Bentley Reviews

It's not some frivolous energy drink that gives you wings, it's a Big B. Bentley - with a racing pedigree but a profile that was long overshadowed by Rolls-Royce

Only a company like Bentley could get away with calling a car 'Speed' without arousing the wrath of the world's wowsers.

It used to be that when you wanted a taste of outdoors you went camping. You carried your own canvas, erected it somewhere you hoped was not snake-infested, then incinerated food on that most fickle of stoves, the campfire.So along came the campsite, which introduced the toilet block. It should have been a good idea but wasn't due to the incessant sound of generators. A similar catch-22 confronts convertible makers. Remove the roof, and the rigid metal canister that was a car becomes a soggy mass of uncertainty.These are the motoring equivalents of the campsite: they appear convenient -- four seats, say, and a secure folding metal roof -- but actually ruin the very thing they set out to make acceptable. You've got wind in your hair but can't enjoy it because the ride quality is intolerable and your knees are pressed to your chin.I'd rather go behind a tree and happily some convertibles are still like this. The Lotus Elise, for example, is a loud and uncompromising sportscar with a roof from a 1950s scout manual. It's as raw as the environment you're in, a two-person bivouac on wheels.Or, if you're going to make the experience luxurious, at least do it with conviction. When we're talking tents this is called “glamping” -- glamorous camping. You're in pristine natural wilderness, of course, but never far from a comfy bed and a coffee machine. When we're talking large convertibles, this is called the Bentley GTC.If the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead at $1,075,000 is the Everest of convertibles, the GTC is K2. Not the tallest, but head and shoulders above everything bar one. The version I drove, with a new V8 engine, starts at $407,000.After a few essentials were added, such as deep-pile floor mats, a knurled gear lever and diamond-quilted upholstery, it came in at $497,288. The next most expensive, Maserati's Grancabrio, starts way below at $338,000.A BMW M6 Convertible is $308,500 while the most luxurious Mercedes four-seat convertible is the E500, at $188,635, which wouldn't give any self-respecting glamper altitude sickness. You could buy a convertible Aston DB9, Jaguar XK or Porsche 911, but only if you're clear about your seating needs. The rears are splendidly upholstered parcel shelves.In the Bentley, rear seating is tight for adults but at least usable by humans of some dimensions. And if its rivals' cabins are splendid, it ups the ante with sumptuous. Bentley is fond of saying that if a piece of trim looks like wood, it is wood, and if it looks like metal it is metal.That's rare these days but it's more than that. A paperclip looks like metal. In the GTC, each piece could come from an expensive watchstrap. As if to prove it, there's a little Breitling set in the dash. A nice touch, as is the silent silver arm that moves the seatbelt within reach. Did I mention the knurled gear knob? Few cabins are this lovely.The roof is large and leisurely in operation, at around 25 seconds. It doesn't open on the move and a wind deflector must be manually fitted. A bit old-school, but without it the cabin stays fairly calm and it delivers on other counts. Closed, the tight roofline gives the car great hunkered-down proportions and tightly insulates the interior.There are fold-out beds less generously padded. This is the second generation of the GTC and it follows the coupe, driven almost two years ago, in making modest changes. So modest, at the time it felt a little underdone. This is especially true of the exterior, where the crisper lines need an acute visual memory to discern from the original.But it's even more true of one crucial area: the control screen. It shares this with other brands in the Volkswagen group and even two years ago the upgrade was off the pace. Perhaps that won't matter because other impressions are more potent. Few cars take pride in their weight these days because they're shedding every conceivable gram to lower fuel consumption.Certainly, it feels better balanced than its nose-heavy predecessor, which was offered only with a huge turbocharged 6.0-litre 12-cylinder. That engine, upgraded, remains available for another $42,500. But even for a badge that relishes extremes it now looks like overkill.The 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 is shared with Audi and I was expecting it to be a bit more vocal, especially roof-down. But it has enough power for the car, with easy driveability thanks to loads of low-rev torque. The GTC gathers pace with inevitability, like a steam train.Then it's easy to exceed the speed limit. It will reach 100km/h in five seconds, amazingly quick for something this heavy. In a nod to efficiency, there are fuel-saving features such as direct injection and the ability to shut down half its cylinders when cruising.A new eight-speed automatic also helps, even if it's not the quickest changing transmission. Eight -- a lucky number for Bentley -- is also the piston count on the huge brakes. They work, thankfully.So even more than usual, a Bentley can make other cars feel like toys. It has substance. After just a few hundred metres behind the wheel this solidity betrays the badge. Blindfolded (a thought experiment!) I reckon I could tell what it was just from its road feel. Few, if any, convertibles ride this well, with just the occasional minor shudder reminding you that it's an imperfect world. One you can blithely ignore.Because at heart it's tarmac imperialism, this 2.4-tonne British expeditionary force, and it imparts a certain road swagger to the driver. You become a hoon in a pith helmet. That's because it's good to drive. Bentley claims it's the stiffest convertible in the world and the suspension engineers must have been delighted. You feel the weight in corners but it settles into the task and the chassis is surprisingly nuanced and subtle in the signals it sends the driver. Huge rubber and all-wheel drive, split 40:60 front-rear, add to its fundamental ability. Driving it fast feels like you've mastered juggling medicine balls.I've confessed before in these pages to being no lover of convertibles. But I've realised now it has to be one extreme or the other. If I'm going to commune with nature, it's got to be hardcore. Or hedonistic. And few do it as well as this Bentley GTC.

