A new engine joins the Bentley Bentayga range with the addition of a petrol V8 into the luxury SUV’s line-up.

Bentley is calling it the Bentayga’s ‘most sporting guise to date’, though this is likely due to its dynamics rather than its performance figures.

The Bentayga’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 puts out 404kW and 770Nm, where the more powerful W12 is good for 447kW and 900Nm.

However the V8 is slightly lighter, at only 2395kg to the W12’s 2440. That extra 45kg is somewhat overshadowed by the power advantage, though.

Still, there’s a lot of appeal in the sound of a V8, and the likelihood that anyone’s using their Bentayga to hit performance times is slim.

Adding to the ‘sportiness’ of the new Bentayga is a set of twin-quad exhaust pipes, as well as optional carbon ceramic brakes which Bentley says include the “world’s largest front brake system.”

Pricing and availability for the V8 Bentayga haven’t been announced, but there’s a change SUV-hungry Australians will get the choice of a V8 petrol engine in the near future.