatives, with Volkswagen being parent company to both, and the Bentayga is built on the same platform that underpins the Cayenne. So, yes, VW AG has actually outdone itself.

Unlike the Cayenne, the Bentayga is powered by a 12-cylinder engine using Volkswagen’s TSI direct injection tech; Bentley hasn’t said how much power the engine makes, except to say it delivers the “best combination of power, torque and efficiency of any car in its class.” (Which only slightly less pompous than the brand’s arcane former habit of listing power output as “adequate.”)

But that’s all academic. Check out the video below, showing the Bentayga ripping around an unidentified test track, making gnarly exhaust noises.