Forza Horizon 3: The Princess and The Dream

This is the Bentley Bentayga and yes, I know. It was from the Rockstar Energy Car Pack for Forza Horizon 3, I drove it last time on Blizzard Mountain, and I even decorated it with a touch of a princess from an idol school. So now why am I driving it again?



Well, there's one main reason why am I driving it again because I really liked it. I may not be used to driving an SUV made by the company behind the Continental GT but the more I drive the Bentayga, I'm starting to realize that there's more to this hunk of meat because despite being a luxury SUV built to cater against the Range Rover, the Bentayga really behaves like a sportscar and while I still have the Hime decor made by me, looks like everyone's going to upset about why a princess like her trashed the competition like it was nothing happened.







No matter how tough the opponents are, she's just minced them like marinated salisbury steak served on a fancy dinner plate at a five-star restaurant only reserved for VIPs, And if that wasn't enough, this classy SUV with the first-class comfort fit for a princess like her to take her on a ski holiday is not afraid to get her face dirty, especially when a strong cyclone hit Down Under. Yep, she really is that extraordinary for a Bentley...



She really is that good for a Bentley of that size and that Bentayga is no exception when it comes to surpass the competition with its style and performance that makes this Bentley extraordinary. Ahem, sorry about that, but that design I made for the car before is what made me fell in love with the Bentley Bentayga and for such a heavy luxo-barge, it still feels like a sportscar and it's not afraid to take on all comers.

So, the Bentayga really is like an invincible princess that stands the crowd, what's it like to take on against the one who is living the dream?



Yep, our old friend, the BMW M2. Hey, still got that Yume Nijino decor I made for that car since our first encounter! How was it then? Great? Anyway, we got two unrelated machines with two similarly themed designs and what we have here is a match between the princess and the dream. This can make a very interesting match.

For fair play, all of their upgrades have been stripped out and they can reclaim it after the match. With the upgrades stripped out and reverted back to normal, some arrangements have been made. Let's look at the stats; the Bentley Bentayga is powered by a 6.0L W12 engine producing 599HP of power and 663ft-lb of torque. It does 0-60mph in four seconds and onwards to 187 mph (301 km/h). The BMW M2 Coupe, meanwhile, is powered by a small 3.0L 6-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 365hp of power and 369ft-lb of torque. Despite producing very less than the Bentayga, has a 0-60mph time of 4.3 seconds and electronically limited to 155mph, it's two thousand pounds lighter than the Bentley.



Okay, let's translate these numbers into lap times and see who can make it to the Surfers Paradise Festival Site first. A standard Bentayga set the target time of 2:35.989 and the goal for the M2? BEAT THE CLOCK.

Before setting off, there's just one major confession about this stunt; with that grace and demeanor the Bentayga showed, feels like the M2 couldn't stand up to this challenge but with such confidence and optimism, this Bimmer, along with the design themed after Yume, is ready to show everything it has and without further ado, the battle between the greats has begun and I got it on the tape.



The time? 2:31.418! About four seconds faster than the mighty Bentayga! This is the moment I've been searching for! It's like Yume defeated Hime for the school's best idol and yes, you get the point. Anyway, enough about that idol trash because this shows that this isn't about size and power when it comes to competition because when you dream big, you can accomplish everything!



Man, what a night it was! Seeing a M2 defeating the Bentayga is like David pinned down Goliath and for a sportscar that is smaller than any other M car from BMW, the M2 really has a lot of ideas to share with. So, what do you say? Ready for your first day tomorrow morning? I'm looking forward to see what's next with this little M car filled with hopes and dreams for us all. Have fun.

Forza Horizon 3: [Censored] to [Censored]...sorta

Sorry about the title but it's a clear reference from the latest Grand Tour episode titled [Censored] to [Censored] where the boys compare three British SUVs and going on their German-Austria road trip from Wank, Kissing, Petting, the Austrian village with the curse word on it, and all the way to Nuremberg. We saw the Jaguar F-Pace, the Range Rover, and the Bentley Bentayga into action and if I was just wondering if I can do the same comparison right here Down Under on Forza Horizon 3.







I already tried three of British SUVs in the past and I am already familiar with the way they behave for me because while the F-Pace excels in its handling capabilities because this is the lightest of the three, the Bentayga is the all-powerful heavyweight that shows its inner tyranny in the house of cards, and the Range Rover is all about offroad capabilities unlike any other, even though I found out that it's the heaviest of the three British-made SUVs.

