Bentley EXP 9 F. Looks are in the eye of the beholder

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Other features include a split tailgate, with luggage tailored to fit inside and hold picnic equipment such as a flask, glasses and cutlery. A TV screen and sun shade extend from the upper tailgate, while the lower section has seat backs that fold up.

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The cabin is spacious and airy, with a panoramic sun roof and plenty of leg room. The décor mixes the traditional – lots of high-quality wooden veneers and quilted leather – with the modern in terms of flatscreens and a digital dash. One could reasonably expect that in a production version, virtually any combination of woods and leathers would be available. Some features – the rear picnic case, the sunscreen and the tailgate TV – are mere jewellery that won’t make it into production, but otherwise for a concept, the EXP looks remarkably close to what we’d expect when the decision is made to go ahead.

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When? Sorry, if. Dowding catches himself from time to time to reinforce the current position that no decision on production has yet been made. But it seems a virtual given that it will be green-lit.

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“Positioning and cost at this stage are to be determined,” Geoff says, “but it would be at the very top of the [SUV] segment, at a level that’s never been seen before. Personally, I think it could be the biggest selling Bentley model in the region and could have a major impact on the overall Middle Eastern business. In the GCC we will sell circa 300 cars this year, which is twice as many as last year. I suspect we could probably double that. There are 500 purchase intents in the region already, and that’s before it was shown here.

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“This market segment is growing so rapidly that it’s crying out for something for people to move up into. The GT filled a hole in the market beautifully when it came out, there were people there waiting for something to spend their money on. We believe there is a demand for a high luxury, high performance highly dynamic SUV.”

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It’s too early to speculate on exactly what specifications a production EXP would have, but Geoff stresses that “the features you understand about a Bentley today, about the amount of power, the performance, the craftsmanship and luxury, that’s what will feature. It absolutely has to be a Bentley.” So, expect a big, powerful V8 and probably a W12 versions as well. Off-road ability will also be important for buyers that fancy a bit of luxury dune bashing. All the current Bentley range is four-wheel drive, and it also has the might of the Volkswagen Group – and all its technology from the likes of the Touareg and Q7 – to make sure it’ll handle in the sand.

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We’re expecting to see a decision from Bentley on production of the EXP 9 F before the New Year. If and when that happens, we should see produdction cars on the road in the Middle East by 2016. We expect some styling changes from the concept, but probably nothing major. There are already plenty of people here that really can’t wait.

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