Bentley will update its best-selling model – the Bentayga SUV – next year to bring it up to scratch with its latest models, and disguised prototypes have begun cold weather testing. The test mule is clearly recognisable as a Bentayga, but heavy camouflage to the front and rear suggests Bentley is planning a number of design updates. At the rear, we can see the brakelights have been reshaped and expanded, while the current model’s deep numberplate recess looks to have been brought forward. At the front, the Bentayga retains its prominent grille and three lower air intakes, but will receive a reconfigured headlight design to bring it into line with the firm’s new Continental and Flying Spur – both of which have launched since the Bentayga arrived in 2016. We can also expect the front and rear bumpers to be redesigned. Just as significant will be the technology overhaul inside. The current car’s infotainment system is often criticised for feeling out of date next to cheaper siblings from Audi and Porsche, so the priority will be to bring in the latest system from the Continental GT and Flying Spur. A fully digital instrument display will likely also feature, while the range of active safety technology should advance. The flagship W12 engine is expected to receive upgrades to boost efficiency, but don’t expect anything dramatic across the rest of the range. The V8 is relatively new, too, while the six-cylinder plug-in hybrid model still isn’t on sale after a lengthy delay. Question marks remain over the diesel model, which was officially axed from the firm’s line-up in 2018. A change in attitude towards the fuel was blamed for its removal back then, but since then sister brand Audi has introduced several large capacity S-badged diesel models to its range. Expect to see more details emerge early next
Origin: Updated 2020 Bentley Bentayga to feature revamped design
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Audi SQ7 revamped with 429bhp V8 diesel power
Audi has launched an updated version of the range-topping SQ7 SUV, featuring a 429bhp turbocharged V8 diesel engine. The seven-seat Range Rover Sport rival, which will go on sale in the UK next month, features the recent facelift seen on the rest of the Q7 range, with the addition of several S-specific details. They include a revamped grille, aluminium mirror details, quad chrome exhaust pipes and 21-inch cast aluminium wheels. The 4.0-litre biturbo V8 diesel engine is the same featured in the recently revealed SQ8, and offers 664lb ft of torque, a 0-62mph time of 4.8secs and a limited top speed of 155mph. As in the SQ8, the diesel engine is boosted by a 48-volt mild hybrid Electrically Powered Compressor (EPC) that aids the two turbochargers, improving torque under acceleration at low speeds. The powertrain of the sport SUV is driven through an eight-speed tiptronic transmission, and the SUV features Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system. Adaptive sport air suspension is fitted as standard, while the SQ7 also features progressive steering to improve handling. There are 400mm brake discs at the front, with 370mm discs at the rear. The callipers are finished in black, although they are optionally available in red. The interior of the SQ7 features bespoke leather sports seats with integrated head restraints, and Audi’s MMI navigation plus system. The SQ7 will be offered in a Vorsprung edition, which adds all-wheel steering to further boost handling. It also features 22-inch wheels, and seats fitted with climate control and a massage function. The SQ7 will go on sale in the UK in August, with prices expected to start from around
Origin: Audi SQ7 revamped with 429bhp V8 diesel power
New Nissan Juke: new preview of revamped crossover
Nissan has previewed the styling of the long-awaited new Juke crossover, with a second teaser image hinting at the outline of the car. The darkened shot, shows a darkened silhouette of the front of the car, with the front headlights illuminated. While Nissan released the image without naming the model – which features the slogan ‘keep your eyes open’ and the 3 September unveiling day – it previews the long-awaited second generation Juke. The image is the second teaser that the firm has revealed. An earlier darkened show was a zoom in of the sleek LED headlight design, which echoes the dual-light layout of the outgoing car but with a more modern twist. The Mk2 Juke, designed at Nissan’s London studio, will go on sale in early 2020, a few months after the unveiling. It’s the replacement for a model that has been on sale with relatively few changes since 2010. Disguised test cars have shown that the Renault Captur rival’s design will evolve the distinctive shape of today’s car but remain recognisable. Details such as Nissan’s V-Motion grille, adapted from the Micra, will be brought in, while the rear end will have a more angular look. In an exclusive interview last year, Nissan’s global design boss, Alfonso Albaisa, claims the second-generation Juke “doesn’t look too much like the last one”, adding: “It doesn’t look like IMx (an electric crossover concept unveiled in 2017) or the new Leaf, either. It’s an urban meteor with a nasty attitude.” Albaisa quashed a rumour that the Juke replacement had been reviewed and rejected, saying: “(The Juke) is certainly coming soon. But it didn’t get ‘sent back’. I’m not sure where that story came from. It’s a very cool car, and it still has all of its attitude.” The original Juke was introduced at the 2010 Geneva motor show and helped to boost the popularity of supermini-sized SUVs. In terms of sales, that class grew tenfold across Europe between 2010 and 2016, and by 2022, it’s expected to double in size from its 2016 level of 1.13 million units. Juke sales have exceeded 100,000 per year in Europe four times to date, and the styling of the Sunderland-built car was considered an important contributor to that. “Our job was easier with the first one, because there was nothing else like it,” Albaisa told Autocar. “And that car’s success was so huge even given how polarising it looked. The second one couldn’t be derivative or evolutionary and still be a Juke. We’d almost have to change its name to Nancy otherwise.” The new Juke is likely to be built on a stretched version of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF platform, as used by the new Renault Clio. It’s expected to shun the naturally aspirated petrol engines that have accounted for much of its sales volume so far, instead using the turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder and 1.3-litre four-cylinder units used in the Qashqai. A 1.5-litre 109bhp diesel is likely to be offered, too, while four-wheel drive will be kept for automatic models higher up the range. Albaisa wouldn’t confirm whether the new Juke would be previewed by a show car, in the same way that the Qazana concept displayed at the 2009 Geneva motor show was used to test the water for the production car that followed. Given the riskiness of the original Juke’s styling and how well established the model has become, it’s likely that Nissan will maximise the impact of the new Juke by keeping it under wraps until the last moment.
Origin: New Nissan Juke: new preview of revamped crossover
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