The Bentley GT is an imposing machine with long and broad and muscled body, W12 up front for spirited touring and premium interior for comfort. Customers wanted more of the same, wanted the same character of the first GT from 2003 with a few tweaks. Customers wanted the two-door car to move forward in style and technology without diverting from the heritage drive.So the Bentley crew drew up a new body, a little wider and cleaner with sharper creases, stiffened the front end, revised some mechanicals and found a little more cabin room for the four-seater. The result remains one of the grandest of tourers, a car of style and substance with similar lines and performance to the first of these Continental GTs, Bentley's most successful car series to date. From 1919 to 2003 the British marque sold 16,000 cars. Worldwide the GT - in coupe, convertible and supersport styles - has sold 23,000 since 2003; around 250 of those in Australia. The new GT is 'an evolution of the revolution', carrying on that successful relaunch - the renaissance of the brand - that these first GTs brought to the Volkswagen-owned Bentley.VALUEAt $405,000 the Bentley Continental GT is out there in a paddock of some mighty exotic machinery. It carries individual style, luxurious interior and excellent engineering; as do all in this bracket. The GT does not carry some of those techno driver aids - lane assist for instance - of many in this class. Bentley boys and girls are 'goers not showers' we're told; they like to look after their own driving. Value here is in the seat of the pants, in the distinctive style and engineering. It is said Bentleys' resale values outstrip those for the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW at about 80 per cent for a five-year old GT.TECHNOLOGYThe twin turbocharged W12 engine now produces more power (423kW) and torque (700Nm), will run an E85 ethanol fuel mix and can push the GT to 318km/h. A 4 litre V8 option, arriving in late 2011, aims to reduce C02 emissions by 40 per cent.All-wheel drive is now split 40:60 where the previous car was 50:50 and the six-speed auto has been revised and strengthened. There's stability control and a console-mounted switch for four suspension settings.DESIGNIt took three and a half years to remake this bolder GT inside and out. Key to new lines was 'super forming', a panel-making process which allows those sharp creases Bentleys once had when bodies were hand-hammered, profiles lost with factory tooling. It also allowed designers to dispense with some lines, in particular shut-lines on front guards.For a more dynamic, wider style, there's an extra 40mm in width, an 'eyebrow' line over the front guards, higher waistline, plus more upright grille and boot lid. There's a crease running from over the front wheels (reminiscent of the 1954 R Type)  to sculpted haunches. Simpler design lines and "Bentliness" are carried inside, witness the oval brake pedal with big B imprinted. Moving the seat belt from the front seats to the body saved 46mm rear seat space and 25kg; more sculpted door trim allowed more stowage.  SAFETYThe Bentley is stacked with airbags, front for driver and passenger plus individual side bags for all passengers and a knee airbag for the driver. All-wheel drive and well-balanced chassis, great brakes, continuous damping control all make for first-class primary safety. DRIVINGThe waft of the W12 exhaust behind, a clear alpine road ahead and the GT is in its element. Driver and passengers cosseted in a lake of leather-clad luxury.Left to its own devices and D for drive, the coupe moves off at more than reasonable pace, aided and abetted by 700Nm arriving at a low 1700rpm. Visibility front, side and rear is good, the car is always quiet and confident though some tyre noise may intrude on coarse chip surfaces.But shift into S mode, start using those steering wheel paddles behind the steering wheel for changes into and out of turns, and the Bentley delivers more. Sharper responses and a smooth, moon-shot linear rush to the next turn. Best of the experience are those smart downshifts, electronics allowing engine blips and sublime responses.Big and ventilated disc brakes provide great feel and stopping power, speed-sensitive steering is docile around town and sharper as speed rises while suspension would appear best left one or two spots north of the comfort setting.But while this 2011 GT may be 65kg lighter than its predecessor there's still 2320kg and almost 5mx2m of machine to shift from corner to corner on tight mountain roads. Important here to provide a little throttle to help the front end combat understeer. It is, at the end of the day, grand tourer in the best traditions of the genre.VERDICT An every day supercarBentley Continental GTPrice: $405,000Resale: 82 per cent over five yearsSafety: Seven airbagsEngine: 6 litre, twin turbo W12: 423kW @ 6000rpm/ 700Nm @ 1700rpmTransmission: six-speed automaticThirst: 16.5l/100km; CO 384g/kmBody: Two-door coupeDimensions: 4806mm (l) 1944mm (w) 1404mm (h) 2764mm (wb)Weight: 2310kg

