The new Mulsanne Speed is a Bentley to drive, rather than to be driven in, says Vicky Parrott in Autocar. At least, that's what Bentley maintains. Of course, this is a three-tonne limo, so it's not as if it's going to be exactly incisive to drive as a sports car. But "such a posh wedge of automotive real estate" should nevertheless be special to drive in some way, and this Bentley is.
It will whisk you to 62mph in less than five seconds and delivers 530bhp. It "presses the road into submission in as pleasing a fashion as it ever has", and is "preceded at all times by the Bentley forcefield: that intangible aura of superiority that seems to be stitched into its cars with as much care and thoroughness as the carefully selected bullhide".
You don't so much hustle this Bentley along a road as "make progress", says Ollie Marriage in Top Gear, but you do this at what might be described as a "fair lick". The performance may be broadly similar to that of a Ford Focus RS, but think of all the work the driver of that will have to do to match the Bentley all the "rowing of the gears, smashing the pedals". In the Bentley, you just "let your great steamship lunge at the horizon, engine rumbling and churning, but otherwise entirely unstressed".
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
The Mulsanne "remains the ultimate statement of opulence, luxury and wealth", says Richard Ingram in AutoExpress, and the range of mid-life tweaks on display here do nothing to dent its appeal. Inside, the interior takes a step beyond even what you'd expect from Bentley, with the "utmost attention to detail" and a "seemingly endless" list of options, from a near £15,000 entertainment option that includes "iPad picnic tables" and a Naim stereo, and a refrigerated bottle cooler with bespoke tumblers for more than £8k. Despite Bentley's claims, this, like all Mulsannes, is "best enjoyed from the back".
Price: £252,000Engine: 6,752cc, V8, twin-turbocharged petrolTop speed: 190mph0-62mph: 4.9 secondsEconomy: 18.8mpg
-
Is the AI boom another dotcom bubble?25 years on from the dotcom bubble bursting, is it time for investors to consider the sustainability of the AI boom in the stock market?
-
What is the S&P 500?The S&P 500 is one of the world’s most popular stock market indices and has almost tripled in value over the last decade. But what is the S&P 500, and which companies does it contain?