Since this is Australia, it's impossible to recreate the comparison on the said Grand Tour episode but I found a piece of Grand Tour somewhere Down Under and that was called "Grand Tour Sprint", so famously called because it has the words "Grand Tour" on it and that remind anyone of the car show the former Top Gear trio were on it. Special, isn't it? And that gave me the ideal time to put these three British SUVs to the test round the Grand Tour Sprint because...it's like conducting science experiments with test subjects, only this time in cars.







To ensure a fair-playing field, I've stripped most of their upgrades to their respective tuning files so they can pick them up later after this experiment. Oh, and I also stripped off the special designs that I made because...I don't know why but this is science and no fancy accessories are allowed during the conduction of such a scientific process.

Now it's time to find out which of these three British SUVs is the best and no, there won't be any underwear, pets, sunglasses, and canned beans involved in the making of this experiment. No way. It's time to settle things once and for all and see which SUV is the best. Remember, no shortcuts because this is cheating just like what happened in the Grand Tour episode.

And so, the boxing bell has rung...



At the end of their Grand Tour sprint, I have the times;

F-Pace: 2:52.139
Range Rover: 2:41.862
Bentayga: 2:37.457

Here's the point; the F-Pace, because of its supercharged 3.0L V6 engine that produces less than the other two heavyweights, is the slowest of the three while the Bentayga, due to its tyrannical power output for a 12-cylinder SUV, is the fastest of the three, and in the end...hmmm...James May is absolutely useless.

So, the Bentayga is the fastest of the three and it's very hard to say what the dopey old idiot was doing behind the wheel because while it looks heavy inside and out, it's surprisingly fast and handles like a grand tourer, well just about. I assured that the Bentayga behaves like the good old Continental GT with the added muscle to upset the Range Rover in the race of luxury SUVs and in a straight-line performance, it would easily beat both the Jag and the Range Rover by a wide margin of reach but what could possibly go wrong with the Bentayga anyway?

Anyway, enough talk right now and time to close the case, proving that the ultra-expensive Bentley Bentayga is the best of the three SUVs and this Grand Tour episode really needs a rewrite.

FH3 Blizzard Mountain: Big Ben

Time for another guessing game, am I right? Okay, on the front it looks more like a Bentley, a gentleman's touch of royalty served for the privileged few. Although it can be classified as a sovereign when you look at the Bentley badge at the front, something's different about this Bentley because while the front looks similar to the Continental GT, this car in question is not the Continental GT. In fact, this is the Bentley that differs it from the royal blood. Care to see it?



Holy nachos! Looks like Bentley's not safe on the SUV outbreak that spreads through most carmakers like a flu season in wintertime.



Say hello to the first-ever Bentley Bentayga, the king of luxury SUVs.



While driving Crewe's first sport utility vehicle at the Blizzard Mountain to study its capabilities, let's talk more about the Bentayga. As the first SUV in the Bentley range, the Bentayga is inspired from the EXP 9 F Concept from the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, but compared to the concept car it inspired from, the Bentayga features Continental GT-inspired face at the front and Flying Spur-inspired rear lamps at the back, but despite its differences, the Bentayga's SUV packaging is a feast to be festooned for the privileged few.

Under the hood lies the newly-developed 6.0L W12 TSi engine producing 608PS of power and 900Nm of torque and when mated to an 8-speed gearbox, it does 0-100kph near the five second mark and onwards to 301kph. This power makes the Bentley Bentayga the most powerful luxury SUV ever made. Apart from the W12 engine offered, the Bentayga is offered with Bentley's first diesel engine, in the form of a 4.0L 32-valve V8 diesel engine that delivers the same amount of torque as the W12 engine but it only produces 435PS of power.



While the Bentayga is a hunk of metal made for the high-paying footballers who love to turn on the stadium parking lot with their flashy luxury cars with six-figure pricetags, some would say that the design is pathetically ugly for a Bentley, although the interior is worth redeeming when it was festooned with luxury items that can be somewhat on the same level as a chauffeur-driven car.

Like the Range Rover, the Bentayga feels more classy and posh on the city centers while showing its adventurous character offroad, regardless of the road and weather conditions it faced. Although this is the most powerful SUV ever made, the way it handles got me worried and because of such weight, handling this supersized royalty is like taming a wild horse at a posh academy. This heavyweight body, despite its king-sized power output, is worth of a challenge for me and that gave me the idea to see how much the Bentayga can do while facing extreme icy conditions.





A posh Bentayga fit for the idol princess. Well, not really a princess but with the design inspired by Aikatsu Stars' Hime Shiratori that I just booked in for this car, feels like she's going on a ski holiday with the others, but this is no holiday vacation. Oh no. Because, after extensive improvements to make it well prepared for the filming, the Bentayga is ready to take on Blizzard Mountain like you never seen before. So, with the cameras rolling, it's time to get this show on the road!



