Volkswagen offers plaid interior trim for the Golf GTI. Once upon a time, the long-defunct American Motors Corporation offered denim seats in the Gremlin X Levi’s Edition. We have to wonder, then, why it’s taken so long for Bentley to offer up tweed as an optional material for its stately lineup of British vehicles? It matters not, because going forward, you can now get it in any new Bentley.
Specifically, the Crewe-based luxury brand will offer four styles of the woolen fabric through its bespoke Mulliner group. To answer the obvious question, no you can’t get tweed seats for that warm, fuzzy feeling while driving. Instead, Bentley will use the material specifically for door inserts where it adds visual appeal amid a sea of leather and wood.
Four distinct styles are available, starting with a green-tinged design called Cheltenham. Fans of plaid will like Glen Plaid-Tolsta Beach, which arguably stands out the most among the choices. Bentley describes the final tweed options of Charcoal and Sand Herringbone as subtle, offering complementing texture for lighter interiors (Sand Herringbone) or darker accommodations (Charcoal).
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Bentley aficionados will point out that this actually isn’t the first appearance of tweed in the automaker’s vehicles. The fabric has occasionally shown up in special edition models, the most recent being the $1.9-million Bacalar of which only 12 will be made. However, in those instances tweed wasn’t an option – it was part of the package and though any new Bentley is terrifically expensive, there’s a big difference in plunking down $250,000 for a Continental GT versus $2 million for an extremely rare special edition model.
Curiously, Bentley is keen to talk about the tweed option reflecting a push towards its future incorporating the use of sustainable materials. It’s part of the automaker’s Beyond 100 strategy, and to that end, Bentley says the tweed is sourced from a company that takes great steps to utilize sustainable, environmentally positive production with a low carbon footprint.
That effort could be offset by the twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter W12 engine offered throughout the lineup. It manages a 14 MPG combined mileage rating in the Bentayga but hey, you have to start somewhere.