A responsible publication would at this point post a warning to the sensitive that this article contains superlatives and references to indecent levels of decadence. There's nothing about Bentley's  upgraded topless grand tourer to encourage economy with language, anymore than driving this land yacht with a speedboat's attitude is about economy and restraint.VALUESorry, what was the question again?"Value" isn't a word one uses in proximity to one of these. It's a bit like offering a Russian oil billionaire (a species, who along with China's new money elite, comprise a big chunk of Bentley buyers) domestic sparkling wine rather than champagne.You can still get a very decent apartment in some Australian capitals for less than the approximately $530,000 asking price of the folding roof Bentley. I've lived in smaller rooms than the GTC's interior and stayed in no hotel so lushly upholstered.There's nothing quite like it this is side of a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and for that you're looking at more than double the ask for the Bentley. The rivals listed below are chosen as much for their ability to go topless as for any real comparability.TECHNOLOGYThe unique Crewe-built twin turbo 6.0-litre W12 has been around for some seven years, just that it's now capable of accepting E85 fuel and, more to the point, is even more muscular putting out 423kW and a mountain crushing 700Nm. Few petrol engines exceed this power, and only one turbo diesel - cousin Audi's top draw A8 - exceeds its torque.Married to the QuickShift six speed auto from the Continental Supersports, it is a formidable drivetrain that, with the uncannily Audi derived rear biased all-wheel-drive system, gets the GTC's 2.5 tonne displacement from zero to 100km/h in an unfeasibly fast 4.5 seconds en route to claimed maximum 314km/h.There's the usual talk at convertible launches about enhanced body stiffness. More tangibly you have a four mode Continuous Damping Control. The front track is 41mm wider, the rear 48.Massive midlife upgrades and sweeping generational changes are left to lesser lights, but such other tech upgrades as have been made are significant, such as the 30 GB hard drive that includes a Google Earth derived sat-nav that's as familiarly usable as it is sophisticated.Even Bentley isn't immune to the legislatively driven engine downsizing, so a bespoke of the new 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 (made for Audi's S6 and S7) is en route though there's no certainty as to when that'll reach our part of the planet. It's felt that what  "you V8 loving Australians" as we we called will gravitate toward it.DESIGNTweaks and embellishments don't exactly abound and you'd want a connoisseur's eye to see them at first glance. Me? I had to read the handout to be sure.Bespoke LED daytime running lights flank an apparently more upright grille with a rear profile in the "double horseshoe" manner of the flagship Mulsanne. There's a choice of 20 and 21-inch alloys from five spokes to 10, all enough to make you want to park meters from the kerb.Mainly and sensibly it's a case of honing a few creases and addition a bit more lustre. As ever the GTC looks indecently attractive with the lid folded down, less so with it up. In any either configuration it's a muscularly handsome beast with one of the most distinctive front ends in the world. When this grille fills your rear vision mirror the temptation is to gawk rather than get out of the way.Within ... Well, it's as though an Edwardian gentlemen's club has been fashioned in the shape of an auto interior. Even the dash is finished in soft-touch leather or which there are 17 shades to complement the seven handcrafted hard veneers. But those wands could have come out of the Volkswagen Group communal parts bin.Bentley has matched Benz with neck warmers for going topless on a cold day. Those being chauffeured in the back also get a bit more leg room. No vulgar, weight adding metal lid for the GTC. It's a tailored multi-layered fabric job that folds down in 25 seconds.SAFETYThe day a safety agency can afford to crash one of these to assess its star worthiness is the day we all start swilling schooners of Veuve Cliquot and smashing the empty vessels in the fireplace. It's just not going to happen.Nor is there any need for this particular excess - festooned airbags, all conceivable safety measures and battleship build quality, the Bentley is bullet, and very possibly bomb, proof.DRIVINGTorque of this sort is not cheap but it is so readily attained - all 700Nm from as low as 1700rpm - a tidal wave on which  the Bentley's small truck tonnage is borne along if not effortlessly then certainly without expending too much effort.Its remit is consuming klicks at a loping cruising pace, it's just that the GTC can do it at 200km/h while barely tickling 3000rpm. At Australian freeway speeds it seems barely to be moving.While the likely client will also own  something honed and sharp for point and shoot driving, this coach acquits itself honourably if modes and transmission are set to the sportiest. In any circumstances comfort mode is a bit acquatic