The Most Expensive SUV in the World Roars Into Texas

Queen Elizabeth herself is in line to receive the first Bentley Bentayga, which brings one thought to mind: The Queen better have one James Bond-worthy driver. Or one serious lead foot herself.

For the first SUV ever produced by Bentley is one elegant, ferocious beast. Touted as the fastest, most powerful and most exclusive SUV in the world, the brand-new 2017 Bentley Bentayga tops out at a reported 187 MPH and goes from zero to 60 MPH in a near sports car-worthy four seconds flat.

That is a lot of kick for a Sunday drive. For the record, the Queen plans to use her new Bentley (the car company has reserved Bentley Bentayga No. 1 for her majesty) for Sunday hunts on her sprawling Balmoral estate. Its 12-cyclinder, 600-horsepower engine already went through the rugged paces there in a test drive that prompted the queen to put a claim in.

Closer to home, the Bentley Bentayga should hit showrooms in Dallas and Houston in June 2016. It roared into Bentley Dallas – Park Place for the most fleeting of sneak peeks recently, and its interiors impressed more than just the usual car-guys crowd. The handcrafted leather seats modeled after English hunting jackets certainly stand out, but they can be just the start for the truly discerning — and splurge-minded — connoisseur.

This new-age SUV, with a base price of $229,000, offers the option for a $168,000 Breitling Mulliner Tourbillon dashboard clock made out of solid gold and marked by eight diamonds. It is the most expensive dashboard clock in the world — and in some ways, the latest salvo in the burgeoning luxury SUV wars (this is the fastest-growing segment of the upscale car market).

Other options include a refrigerator and cashmere picnic blanket set (only three glasses, not four — “the driver isn’t supposed to drink,” as Bentley Americas president and CEO Michael Winkler noted in Dallas).

“It’s kind of like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, your wish is my command,” Bentley communications manager Erin Bronner says. Now that sounds like a Bentley.

Bentley Dallas – Park Place, 5300 Lemmon Ave, Dallas, 214.443.5250; Bentley Houston, 1530 West Loop S, Houston, 713.850.1530

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