Bentley Wants Its Torcal SUV to Break the Curse of the Luxury EV
Bentley Wants Its Torcal SUV to Break the Curse of the Luxury EV
宾利希望其 Torcal SUV 能打破豪华电动汽车的“魔咒”
Bentley has taken the covers off its first-ever fully electric car, the Torcal, making it the automaker’s fourth model line, joining the Continental GT, the Flying Spur sedan, and the Bentayga SUV. The luxury brand is confident about the launch, too, with Bentley chairman and CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser saying he believes “this is one of the best Bentleys ever.”
宾利正式揭开了其首款纯电动汽车 Torcal 的面纱，使其成为继欧陆 GT、飞驰轿车和添越 SUV 之后的第四个产品系列。这个豪华品牌对此次发布充满信心，宾利董事长兼首席执行官 Frank-Steffen Walliser 表示，他相信“这是有史以来最好的宾利车型之一”。
When WIRED first reported on the car in July, we said the EV would have more than 300 miles of range. Well, turns out it has considerably more: up to 375 miles (on the WLTP cycle, maybe 330 miles on EPA), and can charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 16 minutes at 400 kilowatts.
当《连线》（WIRED）杂志在七月份首次报道这款车时，我们曾提到该车的续航里程将超过 300 英里。事实证明，它的表现远超预期：续航里程高达 375 英里（基于 WLTP 工况，EPA 工况下约为 330 英里），并且在 400 千瓦的充电功率下，仅需 16 分钟即可将电量从 10% 充至 80%。
Prodigious performance from a motor on each axle sees the five-seat Torcal—smaller than the Bentayga and so perhaps more of an urban SUV—get 888 metric horsepower (PS) and 1,350 newton-meters (Nm) of torque in the sporting S models, resulting in 0 to 60 mph in as little as 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 162 mph. The “core” model drops to 821 PS and 1,194 Nm, with standstill to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and a max of 155 mph.
得益于前后轴双电机的强劲动力，这款五座 Torcal（比添越更小，因此更偏向城市 SUV）在运动版 S 车型上可输出 888 公制马力（PS）和 1,350 牛·米（Nm）的扭矩，百公里加速仅需 2.9 秒，最高时速可达 162 英里/小时。“核心”版车型动力则调整为 821 PS 和 1,194 Nm，百公里加速为 3.4 秒，最高时速为 155 英里/小时。
However, luxury brands get worried about their existing client bases when they switch to electric vehicles—look to Ferrari as a prime example—so it’s no surprise that Bentley is keen to point out how this new model embodies the finest elements of the brand, just like every other high-end marque does going into electrification. “The Torcal is a Bentley first and foremost,” says the launch literature. “In every aspect of its design, technology, craftsmanship, materials, and sustainability, it is a template for future Bentleys, regardless of powertrain.”
然而，当豪华品牌转向电动汽车时，往往会担心其现有的客户群——法拉利就是一个典型的例子。因此，宾利急于强调这款新车型如何体现了该品牌最优秀的基因，这并不令人意外，正如其他高端品牌在迈向电气化时所做的那样。发布资料中写道：“Torcal 首先是一辆宾利。在设计、技术、工艺、材料和可持续性的每一个方面，它都是未来宾利车型的模板，无论其动力系统如何。”
The reason for leaning into brand heritage is obvious on dealership lots. The first-ever EV Bentley will roll off the production line into a decidedly twitchy luxury auto market where Lamborghini shelved its Lanzador electric GT—with CEO Stephan Winkelmann stating demand among its buyers was “going almost to zero, if not to zero”—and Mercedes-Benz selling just 1,450 of its electric G Wagen in Europe through April 2025. Rolls-Royce Spectre sales are down nearly by half, with the brand hoping that a model refresh will turn things around.
宾利之所以强调品牌传承，原因在经销商处显而易见。这款宾利首款电动汽车下线时，正值豪华汽车市场动荡不安：兰博基尼搁置了其 Lanzador 电动 GT 车型，首席执行官 Stephan Winkelmann 表示其买家需求“几乎降至零，甚至已经归零”；梅赛德斯-奔驰在 2025 年 4 月前在欧洲仅售出了 1,450 辆电动 G 级车。劳斯莱斯闪灵（Spectre）的销量也下降了近一半，该品牌寄希望于通过车型改款来扭转局面。
And make no mistake that the Torcal is aiming for the luxury dollar. At $218,000 or £173,300 for the base model, and $258,200 or £199,300 for the First Edition S, this EV is priced higher than the Range Rover Electric, which has a similar range and starts in the US at $138,000. But a fairer comparison to the Torcal would be the Range Rover Electric Autobiography model, which clocks in at $208,000. Keep that in mind, and it’s easy to see that Bentley is trying to take market share from JLR with its new SUV: Spend an extra $10,000, people, and you can drive off in an electric Bentley instead of a Range Rover.
毫无疑问，Torcal 的目标就是高端消费市场。基础版售价为 218,000 美元（或 173,300 英镑），First Edition S 版售价为 258,200 美元（或 199,300 英镑）。这款电动车的定价高于续航里程相似、美国起售价为 138,000 美元的揽胜电动版。但与 Torcal 更公平的对比对象应该是售价 208,000 美元的揽胜电动版 Autobiography 车型。考虑到这一点，不难看出宾利正试图通过这款新 SUV 从捷豹路虎（JLR）手中抢占市场份额：多花 1 万美元，人们就可以开走一辆宾利电动车，而不是揽胜。
At 4,983 mm long (161 mm shorter than a Bentayga) and 2,016 mm in width, the Torcal is not far off the size of the Range Rover Electric, but the most drastic difference is in height. The Range Rover Electric towers over the Torcal by nearly 20 centimeters. Also, while Bentley insists the Torcal has off-road chops, it’s probably safe to say the Range Rover Electric will have it pipped there.