and a constant reminder that, though this incarnation is lighter than the one previous, it remains a lardy beast.That this baggage isn't excessive says it all for the W12 which hauls with immense authority in drive or sport. Maximum power occurs just before the 6200 rpm redline, but this is in no sense about histrionics in terms of revs or even aural feedback.The exhaust blast is best heard from week back rather than within and even with the top down conversations are carried without raised voices.VERDICTVisually an exercise in conspicuous consumption, to drive an exercise in leisure. Never mind your mortgage, live in one of these.Bentley Continental GTCPrice: about $419,749Engine: 6.0-litre W12; 423kW/700NmTrans: 6-speed auto; AWDSafety: UntestedWeight: 2485kgThirst: 16L/100km; 384g/km Co2"Living large; in fact you'd live in it"

It's one of those cars that look just the same as the old one, at least at first glance. But, if you were to put the new Bentley Continental GT side by side with its predecessor, the differences would become immediately apparent. It's a strategy that has been adopted successfully by other car makers, BMW chief among them, leading to an evolutionary rather than revolutionary approach to car design. At the same time, the new model must be sufficiently different to entice existing customers to update. Has Bentley succeeded?VALUEAt just over $400,000 plus on-roads, the Continental GT is Bentley's most affordable model, straddling the upper reaches of the luxury segment and lower echelons of the even more exclusive, range of hand-built vehicles. To put the car in context, the two-door, four-seat coupe is designed to whisk four people in absolute comfort across the continent at warp speed and fulfills this role very well.Think big and powerful with huge reserves of torque and a top drawer, hand-finished interior and you begin to get the picture. Launched in 2003 (2004 in Australia) the Continental GT was the first modern day Bentley of its kind and as such found a ready market. One Oz customer even flew his completed car out to Australia rather than wait the two months for it to arrive by boat.The GT has spearheaded the resurgence of the bespoke British brand, under Volkswagen's ownership and now accounts for a majority of sales. As a successor, the new GT won't find the running quite so easy, but it's been a while between drinks.TECHNOLOGYWith the unique W12 engine in place again, it's lighter and more powerful than before, and the all-wheel drive system is now biased 60:40 towards the rear, imparting a sportier drive experience. The 12 cylinder engine (in effect two V6s joined at the hip) pumps out an impressive 423kW of power and 700Nm of torque this time around, up from 412kW and 650Nm.Linked to a sweet ZF 6-speed auto with column mounted shift paddles, it pushes the car from 0-100km/h in a scant 4.6 seconds, two tenths less than before, with a top speed of 318km/h. That's not an inconsiderable feat bearing in mind the GT weighs a hefty 2320kg.In a first too, the W12 engine is now E85 compatible, but we shudder to think how fast it would slurp the stuff based on the 20.7 litres/100km that we were getting using 98RON (claimed economy from the 90-litre tank is 16.5). We're told fuel consumption would increase about 30 per cent, greatly reducing the range.DESIGNIn the styling department, the car has a more upright front grille and there is a greater difference in size between the headlight/secondary light combination either side, with the addition of fashionable daytime LEDs.The window level has been raised, the rear lights are completely different and the rear apron has also been completely redesigned, with 20 inch wheels standard and 21s now optional.Inside you need to be a Bentley aficionado to pick the differences. But the new 30Gb touch screen navigation and entertainment system is hard to miss, adapted from VW's parts bin. The front seat belt mount has been relocated providing a more comfortable seat design and easier access to the rear seats. There's 46mm more rear legroom but still feels too tight for long trips.DRIVINGOn the road the car feels quieter, tighter and more responsive, generating more feedback for the driver. But throttle response remains considered rather than instantaneous, as the car gathers itself for the charge. At idle the W12 has an impressive throb. We were surprised by the absence of driver assistance systems apart from active cruise control.Bentley says they aren't a high priority with customers, but with a narrow field of view, blind spot warning wouldn't go astray, neither would auto-braking to prevent rear-enders. In other developments, Bentley has revealed it will add a V8 later this year, but is not saying much about the 4.0-litre engine apart from the fact it will produce better economy (and will no doubt be cheaper).BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTEngine: 6.0-litre turbocharged petrol 12-cylinderPower/torque: 423kW at 6000rpm and 700Nm at 1700rpmTransmissions: Six-speed automatic, all-wheel drivePrice: From $405,000 plus on-road costs.

