The Bentley Torcal is an electric car that isn’t afraid

Napoleon said many things, but perhaps most famous was his suggestion to never interrupt an enemy when they were making a mistake. The urge to be first, to set a precedent, can be a rewarding one, but not necessarily the right one. Sometimes, it’s better to sit back, wait, and see which way the wind is blowing before making your move.

The wind is blowing electric, of that we can be sure. Such are the demands of democracy in a changing climate. But the question is, how do we want to be electric? Plenty in the luxury car world have tried to provide an answer. Rolls-Royce created the Spectre, arguably the ideal distillation of co-founder Charles Rolls’ vision of silent perfection. Ferrari's effort is the Luce, which, to be polite, was somewhat more polarising. Today, Bentley revealed the Torcal. If you can't be first, you can at least try to be the best.

The Torcal is smaller than the Bentayga, but is still very much an SUV. It is long, it is wide, and it is high; a mashup stylistically of a Porsche Taycan and a Range Rover Velar. It is immediately apparent that this is a grand tourer for the practical age, combining space and performance. Crucially, however, it does not skimp out on style: the wheels are big, the lines are clean and the pseudo-shooting brake body is instantly elegant and recognisable.

Plenty of those who went first have attempted to make an electric car that feels like a petrol car in disguise. What sets the Torcal apart, on first inspection at the very least, is that Bentley is steering into the skid. What purpose is there in making an EV if you do not celebrate what electricity can do? Has anything contributed more to the advancement of society in the past 200 years than stripped electrons? Why hide it?

The Torcal is an electric car, Bentley’s first, and it makes no bones about it. A startup sequence involves the car coming to life like a well-heeled Frankenstein; lights pulsing with life. The grill illuminates with an iconic cut-diamond display and inside, ambient lighting subtly dances, as if the electric power flows through the car like blood.

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Many EVs are accused of lacking soul; machines that turn on and off silently at the flick of a switch, to be used and discarded like an iPhone or a toaster. Perhaps that is because we have become numb to the miracle that is electric power. Bentley have decided that the works of Tesla, Edison et al are to be celebrated and, in doing so, have come as close as any to giving their machine a spirit.

But if the Torcal is the car of the future, it is also grounded in the past. Bentley is nothing if not heritage and craft manifest, and the Torcal is no different. The front of the car is a reimagining of the Continental T, while updated interiors feature a raft of traditional materials and styles, all sensitively updated for the 21st century. A collaboration with clothmakers Fox Brothers & Co has produced a 100% merino wool fabric for the cabin, which is a world first for a production car. Bentley says that the new blend is resilient enough for everyday use in a car, which will be huge news for my array of holed jumpers.

New features have not been overthought. The central console screen is now curved, in order for a scrolling driver or passenger to keep consistent pressure on the display. Physical switches have been added at the request of customers. Improved, but not over-designed and certainly Bentley.

Craft and the attention to detail therein are a hallmark of the brand, and the Torcal is packed with delicious Easter eggs that give this machine a decidedly human feel. Professional musicians were enlisted to help synthesise the sound of the old Bentley V8s, so that the artificial noise isn’t merely a soundtrack, but something more organic and responsive. The speedometer and dial is based on a crystal-cut glass with a light shining through. The indicator noise is a small hammer being tapped on leather and the car whispers birdsong when you open it. It is never the easiest thing to innovate while retaining an identity, but the Torcal is a splendid effort so far.

If the inside remains true to form, so too does the performance. Power tops out at about 875bhp, a top-speed of 162mph is claimed and the Torcal will get you to 60mph in 2.9 seconds. All plenty, but not too much. Perhaps most impressive is the advertised 375 miles of range and the ability to charge from 10%–80% in as little as 16 minutes. Bentley said that they have spent a lot of time designing the car to operate as a proper GT, and if those values are proven on the road, then there is very little to separate the Torcal from any other continent crusher.

It’s been a long-held belief at Country Life to not rush into things. Listening rather than talking, observations over actions. Doing it right is always better than doing it first. On first impressions, the Torcal seems very right indeed.