There is a new Bentley Bentayga. It has arrived with much talk of comfort, peace and quiet. Especially in four-seat form. Peace and quiet that’ll be blown to smithereens with its optional Akrapovic exhaust system. If you’re buying your SUV with emphasis on the S, this may be a box you want to tick.

It’s made of titanium and boasts twin oval tailpipes engraved with the Akrapovic and Bentley names. But it’s what goes on when you follow the path they take beneath the car that’s interesting.

“The central silencer is replaced with straight pipes,” says Bentley, “which channel the exhaust gases into the customer rear muffler where they are swirled through internal baffles to create a more characterful voice.”

It’s a bespoke setup for the Bentayga, crafted in Akrapovic’s Slovenian foundry and inspired by the exhaust system on Bentley’s Pikes Peak car of 2018. The previous-gen Bentayga offered a similar option on W12-engined cars – and its various pops and crackles were childishly brilliant if you’re into that sort of thing – but this is the first time it’s been strapped to a V8.

What if you’re more into the U of SUV, and all of this seems a bit uncouth? Well, the options list has also gained a roof box, a snowboard carrier, a Bentley golf bag (of course) and – we kid you not – scatter cushions. And we’re back to the comfort. Ahhhh…

STORY Stephen Dobie