Chinese buyers helped Bentley survive the downturn, which hit top-tier marques especially hard. Bentleys are large, which suits Chinese luxury tastes. Its bestseller there, by far, is the Flying Spur sedan.The Flying Spur is the four-door variant of the Continental GT, the coupe that was the first car Bentley made after it split from Rolls-Royce to become part of the Volkswagen group.The Continental GT defined the reborn Bentley. It was exactly the sort of eye-catching shape Bentley needed to put it back on the radar.Eight years later the second-generation GT has arrived to carry the banner into the next decade.DESIGNBentley desperately needs to boost sales but decided on a gentle evolution of the GT rather than a radical overhaul.So there are subtle changes to make it look racier and more upmarket. It's wider than before and the waistline -- the lower edge of the windows -- has been raised. Some of the panels are now aluminium, which helps to shed about 60kg. It also means Bentley can use a shaping technique called superforming to avoid seams around the headlights, give crisper lines along the sides and more pronounced haunches.TECHNOLOGYUnderneath, the suspension has been retuned while under the bonnet, the W-shaped 6.0-litre turbocharged 12-cylinder engine has got 11kW more power and 50Nm more torque. The all-wheel drive system now distributes drive with a 60 per cent bias to the rear instead of an even split, so that the dynamics more closely resemble a traditional sportscar.Inside, Bentley has liberated some rear leg-room by redesigning the seats and relocating the seatbelts. The central control screen is larger and its software has received the latest upgrade.DRIVINGTHE previous Continental GT was a lovely car that epitomised the grand-tourer idea. This is a romantic notion, to me at least, that suggests effortless meandering among the cultural landmarks of Europe like an Evelyn Waugh character, a wad of inherited money in my back pocket.Unhappily, that's not my lot and neither would it be for most GT owners. But the GT was a pleasant way to drive to work when you're a time-poor merchant bank exec. As a statement of weighty prosperity and power, the GT felt exactly like a Bentley should.A design this good deserves to live beyond a single model cycle, especially at the top of the market. Some brands tinker with the same shape for decades without doing much; Porsche's 911 is exhibit A. There are sound reasons for Bentley to do the same. Inspired by famous models from its past, the face of the GT set Bentley on a design course that is still being followed.Count the retained looks as a plus, but it's still doubtful whether Bentley has done enough with this upgrade.Some changes play on our subconscious awareness of quality, giving the overall result a more polished feel. These include the way the headlights now sit in individual cut-outs, instead of the cheaper construction method used before. But other makers such as Morgan and Aston Martin already do this on cars that cost much less.Some improvements, such as the new control screen in the centre console, aim to make it more modern. This system has been inherited from the Volkswagen group, then tweaked for the GT. But it's neither cutting-edge nor especially easy to use, and certainly not up there with the best. You don't come away thinking, “Oh, I wish my iPhone worked like that.'' It's worthwhile addressing these issues, but they're not a huge leap forward.This is true of the engineering as well. The engine can run on ethanol up to E85 but has yet to gain direct injection, which improves fuel economy and power at the same time. This should arrive in a 4.0-litre V8, reportedly being developed with Audi, and due in the GT later this year.This 12-cylinder, driving through an automatic transmission with six speeds as before, gains a little power and remains a muscular slurper. There's good torque from low revs for effortless progress, although snap acceleration is hampered somewhat by the GT's substantial mass. The weight shed in this upgrade is tiny compared with the car's mass and affects fuel consumption barely a jot. As you would expect, it feels solidly planted on the road and rides with heavyweight assurance. Despite the heft, there's some delicacy to the chassis, with body roll and pitch sweetly damped. It was, and remains, an enjoyable drive.For anyone willing to spend $400,000 to $500,000 on a car, choices have multiplied since the GT arrived in 2003. Bentley says this vindicates its original strategy. But it also suggests that a minimalist approach to this upgrade may not be enough. If you didn't like the look of the original GT, the second generation won't change your mind.BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTEngine: 6.0-litre turbocharged petrol 12-cylinderPower/torque: 423kW at 6000rpm and 700Nm at 1700rpmTransmissions: Six-speed automatic, all-wheel drivePrice: From $405,000 plus on-road costs

