Our friends at Kyosho were gracious enough to forward a sample model of their new SUV, the Bentley Bentayga.  Initially when Bentley released the SUV, it did not impress.  Why another SUV, isn’t the market already saturated with too many?  Well the Bentley Bentayga caters to an exclusive market, we all know that.  Did you know this is the fastest production SUV on the planet?  It is, the W12 motor (we all know it well) rockets the Bentayga to a computer limited top speed of 187 mph or 301 km/h.  That’s impressive!  So how did the folks at Kyosho do?

Out of the box this SUV is much larger than I anticipated, just short of 11 inches in length.  The Onyx Black exterior paint just shines.  It adds a level of elegance that the Bentley badge lives by.  There is a second colour choice available for collectors; it is called Bright Bronze – check out our DS December 2015 article for more information.  Chrome work and fit and finish are excellent for the most part.  There are some issues with the exterior of our sample. The first is the chrome moulding on the rear doors, in the closed position they don’t align with the rear quarter window.  Also the shutlines on the rear doors were a little large for our liking, but with a little finesse we managed to close.

The front of the Bentley Bentayga features a lot of chrome; personally I think it looks great along side the black exterior.  The grille work is not truly perforated, though the technique used by Kyosho does do it justice.  Headlights and surrounding lights are detailed with care – we liked the bluish hue in the main beam.  The Bentley 3D badge finishes off the fascia.

Nothing real lavish is going on in the rear section of the model.  All elements as expected are crafted with care.  Kyosho even integrated the thin reverse light in the lower bumper.  Nice touch.  Access to the rear hatch is available.  There are no struts supporting the hatch.  This is definitely a miss on a $200 plus model.

The heart of the Bentley Bentayga is powered by the (Volkswagen) W12.  Use the small button underneath to pop the hood up.  With most modern cars and trucks most of the detail is covered by finish pieces, the Bentley Bentayga is no exception.  The basic elements are here, though a little more detail would have been preferred.  Again there are no struts either side, the large dog-leg hinges do all the work.

The underside of the Bentley Bentayga is a real treat, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

The exterior chrome work extends to the wheels.  The look of the finished product is truly inspiring.  The marriage of outer chrome with the inner black chrome is a work of art. Braking components are standard metal rotors with large black calipers front and rear.

The interior is a real treat too!  The two-tone red and black are a perfect match that bring the elegance of the exterior inside.  The meticulous detail and quality materials and textures drive the realism here.  Interior is fully carpeted and complete with full size moon roof, though it is not functional. Chrome and fine detail within the dash, centre console and door cards are excellent.  Overall a well-executed interior.

The SUV segment isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, add the Bentley badge into the mix and a further niche is created. The Bentley Bentayga from Kyosho definitely helps merge class, grace, and sport into one package.  I do think they succeeded.  The model isn’t perfect as my earlier points elude to.  If Kyosho would like to be on par with the likes of AUTOart they need to extend the olive branch to the small details. This shouldn’t be too challenging. If you’re an SUV collector like me, this one is a must, no exception.  Enjoy the pics!