You’ll note that I started with a glowing assessment of the Bentayga Hybrid’s electric capability and then moved on to more moderate praise for the engine. If you too can look at this car from that perspective, you might consider buying one.

Frankel’s assessment that he’d pluck for the powerful, sonorous and altogether ‘more Bentley’ Bentayga V8 for the surcharge of just £6400 (less than 5% of the price) rings true for most buyers most of the time. But it would be a great pity if you wrote this car off as a cynical tax-dodger, created only to give access to swerve congestion charges (or city centre bans) and lower running bills for the wealthy.

Instead, consider that some do judge performance and presence differently to the majority. If I were driving relatively short distances every day, I’d relish the electric driving experience on offer here and feel good about burning less fuel than in a petrol equivalent.

So too it matters to some to make statements, and there’s a hard-to-ignore wow factor that comes with pulling up in such a big, brash car silently. And let’s not forget that, if they so choose, an owner of a car of this magnitude is likely to have garage space to show off many sides to their personality. If I were after a true performance car or performance four-seater, I may look elsewhere than a 2.5-tonne SUV anyway.

So, it may not be for everyone, but the Bentayga Hybrid has enough merits to make sense.

Bentley Bentayga Hybrid specification

Where Carmarthenshire, UK Price £130,500 On sale now Engine 2995cc, V6, turbocharged petrol, plus electric motor Power 443bhp (combined) Torque 516lb ft (combined) Gearbox 8-spd automatic Kerb weight 2626kg Top speed 158mph 0-62mph 5.5sec Fuel economy 80.7mpg CO2 79g/km Rivals Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, Range Rover P400e