A HUGE new Bentley has just gone on sale with an enormous engine, splendid luxury appointments and a stratospheric price. Unfortunately, the world is in the throes of an economic crisis that means the market for elite motor cars has gone into a tailspin. Bentley goes bust.That was 80 years ago and the car was known simply as the 8 Litre. Only 100 were made before the financial meltdown brought the receivers in.Walter Owen Bentley's private example, lovingly restored, has been brought along for the launch of the Mulsanne, a huge new Bentley with an enormous engine, splendid luxury appointments and, of course, a stratospheric price. The two are linked by their distinctive approach to luxury motoring and a certain symmetry in global events.More than that, the Mulsanne represents the first time since the 8 Litre that Bentley has designed and built a flagship for itself. All the other big Bentleys for eight decades were Rolls-Royces first, Bentleys second. Sometimes Rolls, which acquired its rival in 1931 after the company failed, didn't even change all the labels.The timing parallels may be ominous, but Bentley has approached the Mulsanne with no fear of the latest global financial crisis. ``We do believe there will always be exclusive people looking for exclusive products,'' Bentley chairman Franz-Josef Paefgen says. ``That is the way human beings are.''Always now, not then, presumably. What's clear is that with such a unique opportunity to reassert its identity at the super-luxury end of the market, it has not held back.The Mulsanne replaces the Arnage, which began life 12 years ago as twin to the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, when the companies were still together. The Seraph was pensioned off and BMW, which owns Rolls, replaced it with a new car. Bentley, owned by Volkswagen, kept the Arnage going until last year and, thanks to the changes made along the way, it earned a place in the hearts of its customers. A relic of another era, it felt special despite its flaws.The Mulsanne is much more ambitious than an updating of the Arnage, though.”We hope this car brings back the values of the old vintage times when Bentleys were not only big cars -- because W.O. Bentley was a railway engineer by education -- but also very exclusive, very comfortable and unique,'' Paefgen says.The result owes very little in terms of parts to the Arnage. It's longer, at nearly 5.6m, and built on new underpinnings to be as solid as they come. Mostly steel, it tips the scales at 2.6 tonnes and feels indestructible. Bentleys are not meant to be light; part of the appeal is their heft.Even better are its long, flowing lines with an absence of seams and a double headlight face inspired by the Bentley S-Type from the 1950s. It's built, largely by hand, where Bentley has made its home since World War II, at Crewe in northeast England.A mixture of old and new runs right through this car, from its body construction and its engine design to its lavish interior. It has up-to-the-minute electronics but uses an engine that dates back a half century. It has insisted on traditional tanning techniques, but the 17 hides needed for each car are cut by computer. It has hand-finished steel body panels but uses aluminium superforming, an aerospace technique, to produce the complex front wings.A visit to the factory reveals how it comes together. In the body shop, the main steel panels are joined in the same way as any car, but to achieve the floating rear window effect, in which the pane is surrounded by seamless metal, takes hours of hand finishing.Work on the interior is especially labour intensive. The Mulsanne takes the woodwork on cars to a new level even for Bentley, which is no slouch when it comes to cabinet making. The veneered solid timber waist-rails could have come from a dinner table. Stainless steel, knurled for grip on the controls, is used for details from the coat hooks to the sill covers.One surprise was the absence of the Breitling clock that's fitted to the Continental GT, the other model developed since Volkswagen took over. A Winged B-badged timepiece matches the other black dials, though.There's an almost complete absence of plastic and the buttons look like glass. A measure of Bentley's priorities came with the knowledge that it increased the carpet quality in the cabin, adding 5kg in the process.The iPod age has not been neglected, with a special drawer for a player while Bentley overcame problems such as introducing keyless entry on solid metal door handles, a combination that doesn't usually work.That turns out to be a neat reflective trick. However, Bentley disdains some of the latest technology, such as lane departure warning systems, because Paefgen thinks they are not yet good enough. Adaptive cruise control makes the cut, but fully automatic driving is the next worthwhile step.One key decision concerned the engine: retain a turbocharged V8, in the sentimental capacity of 6.75-litres, or move to a V12, which is generally regarded as the ultimate? Bentley did more than commit to a V8. It has returned to the 50-year-old architecture of the previous unit, with its single camshaft and pushrod-activated two valves a cylinder.Sound like a dinosaur? It doesn't from behind the wheel. Bentley upgraded and replaced almost every item. The result is an ancient template with some hi-tech features added, including cylinder deactivation, which switches to run on four cylinders when cruising, a first at this level.The company claims much improved smoothness at idle compared with the Arnage, better refinement and more torque at a lower threshold. “If you're looking for a low-revving, high-torque engine there's no reason you should not take a pushrod engine; you don't need four valves or overhead camshafts or all that,'' Paefgen says.He compares the engine character to the old-fashioned Detroit iron of American muscle cars. It's a reserved British concept of muscle that disdains showing off. I could have done with a bit more V8 vocalness when demands are made.There's no complaint about the effortless performance, though. The torque this engine develops, a steam-train-sized 1020Nm, arrives at 1750rpm, then the Bentley gathers pace as if it's going downhill. It can reach 100km/h in 5.3 seconds and red-lines at 4500rpm, which you won't see often unless you're planning on reaching its maximum speed of 296km/h.The cylinder