NEW BENTLEY RECAPTURES THE MAKE’S OLD FEEL
When Bentley and Rolls-Royce split from their half-century partnership many experts thought it would signal the end of Bentley as a player in the ultra-luxury car game. After the debut of the new Bentley Mulsanne at the Frankfurt Auto Show those experts are now saying that Bentley has raised the bar for their competitors.
The Mulsanne is a tribute to founder W.O. Bentley’s vision of what an automobile should be. It’s big, powerful, and luxurious to a fault, and for the first time in recent memory it was designed and constructed entirely at the Bentley factory in Crewe, England. The car is a completely new design, not an improvement on earlier models or a new version of the Bentley Armage.
The new car is big, really big. At 219-inches it’s the length of an extended-cab pickup truck. It also harkens back to Bentley’s grand era with its new 6.75-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The engine produces an impressive 505 horsepower on pump gas, giving it the kind of raw power that Bentley was famous for in the mid 20th-century. Engineers also worked to include new performance technology into the engine. Drivers will notice that the ground-tearing torque for which Bentley is famous is still there, along with effortless acceleration. Along with this Bentley has introduced new technologies to meet modern emissions and efficiency standards.
To harness all that power the designers created a suspension and ride-control system second to none in the industry. The low-slung Mulsanne sits so low that there’s barely enough room to put a finger between the tire and the wheel well. The result is a low center of gravity that makes the machine handle comparably with much smaller, lighter vehicles. To further enhance the driving experience the designers have included a Drive Dynamics Control system. The system allows the driver to calibrate the suspension from soft to firm. It also offers the option of a custom suspension configuration via a multimedia input system. With this option drivers control a multitude of settings and have the option to store setting for future use.
All this is well and good for the normal luxury car buyer, but fans of Bentley worried that the new car would be a departure from the luxury for which the company is best known. Well, those people will be happy to know that Bentley has not only included all the appointments expected in one of their autos and have even managed to expand on the luxurious nature of the vehicle.
Inside you’ll find modern ergonomics seamlessly melded with the features you would expect in a Bentley. There’s plenty of wood used in the dash and console areas, with chrome accents on the dials other areas. Added to this Bentley is a multimedia system complete with a screen and joystick for navigation. The system controls not only the sound and navigation systems, but is also the interface for the Drive Dynamics Control system. Adding to the overhaul is a brand new steering wheel, designed to be more driver friendly and comfortable on long rides.
The outside of the machine is classic Bentley from the headlights to the rear haunch. The car has the Bentley stance, and the classic Bentley look to the grille and hood area. Not only does the classic Bentley logo connect the machine to its past, but the design team borrowed the classic Bentley headlight arrangement for this edition. Smaller outboard lights reminiscent of the company’s pre Rolls-Royce days flank the main lights, with day-running lamps ringing the main headlight.
The look and feel of this car is classic Bentley, which was the goal when the designers started with a blank sheet of paper. The Mulsanne should put worries to bed that the grand old make might fade into the pages of history. In fact, this Bentley seems poised to write a new chapter for the famous luxury auto.
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