At 120kph, the loudest noise inside the Bentley Mulsanne is the clicking of my keyboard as I hurry to keep up with a modern deadline! Actually, the back seat of the Mulsanne is a highly appropriate place to do this, as it is indeed extraordinarily quiet, comfortable, smooth and stable. Everything, in fact, you would expect in a car that aspires to be the pinnacle of British motoring.
When Bentley's engineers first began to consider the next ‘Big Bentley', they realised they had something of an opportunity. Since the purchase of the original Bentley company by Rolls Royce in the Thirties, Bentley cars had always shared their basic architecture and mechanicals with those of the parent company. Then came 1998. BMW pulled off something of a coup and secured the rights to build Rolls Royces, leaving Volkswagen with the Bentley part of the bargain. Idle thinking could assume that BMW got the better deal.
But that was then. And it was this very separation of the two great marques that created the opportunity. The Bentley boys were back in business and could design and build their own car from the ground up, no longer constrained to share bits with the double R. But it wasn't easy — early on in the process, VW's bosses were strongly in favour of using an existing platform from the group's parts bin as the base of the new large car, most likely a big Audi. It was a strategy that worked extremely well with the Continental programme, though you could justifiably claim that that car is a rather more successful use of the platform than VW's own product.
Nevertheless, Bentley was determined to go its own way, and in the end chairman Franz-Josef Paefgen and chief engineer Ulrich Eichhorn prevailed with the Volkswagen board, and Bentley's team won their independence.
The result, all 5,575mm and 2.6 tonnes of it, is the striking and elegant new Bentley Mulsanne. It is emphatically not a re-engineered Arnage, and nor is it a direct replacement. It is instead a ground-up brand new design, a fusion of craftsmanship and technology that defines all that a Bentley can be — very much a Bentley for the 21st century. When asked how many components are carried over from the previous car, the engineers reply with a wry smile: "Well, the bore and stroke of the engine are the same, and we've kept the badge".
The true story
Of course, there is rather more to it than that. In the case of the engine, a number of power plants were considered. But, in the end, it was decided that one that best delivered the characteristic Bentley urge was actually the current relatively-simple configuration. Keeping the existing architecture was the engineering choice, but it then went through a process of intensive development to address three key areas — torque, efficiency and refinement. The decision to continue with the original engine's format was taken to preserve that vital Bentley DNA, and the resulting power plant is an extraordinary achievement. It pulls like a train, delivering a lovely, long-legged thrust in an effortless, unruffled surge.
The new version of this venerable motor maintains Bentley's 6.75-litre capacity, but now produces a heady 505bhp at a lowly 4,200rpm, and a thumping 1,020Nm of torque from an astonishing 1,750rpm thanks to a pair of turbochargers. And it does so while sipping around 12 per cent less fuel. Camshaft phasing and a clever new variable displacement system that shuts down individual cylinders play a key role in this improvement, as does an all-new eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. This now also has shift paddles located behind the spokes of the steering wheel, and turn with it. At last!
Performance is a given. The big Bentley will sprint to 100kph in just 5.3 seconds (faster than the Phantom, slower than the Ghost), and pull relentlessly up to a top speed just shy of 300kph. There is power in abundance, but it is the torque that defines the character of this car. So much is available at any engine speed that overtaking is a breeze — caress the throttle, and the world starts rushing backwards.
Realm of luxury
Step inside the Mulsanne, and the first impression is of opulence on a grand scale. There's a lot of chrome: on switches, surrounding dials and panels, in the air vents and on the console. Speaking of vents, these are still operated by deeply satisfying organ stop pull switches, which move with an oily silkiness. The Bentley team were at great pains to assure us that everything in the interior is real — what looks like metal is metal, what looks like wood is indeed solid wood, what looks like leather and wool really is leather and wool. In fact, the apparent overdose of bling when you first sit in the car actually begins to resolve itself into a carefully considered and very pleasing theme, with a simple colour palette and gorgeous materials. It's a very modern design, but integrates traditional Bentley hallmarks into a very satisfying contemporary environment.
The cabin is defined by a gorgeous slice of wood that encircles it, mirror-matched for grain and trimmed with an exquisite line of cross banding, the sort of craftsmanship usually reserved for the finest furniture. The seats, too, are sumptuous and comfortable, trimmed with the hides of a small herd of cattle, and under your feet, deep pile carpets worthy of a flock of sheep. Massaging your ears is an (optional) custom-designed sound system by British audiophiles Naim, boasting no less than 20 loudspeakers. And as you would expect, there's a discreet leather-lined drawer in the dash that's a snug fit for your iPhone.