deactivation is virtually impossible to pick and there's an eight-speed automatic with shift paddles behind the wheel, which are pointless but a delight to touch.It took a while before I could take my eyes off the burr-oak interior in the test car, but it was worth it to gaze over acres of Windsor Blue bonnet, elegantly spined and topped with a flying B mascot. This is not a car you hustle. The effortlessness of the engine is a good match for the handling, which is best enjoyed by going with the flow.It carries terrific backroad pace through the Scottish border country chosen for the event with little input from the driver. Despite its size and light steering, it's not difficult to place on the road. This is luxury driving with chairman-of-the-board style involvment.The test car was fitted with 21-inch wheels and they may have been responsible for a bit more tyre noise than I expected, with some road imperfections finding their way through the steering wheel as well. Even Bentley thinks its Rolls rival has the edge in low-speed refinement, although it says the differences diminish as speed rises.Bentley has hit the target with this car, which feels every bit as thorough a reinvention of its flagship as its rival, Rolls-Royce, achieved with the Phantom. If you can afford one, you almost certainly own more than one car. Buy the Phantom to glide you to Glyndebourne, perhaps, but the Mulsanne for the tour to Monaco. Assuming, of course, you can afford to ignore the trifling matter of a troubled world economy.BENTLEY MULSANNE - $695,000 on the roadVehicle: Large luxury sedanEngine: 6.8-litre turbocharged V8Outputs: 377kW at 4200rpm and 1020Nm at 1750rpmTransmission: Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

This is the most extreme Bentley yet made. Supersports is a fine-tuned, lightweight version of the Continental GT Speed which arrives here next month, costing $525,000.It has 3.5 per cent more power, 6.7 per cent more torque and weighs 110kg less, mainly because they have thrown out the rear seats and replaced the front row with expensive carbonfibre seats.  All of this means it accelerates to 100km/h in less than four seconds, which places the genteel British marque in the supercar class for the first time.Asia Pacific marketing manager James Barclay says they do not predict volume sales for the car, but then they don't do volume sales for any of their vehicles, particularly this year.  So far in 2009, Bentley has sold only 33 vehicles, compared with 82 for the same time last year.  "The Supersports is a niche product for us," Barclay says."We expect conquest buys from other brands such as the (Porsche) GT3 and (Ferrari) 599.  "It is the most extreme Bentley yet but Australia is a sports-focused market and cars like this are of real interest so we expect it to go well."The Supersports name is inspired by the original two-seater three-litre Supersports model introduced in 1925.  Like the current model, it was an evolution of the Speed model.The original 63kW Supersports was the first production Bentley to reach 100mph (160km/h).  This model’s 6-litre W12 twin-turbocharged has 463kW of power at 6000rpm and 800Nm of torque from 1700-5600rpm with a top speed of 329km/h.There are no major changes to the car's suspension, W12 engine or dynamics, only a host of ‘fine tuning’.  The biggest change is in the new Quickshift version of the six-speed ZF 6HP26 automatic transmission which halves shift times and allows double downshifts.Supersports is also the first car from Bentley which is ‘flexfuel-capable’ which means it will take a fuel mix of up to 85 per cent ethanol.  The company intends to make all its vehicles E85 capable by the end of 2012.The Supersports definitely is sports focused with its all-wheel-drive system tuned for more rear bias (60-40), rather than 50-50 like the GT and GT Speed.  This gives it a more ‘playful’ attitude on a track, Bentley says.Its electronic stability program is also re-programmed to trail the rear inside brake to tuck the front in and dial out bothersome understeer and dial in a little friendly oversteer.Outside, the vehicle looks more muscular thanks to wider flanks to accommodate a 50mm wider track and wide tyres on 20-inch wheels, and it has larger and extra air vents to improve engine breathing. Out back there are twin elliptical exhaust pipes.It comes with massive carbon ceramic brakes as standard. On a lesser model, they would be a $10,000 option. They are a little touchy, but are almost fade-proof and guaranteed to last the life of the vehicle.Inside, there is quilted stitched Alcantara leather, acres of carbonfibre trim and — unusually for Bentley — no wood.  Supersports comes in whites, greys and blacks in gloss and gorgeous satin finishes, while the brightware (grilles, lamp bezels, window surrounds and wheels) have a ‘smoked’ steel finish.All stainless steel components are applied with a Physical Vapour Deposition process normally used as a coating on industrial tools, watches and even hip replacement joints.The overall impression is of a car that feels light and agile with a fast change of direction and quick acceleration from any speed.  On the narrow and twisting country roads in north-west England where Bentley road tests all its vehicles, the car feels way too wide and way too powerful, for the too-close rock walls and hedgerows, yet it still manages to feel nimble.Only a smidgen of its potential can be unleashed in these conditions, yet it rides comfortably over the few potholes we encounter, which indicates a potential for long-distance GT work.  The thinly padded seats look harder than they are and have surprising comfort over a distance.

