Bentley Torcal EV Debuts With Fake V8 Drum Soundtrack

Bentley's first fully electric car, the Torcal SUV, replaces the classic V8 growl with a synthetic drum soundtrack and starts at £173,000 in Crewe.

Bentley has launched its first fully electric car, the Torcal SUV, built at its Crewe factory as part of a £350m investment in the VW-owned carmaker's UK business. The Guardian reports the car is Bentley's cheapest model, starting at £173,000, and secures the jobs of the 4,000 workers at Crewe. To replace the growl of its combustion engines, Bentley created a synthetic engine sound built from drum recordings based on its old eight-cylinder engines, designed to give "emotion to the car" and "bridge the gap" to new buyers, according to chief executive Frank-Steffen Walliser.

Auto Express details the numbers: the core Torcal produces 810bhp and 1,194Nm of torque, sprinting from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds, while the S version lifts output to 876bhp and 1,350Nm and cuts the sprint to 2.9 seconds. A 113kWh battery delivers up to 375 miles of range, with 249 miles replenished in 15 minutes on a 400kW DC charger, according to Auto Express. The company claims it is comfortably the most powerful Bentley in its history, riding like a limo and cornering like a coupe thanks to fully active suspension and standard rear-wheel steering.

Auto Express reports the 5m-long SUV features two illuminated grilles incorporating diamond-shaped crystals, inspired by the 1990s Continental T, with seats that can be optioned with Postural Adjust massage functions. The interior includes the world's first automotive use of 100 per cent Merino wool in the doors, 15 shades of olive tan leather and an Ombré Walnut veneer pressed from sustainable offcuts. Even the turn indicators make the sound of a Bentley workshop hammer tapping leather, and the touchscreen chime mimics a rubbed crystal glass.

The launch comes after Bentley abandoned plans to launch new electric cars each year from 2025 to 2030, citing poor demand, The Guardian notes. The Torcal enters a thin market: Rolls-Royce's only EV is the Spectre coupe at about £330,000, while the Range Rover Electric starts at £154,070. The Guardian also reports Bentley cut 245 jobs in Crewe earlier this year, with sales down a third since a 2022 peak of 15,200 cars.