Get outdoorsy with the Bentley Bentayga, but please, don’t ask about price

The definition of being outdoors depends on who you ask. Some people, mainly Volkswagen Golf 1 drivers, like to bask while parked at Zoo Lake, boot open, thumping music, taking pulls from a tall, smoky apparatus. And when George Michael released the 1998 hit Outside, he was not referring to a hike up Johannesburg's Melville Koppies.

Your choice of activities is probably a lot clearer if you are a Bentley Bentayga owner. This week, the automaker released a special-edition version designed around its customers’ favourite nature-related hobbies: angling, equestrian pastimes and frolics with canine friends. This is how the 1% luxuriates in the countryside. Meet the Bentayga Outdoor Pursuits Collection.

“This unique collection encapsulates three of the most iconic British outdoor activities, including angling, horse riding and dog walking,” said the carmaker. The collection was produced by the Mulliner customisation arm of the firm, which specialises in the personalised, bespoke requirements of customers.

Only 11 are built — nay, handcrafted — at its headquarters in Crewe, where about 4,000 people are employed. From restoring classics to manufacturing coach-built, one-off models, Mulliner does it all. 

“Each Bentayga combines a number of bespoke features, including a woodland embroidery scene, hand cross-stitching to the main interior stitching and a unique chrome overlay to the passenger fascia that describes each outdoor theme.”

Many of the details sound downright delicious. The door inners, seat-back pockets and grab-handles, for example, sport a woven wool finish. Herringbone tweed has been sprinkled liberally throughout the cabin, complementing the supple leather upholstery, and a trio of earthy shades have been chosen for the exterior: Havana, Cumbrian Green and a hue dubbed Magnetic.

The 22-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels have been matched to the exterior paintwork, then diamond turned and polished to produce the final surface.

And consider this little description about the decorative inserts — I have no idea what it really means, but I just know I want to touch and experience it: “Liquid Amber, a straight grain veneer, now with a boxwood inlay, to edge the dark fiddleback eucalyptus veneer of the fascias and waistrails.”

Each model has a corresponding interior motif — jumping horse, fly-fishing or foxhound scenes.

Now, what if you get thirsty while out and about? It happens, you know, while savouring the grass underfoot and the gentle rays of sunshine on your skin. Luckily Bentley thought of including a flask, which matches the leather of the specific vehicle chosen by the customer.

The carmaker has an established presence in SA, part of LSM Distributors, which is also custodian to Lamborghini and Porsche. You can configure your own Bentayga on their website, which does not mention pricing. Because if you have to ask ...