Is it the Bentley Flying Spur Speed's performance one should be most impressed by — or should that honour go to the stereo.Tough question.Here we have a $400,000 luxury tank with the soul of a sports car. The 6-litre 12-cylinder powerplant's 449kW and 750Nm across a delightfully wide delivery band from 1750-5750rpm will launch its 2.5-tonnes in a Porsche-like 4.8 seconds.That's impressive.It also handles direction changes with the poise of a ballet dancer and has the balance of a high-wire artist. Very impressive indeed.It would seem only fitting, then, that such a car should have a sound system capable of inspiring its own degree of awe. It does.The system from iconic — if little known outside the audiophile world — British company Naim is optional at $15,000. A mere snip in a $400,000 car.The tech stats are impressive, if a little pointless unless you live and breathe audio equipment — and in that case you probably know it all anyway — but suffice to say the 1100 Watt amplifier is the most powerful available in any production car.What does that mean to anyone sitting in the cabin? It means it is a really good idea not to wind the volume to the max. It absolutely could be harmful to your health.The 15-speakers hidden tastefully around the cabin — Naim's research and development boffins spent 18 months adapting their high-end sound systems to Bentley's rather plush interiors — will deliver bone-shaking doof-doof if that is what you really want or the most exquisite concert hall sound imaginable.It may be possible, if you listen carefully, that you hear the second violinist snap a horse-hair on his bow. It's that good.Step outside the car, close the doors and such is the quality of the Flying Spur Speed and its five-layer sound-insulating glass that — at best — you will hear a muted hint of what is happening inside. And therein probably lies the answer to the original question.Each of the component parts of the Bentley are of themselves impressive. Overall, they are more so.However, there is a new element to Bentley as a company.Historically there has been the distinct impression that you either loved the cars as they were or you went somewhere else. The marque was exclusive enough that if you weren't happy then that was your problem.In a changing world that is no longer the case. Owners are to be listened to and their concerns acted on ... and that is the genesis of the 2009 Flying Spur Speed."There was some early criticism of the similarities between the first Continental Flying Spur and the Speed," Australia and New Zealand Bentley boss Ed Strieberg said last year when introducing the 2009 model."Some people saw it as two trim levels of essentially the same car."The answer was to allow the Speed its own character, highlighting, rather than hiding, its sporting elitism.The changes to the 2009 model are not huge, rather a soft makeover highlighted by a larger and more upright grille, that five-ply sound-deadening glass, some extra choices in paint and trim, and electric adjustment for the rear seats.Inside there are the same acres of quality leather, sheets of hand-worked fine-wood trims and the most beautifully knurled metal knobs and gearstick.Understated but undeniably plush, even if some of the dash instrumentation and lesser switches hint at the marque's VW owners. The Bentley cabin remains a place of peace and grace.Dynamically the Flying Spur is something of a magic act. There is no getting away from the fact this is a big car. At nearly 5.3m it dwarfs most family transport, yet from behind the wheel it disguises its bulk almost magically.The steering is light and with enough `sneeze factor’ not to be nervous despite the sheer mass of the car. For all that refinement it is sharp and gives an unexpected level of feedback from the massive 275/35 tyres.Getting the car going is the thumping W12 engine, sourced from VW head office, but tuned and refined to suit the Speed's newly-freed sporty character. Yet, if it is an achievement to have the Flying Spur get up and go as it does then stopping it is an even greater one.The brakes are simply stunning. The 405mm (front) and 335mm rear discs pull the Bentley down from serious speeds in exceptional fashion. For a mere $30,440 you can add a larger set of carbon-ceramic plates — but that would be showy overkill.And that, most definitely, is not a Bentley trait.