2020 Legore Bisango Bi-Turbo Twelve - Modern Market 5
car by @Mythrin
Legore puts the bar very high for themselves when they claim their new Bisango trim is "built with the intention of being the most opulent SUV in the world”. We had the opportunity drive one of the press cars close to the final product of this aggressive big SUV.
The Bisango Bi-Turbo Twelve is powered by a six liter twin-turbo charged V12 putting out a massive 720 horsepower and a road-churning 1300Nm of torque. Set low on its massive 23 inch wheels (285 front and 325 rear), and with only 4 proper places, this is a luxury-sports car in an SUV package. Utility and offroad capabilities rank low on Legore’s priority list.
Legore is an Italian brand that has always focused on luxury and performance. Born from the legendary Scagliati brand, a rogue offshoot as it were, its commercial history has been rickety, with only the last decade turning Legore into a serious player on the market under the ownership of Ceder Automotive Groupe, who also entered into a joint venture with the Apollo Motor Company, the engine developer of, among others, the Legore engines.
The Bisango was first introduced in 2017 with two 4.0 liter V8 engine options, a twin-turbo charged petrol engine, and a turbo-diesel variant. 2020 is seeing the introduction of this V12 option. The turbo-diesel variant - which was very popular on the European market, and which the Exhaust Note also drove - is currently being faded out and will be replaced by a new 3.0 V6 hybrid power plant.
The question that Legore itself obviously invites: is this the most opulent SUV in the world? Our testing can confirm that the Bisango Bi-Turbo Twelve is certainly luxurious. Our Bahia Green test car featured all top trim options. The four seats are bathed in luxury, with rear privacy glass, extreme quality seating, ample leg room and high level infotainment, with personalization possible per seat.
The interior is leather (Punalu Black with Cirrus Grey highlights and double stitching in our case), has a ‘twelve’ signature embroidered on the seats, features deep pile lambswool carpets - slightly too fluffy for our tastes - and has dark stained burr walnut inserts along the dash and doors. The inserts in particular create a nice contrast between old world luxury, and the hyper modern infotainment screens along the dash, in the back of the front seats and on the front and rear center consoles.
If there is any critique from our side, it is that the seats can be quite a tight fit. Comfortable, but shaped somewhat like a racing seat to keep you in place under heavy cornering. And with that we come to the issues we at The Exhaust Note find that this new behemoth Bisango has.
This Bi-Turbo Twelve has massive amounts of power, will accelerate the 2.5 ton (despite all aluminium construction) SUV to 100km in well under 3.5 seconds to a top speed of around 315 km/h (unlimited on the special Pirelli compound tyres), but it is not a sports car. The suspension set up is quite loose, favouring dampening road feel over handling. The brakes are remarkable in normal traffic, but overheat and dangerously lose effectiveness when put on the track.
As mentioned before, we also drove a 2019 V8 turbo-diesel Bisango, and while certainly less powerful and slower (430 HP, 892Nm - under 5 seconds 0-100 and a top speed of 265 km/h) with less aggressive 22 inch 275mm wheels all around, this trim offers much of the same opulence on the inside. The price of this 2019 Bisango: $250.000. Price of the new Bi-Turbo Twelve: $480.000. That is double the price for far less than double the car.
Sure, the ride in the Bi-Turbo Twelve is extremely smooth - you don’t hear the engine or the 9-speed gearbox unless you put your foot down properly. In the V8TD you notice you are driving a diesel (although in higher revs and with the turbo engaging, we are actually a fan of the sound). Sure the interior contains more hand-made components and an updated infotainment system. Sure the tyres are specially made and the drivetrain now contains a limited slip differential. But those changes are still quite minimal to warrant the huge price increase.
As mentioned earlier, the Bi-Turbo Twelve adds in terms of drivability and luxury, but despite those special tyres and that LSD, we had the feeling the Turbo-Diesel actually was more fun in the corners and on braking. Weighing almost half a ton lighter helps here, we presume. The Bisango is a fantastic top level SUV, and we are looking forward to the Hybrid version coming out next year. The Bi-Turbo Twelve on the other hand, looks to be more a prestige buy rather than a sensible buy. But then again, this might be the point with Italian luxury brands.
The verdict:
(+) beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside
(+) smooth and silent cruising
(+) extreme luxury and comfort
(+) top level infotainment
(-) tight squeeze in the seats if you aren’t 100% fit
(-) implies sportiness but fails to deliver
(-) money for value compared to other Bisango trims
Final score: 15/20 (opulent, but also a bit of a try-hard - not the prefect well-rounded package)