The panel above perfectly sums up the Mulsanne — a beautifully crafted panel of wood swings soundlessly up and away to reveal a state of the art high resolution screen, displaying the very effective sat-nav and giving access to the myriad electronic settings available.
I think I'll drive tonight
But all of this is merely a prelude, setting the stage for the performance to come. Settle into the driver's seat and you're both comforted and surprised — there are enough familiar Bentley clues to ensure that you could never mistake this for anything else, but there is modernity, too. The dials in the dash sweep round from the traditional one o'clock start, but between them is a comprehensive computer display.
Starting the engine is push-button simple — keyless entry, of course, but uniquely combined by Bentley with traditional solid metal door handles. Once fired up, the new engine settles into an idle so smooth you need to check the dial to be sure it is running. While we journalists thought the engine could actually do with being a bit more vocal, Dr Paefgen assured us that heads of state and captains of industry prefer their cars quieter.
On the move it's the same. The view down the long bonnet to the ‘Flying B' mascot (one option box you have to tick!) is at first a bit daunting, but the steering is very communicative and you begin to get a feel for where the wheels are and what they're doing. Our test car was fitted with the optional 21in wheels, which really do look superb, filling the arches and giving the car real presence. But the thinner rubber transmits a little more noise than the standard 20s. Grip is prodigious, and we encountered no wayward behaviour at all during the test.But it's the drive that impresses most. At first, the Mulsanne is simply a large, quiet car doing what it's supposed to. It wafts along beautifully, cosseting and entertaining its occupants in a deeply luxurious way. The Adaptive Cruise Control keeps you a safe distance from the traffic in front and protects your license from the plethora of revenue-gathering cameras that now line Britain's roads. The new air suspension with Continuous Damping Control offers an extremely refined ride at low speed, and lowers the ride height of the car automatically when pressing on for reduced lift and better stability.
In fact, so smooth and refined is the experience that you have to be really quite careful not to stray into license-busting territory. This car may be built like Jonah Lomu, but it's got his speed and acceleration too.
But it is when you leave the highways and head for the byways that the Mulsanne's true talent is revealed. Turn the Driving Dynamics control from Comfort to Sport and it comes alive. The suspension is firmer and the steering tightens up. While it will never be a lightweight sportscar, the Mulsanne is a Grand Tourer in every sense of the word and it corners and stops with enormous composure. You very quickly forget how big and heavy the car is, instead relishing its information and precision. Throw it into a bend and it stays level, with only the faintest murmur from the tyres to describe the forces under your control. Bumps don't upset things and the huge brakes do a sterling job of compensating for your excessive enthusiasm. It really is a unique experience, barrelling around the Scottish countryside as if you were in a hot hatch. I confess, there is a driver of just such a car, a well-driven Golf GTI, who will forever wonder just what this big blue missile was that came thundering past so quickly it nearly sucked his doors off.
Verdict
What Bentley achieved in the Mulsanne is a remarkable thing; a combination of talents and abilities that are unlike anything else on the road. When you want it to be, it is quiet, refined and sybaritically luxurious, a fitting place from which to contemplate your successes in the world. Then if you want some fun, it is as game and playful as your favourite spaniel, responding with power and intuition to your every thought. The Mulsanne is endlessly customisable, with countless exterior colours, trims and leather combinations for you to mull over. It is a Grand Tourer in the traditional sense, yet offers all the advantages that can be delivered by current technology. It is, in short, all the car you could ever want it to be.
At somewhere around Dh1.4 million it is never going to be cheap, but such is the depth of its talents you could easily argue that the Mulsanne represents extremely good value indeed. In fact, there's only one person who won't be happy when the Mulsanne arrives in the UAE at the end of this year. Tell the chauffeur he's fired.
Specs and rating
- Model: Mulsanne
- Engine: 6.75-litre V8 twin-turbo Transmission Eight-speed auto RWD
- Max power: 505bhp @ 4,200rpm
- Max torque: 1,020Nm @ 1,750rpm
- Top speed: 296kph
- 0-100kph: 5.3sec
- Price: Dh1.4m
- Plus: Exquisite craftsmanship, phenomenal engine and surprisingly great to drive
- Minus: Quite a bit more expensive than the ‘baby' Roller
