Bentley's era‑ending shift: From iconic W12 to greener hybrid V8

It was to be expected. After 21 years of service, the powerful twelve-cylinder engine is becoming obsolete. In line with contemporary trends, it will be replaced by a smaller engine supported by electric energy.

Since its debut in 2003, the W12 has been a hallmark of Bentley. Unfortunately, everything comes to an end. In the age of ecology and electromobility, there is no longer a place for such engines. In Crewe, they had to make a difficult decision and think about an alternative.

This alternative isn't the worst, as it has eight cylinders. However, there's no talking about uniqueness. The turbocharged four-liter engine with the code EA825 is also commonly used by other Volkswagen Group brands, including Bentley. Now, however, it will receive a few upgrades and hybrid support.

Thanks to this, it will extract as much as 750 hp—90 hp more than the outgoing W12. We shouldn't complain about the performance. The new drive also looks good from an ecological point of view. It allows for driving up to 90 km (approximately 56 miles) on electricity alone. Bentley has not informed us how big the battery enables this, but I bet it's around 25.9 kWh, like Porsche's.

Although we still do not know which model the V8 hybrid will appear in first, it can be suspected that it will be at the core of the offer. Noteworthy, this is not the first plug-in in the brand's range. Bentley is already selling the Flying Spur with a 2.9-litre V6 that is electricity-supported.