Bentley Torcal replaces V8 roar with drum beat

Bentley logo. The British luxury car manufacturer is preparing Torcal as its first electric car with a drum, viola, and bass guitar-based sound system to deliver a sensation like a V8 engine. (Wikimedia Commons - Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England)

Bentley has chosen an unusual way to fill the silence of an electric car. Its first electric SUV, the Torcal, uses a drum, viola, and bass guitar-based sound composition to deliver a sensation like a V8 engine.

Autocar, quoted on Sunday, July 19, said Bentley was developing a sound system called Bentley Dynamic Symphony. The system is designed not to copy the sound of the engine, but to evoke a similar emotional experience when the car accelerates.

Bentley took the V8 engine to the studio and analyzed its sound character. The result is that the appeal of the engine comes not only from the mechanical sound, but also the rhythm, the beat, and the small variations that make it feel alive.

When compared to drum playing, the V8 sound is judged to have similarities in energy, rhythm, and beats. Therefore, drums are the main elements in the Torcal sound system. Viola and bass guitar are added to give a stronger impression when the car is speeding.

Bentley hinted that the tempo of the sound would increase when the car accelerated and decreased when the speed decreased.

Torcal is now entering the final stage of testing before being introduced in London on September 23. This model will be a production-ready development of the EXP 15 concept shown by Bentley last year.

Like Bentayga, Bacalar, and Batur, the name Torcal is taken from the landscape. This time, the name refers to El Torcal de Antequera, a limestone area in Andalusia, Spain.

The name is also associated with the Latin word torquere which means to twist and is the origin of the word torque or torque.

The SUV, which is around 5 meters long, will be placed under the Bentayga. Design features that have been shown include a lighted grille panel, four vertical LED lights, and a rear inspired by a classic Bentley trunk rack.

Although its silhouette resembles the Bentayga, the Torcal is not a replacement for the V8-powered SUV. The Bentayga is still on sale and is scheduled to get a new generation of combustion engine in 2028.

Torcal was originally planned to launch last year. However, Bentley postponed it due to a weakening demand for luxury electric cars.

The company also scrapped a target to fully switch to electric cars by 2030. Bentley now plans to launch one plug-in hybrid or pure electric model every year until 2035.

Aston Martin, Porsche, Lotus, and Lamborghini also slowed down their electric vehicle transition.

Torcal is expected to sell for around £170,000. Its price position is between the BMW iX and Volvo EX90 and ultra-luxury models such as the Rolls-Royce Spectre and Ferrari Luce.

Its closest rival is the latest electric Range Rover.

Bentley ensures that Torcal will have a range of more than 300 miles or about 483 kilometers.

Bentley Design Director Robin Page said the company was not pursuing a record mileage. According to Page, Bentley customers consider a distance of 300 to 350 miles as an ideal point.

"Beyond that, they'll use private jets," Page told Autocar.

Torcal will have a close technical relationship with the Porsche Cayenne Electric, similar to the Bentayga and the gasoline-powered Cayenne.

The model is estimated to use the PPE architecture, a special electric car platform also used by Porsche. The battery has a capacity of 113 kWh with a charging capacity of up to 390 kW.

On the Cayenne Electric, this capability allows for battery charging from 10 to 80 percent in less than 16 minutes.

Torcal is also expected to use two electric motors as standard equipment. However, Bentley has not revealed the final power.

The Cayenne Turbo Electric produces 1,140 horsepower, while the Cayenne S has 657 horsepower. Autocar judged that the Cayenne S's power was more in line with the Torcal's character, which prioritizes luxury and comfort.

Bentley has also not shown the Torcal cabin. Test drive photos show the car likely to feature a 14.25-inch curved center touchscreen like the Cayenne.

However, Bentley does not want all control to be transferred to the screen. Page said luxury car consumers are getting tired of the all-digital cabin.

Because of that, Bentley still maintains physical buttons and mechanical details as part of its premium identity.

Details of the Torcal will be announced ahead of its debut in September, in conjunction with the launch of the electric Range Rover and Jaguar Type 01 GT.

By Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England - Bentley motif, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18252555