Bentley’s late arrival in the all-electric space has been freighted with anticipation, especially given the relatively short shrift afforded its more punctual rivals, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar and especially Ferrari. To the untrained eye, the new Bentley Torcal follows an aesthetic path that has been well-trodden by the British luxury manufacturer. A sporting SUV/crossover, it sits below the Bentayga in price and scale and squares off some of that model’s more awkward edges.

In short, the Torcal looks like a Bentley. Aside from a subtle shift in proportions, there’s little hint that the powertrain is electric and not the brand’s famed V8. To the uninitiated, it might therefore seem that Bentley has reined itself in, mindful of the reception afforded to Ferrari and Jaguar and wanting to stay out of the fray. However, that’s not how the industry works. Automotive planning is more akin to steering an oil tanker than weaving through the brickbats of social media.

Even by the time Jaguar had become a tawdry meme amongst edgelord social conservatives and long before the Luce had lit the touchpaper of a bona fide car design controversy, it was way, way too late for Bentley to pivot. The Torcal and the ethos it embodies were already set in stone. It’s therefore not surprising to find members of the Bentley team privately confessing to first night nerves.

Thankfully for them, the end result will not be setting the internet alight with angry missives. The Torcal sits on the VW Group’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE), sharing its 113kWh drive battery and 800V electrical architecture with the Porsche Cayenne.

Aimed squarely at the burgeoning sports SUV segment, Bentley have followed a now familiar playbook with the marketing, stressing the badge, the quality, the capability and the lineage. ‘The only focus was to make the next great Bentley,’ says Product Line Director Martin Page, revealing the car on screen for the first time.

The lowdown on the electrical underpinnings come later, but it does reinforce a persistent feeling of caginess around electrification, especially amongst the luxury brands. Whilst at the bottom end of the market the case for EVs has been all but conclusively made, potential buyers of Bentley and its ilk are being painted as hesitant, conservative and generally allergic to an EV-focused approach.

By now, the technology has matured to the point where the differences in performance and day-to-day usability are negligible. Bentley is emphasising the GT qualities of the Torcal above its performance abilities, although the latter are suitably impressive. Power is around 888PS (the most powerful Bentley ever), a number kept ‘low’ to avoid a neck-snapping, fire-breathing character (and perhaps to avoid treading on the toes of Porsche’s 1,156PS Cayenne Turbo Electric).

The all-important range is around 375 miles (600km), although exploring the 2.9 second sprint to 60mph or the 162mph top speed will swiftly bring that figure down (as will lugging a trailer of up to 2,700kg). Find a 400kW charger and it’ll take just over a quarter of an hour to top the car up from 10% to 80% of battery, in line with most other premium EVs.

Even though a more powerful S model is in the works, it’s not power, speed and/or the convenience of electrification that’ll sell these cars. What’s important is the design and the details. Bentley Director of Design Robin Page walks us through the four pillars that shape the Torcal, progressive, crafted, authentic and curated.