It maybe messy during a royal rumble against the heavyweights but looks like the Bentayga became the star of the show while experiencing extreme icy conditions here in Blizzard Mountain. This Bentley ain't no Range Rover, you know, but looks like the ultra-luxurious, ultra-powerful Bentayga made me surprised that it gave me an idea. What idea you may ask? I'm returning back Down Under to compare against three British SUVs in the market and this could be an ideal task for me to do it because I swear I saw something like this before.

This is definitely one thing I'm looking forward to do it later but in the meantime, time to take the Bentayga back home because it's almost tea time and I need to be here before it.

Maserati Levante vs. Bentley Bentayga

The Italian sportscar company, Maserati, is morphing from Italy's Porsche to Italy's BMW ever since cars like the Quattroporte and the Ghibli are slotting alongside the aging GranTurismo coupe and if that wasn't enough, a new SUV, called the Levante, is joining the ranks of the Maserati lineage.

2017 Maserati Levante

The Levante is Maserati's first ever SUV that was made to compete against the likes of Porsche's Macan, BMW's X3, Mercedes' GLC, Audi's Q5, even Jaguar's first ever F-PACE and because SUVs are becoming the norm in today's automotive society, the Levante proves that it handles like a Maserati even in its bigger packaging fit for the outdoorsmen in them. Fitting for the high rollers who have a hectic lifestyle ahead after their long week of business, the Levante caters them with something that its competitors had with a major twist.

Although the Levante's design is what you called kinky, it's still sexy from every angle even for a bulky exterior. You can think of it as a bouncer who knows how to kick butts with his martial arts per se. On the inside, the dashboard is highly reminiscent of the Porsche Cayenne with the shift lever looks like it came from BMW. At least it wasn't as complicated as the Cayenne when you operate the gizmos offered on the Levante. For a five-seater crossover with lots of room in the back, this is the more practical one for your next week off from work.

For an SUV, the Levante sits in the same stuff that you get in the Ghibli and Quattroporte saloons and at launch, the turbocharged 3.0L V6 was offered in petrol and diesel guise, mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The petrol version produces up to 430HP of power and does 0-100kph in 5.2 seconds with the top speed of 264kph, more than what the Germans can do. The diesel version promises fuel economy as low as 7.2 litres/100 km under the New European Driving Cycle, although that consumption for a diesel-powered Maserati does raise some eyebrows to those conspiracy theorists who are still clueless about diesels and their discrepancies. Although we remain clueless, the Levante was benefitted by its clever aerodynamics system that takes charge of its engine temperature, reduces the aerodynamic drag of the car and subsequently reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

Despite being heavier than the Ghibli, the new Levante handles with precision thanks to its Q4 All-Wheel Drive system and Torque Vectoring and although too grippy to be called a fun car full-stop, its well-balanced dynamics made it a serious player in the sport crossover genre. Get use to it more and you will be able to accept that the Levante is a good car to handle despite its chunks. In other terms, it behaves just like what a Maserati should.

There are some feared that despite its potential capabilities, the Levante can't live up to the Maserati lineage because its too bulky to be classified for a sportscar. Too bulky to be a sportscar, huh? What if there's something that is way too bulky to be a sportscar, it isn't one?

2016 Bentley Bentayga

This is the first ever SUV from Bentley, called the Bentayga and with its design as bizarre as its naming, you can consider this mammoth to be the most outlandish car made by the Brits. Underneath its whopperness lies a brand new 6.0L W12 TSi engine producing 608PS of power and 900Nm of torque. Couple that to an 8-speed gearbox, it does 0-100kph near the five second mark and onwards to 301kph. 

Although the Bentayga is one of the most powerful SUVs in the planet, you can't just storm in like what others did with the Continental GT because its dynamics are so the drama for a whopper supreme of that size. Car enthusiasts had to admit that the Bentayga's interior is the most luxurious for a crossover, even a Range Rover can't have those kind of stuff found on the Bentayga, but considering the struggle on how to get it round the corner or tackle off-road in uncharted territories, the Bentayga wasn't made for the most insane drivers everywhere, considering the load and effort needed to turn this bulky machine around from A to Z, unless if you get the Bentley Dynamic Ride system kicking alive and well, which gives the driver many ways to drive in different conditions.

Pricing? That sounds like too much for a whopper supreme because the Bentayga starts at £160,200, which is more costly than the Levante's starting price of 73,417 Euros, depending on exchange rates and region. So, there you have it. With their first ever SUVs step into the luxury car limelight, it's everyone's fair play for the two because if you are interested in dynamics, the Levante is the better bet, but if its power and luxury you're after, you can go with the awkwardly styled and named Bentayga. Whichever you go for, it's anyone's guess.