Torcal 车长 4,983 毫米（比添越短 161 毫米），宽 2,016 毫米，其尺寸与揽胜电动版相差无几，但最显著的区别在于高度。揽胜电动版比 Torcal 高出近 20 厘米。此外，尽管宾利坚称 Torcal 具备越野能力，但可以肯定的是，揽胜电动版在这一领域更胜一筹。
Where Bentley wants the Torcal to pull ahead is in the luxury refinements. Despite being smaller than its stablemate, the Torcal is a powerful, purposeful-looking SUV, with a switchable glass sunroof and newly designed light clusters, which are particularly evident at the rear. Unlike the Bentayga, the Torcal roofline drops down at the back for better aero efficiency.
宾利希望 Torcal 在豪华质感上实现超越。尽管比同门兄弟添越更小，但 Torcal 是一款动力强劲、外观硬朗的 SUV，配备了可调光玻璃天窗和全新设计的灯组，后部灯组尤为醒目。与添越不同，Torcal 的车顶线条在尾部向下倾斜，以获得更好的空气动力学效率。
At the front, undoubtedly the most striking visual element of the car is the new Torcal grille: Ventilation to a traditional radiator no longer needed, the upright front is now a solid wall of illuminated acrylic “crystals” that light up as you approach, and on a night in a rearview mirror on a freeway or mountain road will be deliberately unsubtle, and a far cry from quiet luxury.
在车头，最引人注目的视觉元素无疑是全新的 Torcal 格栅：由于不再需要为传统散热器提供通风，直立的前脸现在是一面由发光亚克力“水晶”组成的实体墙。当你靠近时，它会亮起；在夜晚的高速公路或山路上，它在后视镜中显得格外张扬，与“静谧豪华”的理念大相径庭。
Inside, Bentley continues to ram home the high-end message. All-round power doors open up to reveal a mixture of OLED screens and physical switchgear. The central display curves pleasingly downward, reminiscent of the new Cayenne, but there is deliberately no separate passenger screen option.
在内饰方面，宾利继续强化其高端定位。全车电动门开启后，映入眼帘的是 OLED 屏幕与物理开关的结合。中央显示屏呈现出悦目的下弯弧度，让人联想到新款卡宴，但宾利特意没有提供独立的副驾屏幕选项。
Bentley brought in Fox Brothers to engineer a wool tough enough to be used to panel some of the interior, which is apparently a world first. An attractive new wood finish developed for the Torcal is formed from 1,000 layers of walnut off-cuts and recycled paper pressed together, then sliced to less than a millimeter thick. The Torcal has new massage and power-folding seats, and an optional Naim 1,780-watt sound system with 28 speakers including seat shakers and headrest speakers, as well as Dolby Atmos 7.1.
宾利邀请了 Fox Brothers 研发出一种足够坚韧的羊毛材料，用于部分内饰面板，这据称是全球首创。为 Torcal 开发的一种极具吸引力的新型木饰面，由 1,000 层胡桃木边角料和再生纸压制而成，然后切割成不到一毫米的厚度。Torcal 配备了全新的按摩和电动折叠座椅，以及可选装的 1,780 瓦 Naim 音响系统，该系统拥有 28 个扬声器（包括座椅震动器和头枕扬声器），并支持杜比全景声 7.1。
What’s impressive is the digital trickery Bentley has employed in both audio and visual manners—mirroring the crystal switchgear, Bentley has created animations on the screens that show light passing through cut glass. After trying to do this completely with computer animation, it was decided the effect, it was decided the effect was not real enough, as the model could not account for minute imperfections in the glass that subtly affect the light patterns cast. So Bentley had to film these animations using real crystal instead. The effect of the central console and instrument panel is striking.
令人印象深刻的是宾利在音频和视觉方面所运用的数字技术——为了呼应水晶开关，宾利在屏幕上制作了光线穿过切割玻璃的动画。在尝试完全使用计算机动画制作后，他们认为效果不够真实，因为模型无法模拟玻璃中细微的瑕疵对光影图案的微妙影响。因此，宾利不得不使用真实的水晶来拍摄这些动画。中控台和仪表盘的视觉效果非常震撼。
Then to address the sticky issue of driving sound for a pure EV, instead of creating a digital replica of combustion, Bentley decided to shun electronic imitation and re-create the rhythm of a Bentley V8 using real instruments (including drums, viola, and bass guitar) to create a soundscape that, like the glass animations, had subtle variations and tiny imperfections.
为了解决纯电动汽车驾驶音效这一棘手问题，宾利没有选择数字模拟内燃机声音，而是决定摒弃电子模仿，利用真实的乐器（包括鼓、中提琴和低音吉他）重新创作出宾利 V8 发动机的节奏，从而营造出一种像玻璃动画一样，带有细微变化和微小瑕疵的声景。
Now, this sounds like it might be a terrible idea, but on the very limited demo WIRED heard, it’s actually remarkably convincing and will supposedly provide genuine aural feedback to the driver, rather than simply approximately imitating engine notes. Mercifully, for those not looking to keep this…
这听起来可能是一个糟糕的主意，但在《连线》杂志听到的极其有限的演示中，它实际上非常令人信服。据称，它将为驾驶员提供真实的听觉反馈，而不仅仅是简单地模仿发动机声音。值得庆幸的是，对于那些不想保留此功能的人来说……