hoffmeister_fan
Kraftwagen König
Don't think it's ugly and I think it's the only vehicle in the Bentley line-up that doesn't scream VAG...Bentayga and Conti, I am looking at you. Also note: don't scream "VAG!" in public, you're liable to get slapped, but I digress. That new grill, though I have not seen in real life, does not do it any favor. This actually screams "knock-off!" They should have stuck with the tried-and-true mesh grill and the waterfall Parthnon grill rarely works, unless you're Rolls-Royce.
It is a difficult choice for sure, the Mulsanne blends supreme luxury with a bit of sport, while RR is just rich luxury all the way. The Maybach is probably the best all rounder and best value for money but it lacks the status of both Bentley and Rolls Royce.
For me I like the Mulsanne EWB, that rear seat and wood/chrome trim looks too inviting and will make a great drive with all the modifications they have done (active engine mounts and softer suspension bushes) to make the ride more supreme.
For me I like the Mulsanne EWB, that rear seat and wood/chrome trim looks too inviting and will make a great drive with all the modifications they have done (active engine mounts and softer suspension bushes) to make the ride more supreme.
2016 Bentley Mulsanne EWB launched with NASA gigapixel image
If printed this giant image is as big as a football pitch; it's made up of 53-billion pixels
What do Mars and the new Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase have in common? They’ve both been papped by some of the world’s highest resolution cameras.
Why I hear you ask? Because Bentley has decided to use a camera with technology from NASA’s Mars Rover to photograph its new luxury saloon crossing California’s Golden Gate Bridge from 700 metres away. Still confused? Stay with me.
The final image, taken by ex-Autocar snapper Simon Stock, is so data heavy that it takes four hours to download and save on your average laptop. It features 53-billion pixels and is made using hundreds of high-resolution images and stitching them together to create one image. This picture is so large that if it were printed in Autocar in its full glory, the magazine page would have to be the size of a football pitch. Good luck squeezing that through your letterbox.
So what does this level of detail get you? Examine the picture in its entirety and the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase looks tiny as it crosses the mile-long bridge. This in itself is amazing, given that this Mulsanne is more than 5.8 metres long.
Zoom in and suddenly the Bentley grows and grows, but amazingly that super high-resolution remains. The image is so high-res that you can zoom right in to the Mulsanne’s seats and clearly make out each of the 4500 stitches in the headrest’s Bentley logo. Amazing.
You might still be thinking so what? And to be honest, before I’d jumped into the back seat of a new Extended Wheelbase with Stock and looked at his photograph on an iPad while absorbing my surroundings, I was also a little underwhelmed. But two minutes into the drive I began to realise that this picture and its vast level of detail served as a perfect metaphor to demonstrate the intricate level of detail Bentley’s designers and craftsmen go into to create the finished product.
Did you know, for example, that the champagne glasses, housed in a beautifully finished case between the rear passengers, are made from hand blown glass and feature the design of the original 2011 Mulsanne’s wheels on their base? Or that Bentley worked tirelessly to allow the perfect level of noise from the car’s 6.75-litre V8 to penetrate into the cabin so passengers can feel relaxed but always aware of the potent powerhouse that lives up front?
The rear of the cabin features handcrafted veneer, metal, glass and leather, all hand fitted and stitched, and even the ashtrays in the doors feel like a product of quality. The rear seats can be adjusted in so many ways that you can be held in anything from a bolt upright office position to almost laying flat.
And then there’s the vast amount of customisation buyers can specify with their cars. No two cars are likely to be the same.
Of course, this level of detail and exclusivity comes at a price: £275,000. But if you’ve got the money, you just would, wouldn’t you?
http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/new-cars/2016-bentley-mulsanne-ewb-launched-nasa-gigapixel-image
If printed this giant image is as big as a football pitch; it's made up of 53-billion pixels
What do Mars and the new Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase have in common? They’ve both been papped by some of the world’s highest resolution cameras.
Why I hear you ask? Because Bentley has decided to use a camera with technology from NASA’s Mars Rover to photograph its new luxury saloon crossing California’s Golden Gate Bridge from 700 metres away. Still confused? Stay with me.
The final image, taken by ex-Autocar snapper Simon Stock, is so data heavy that it takes four hours to download and save on your average laptop. It features 53-billion pixels and is made using hundreds of high-resolution images and stitching them together to create one image. This picture is so large that if it were printed in Autocar in its full glory, the magazine page would have to be the size of a football pitch. Good luck squeezing that through your letterbox.
So what does this level of detail get you? Examine the picture in its entirety and the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase looks tiny as it crosses the mile-long bridge. This in itself is amazing, given that this Mulsanne is more than 5.8 metres long.
Zoom in and suddenly the Bentley grows and grows, but amazingly that super high-resolution remains. The image is so high-res that you can zoom right in to the Mulsanne’s seats and clearly make out each of the 4500 stitches in the headrest’s Bentley logo. Amazing.
You might still be thinking so what? And to be honest, before I’d jumped into the back seat of a new Extended Wheelbase with Stock and looked at his photograph on an iPad while absorbing my surroundings, I was also a little underwhelmed. But two minutes into the drive I began to realise that this picture and its vast level of detail served as a perfect metaphor to demonstrate the intricate level of detail Bentley’s designers and craftsmen go into to create the finished product.
Did you know, for example, that the champagne glasses, housed in a beautifully finished case between the rear passengers, are made from hand blown glass and feature the design of the original 2011 Mulsanne’s wheels on their base? Or that Bentley worked tirelessly to allow the perfect level of noise from the car’s 6.75-litre V8 to penetrate into the cabin so passengers can feel relaxed but always aware of the potent powerhouse that lives up front?
The rear of the cabin features handcrafted veneer, metal, glass and leather, all hand fitted and stitched, and even the ashtrays in the doors feel like a product of quality. The rear seats can be adjusted in so many ways that you can be held in anything from a bolt upright office position to almost laying flat.
And then there’s the vast amount of customisation buyers can specify with their cars. No two cars are likely to be the same.
Of course, this level of detail and exclusivity comes at a price: £275,000. But if you’ve got the money, you just would, wouldn’t you?
http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/new-cars/2016-bentley-mulsanne-ewb-launched-nasa-gigapixel-image
klier
Premium
Indeed it is. However, isn't 53 billion pixels a typo?
The biggest picture I saw before this one here was a small part of our galactic neighbour Andromeda and 100 million of it's stars.
The full image is made up of 411 Hubble images:
However, this is 'only' 1.5 billion pixels... From 1.5 billion pixels to 53 billion for a Bentley seems a bit of a stretch...
But then again, tech never rests.....
The biggest picture I saw before this one here was a small part of our galactic neighbour Andromeda and 100 million of it's stars.
The full image is made up of 411 Hubble images:
However, this is 'only' 1.5 billion pixels... From 1.5 billion pixels to 53 billion for a Bentley seems a bit of a stretch...
But then again, tech never rests.....
Rainer271
Kraftwagen König
2016 Bentley Mulsanne EWB launched with NASA gigapixel image
If printed this giant image is as big as a football pitch; it's made up of 53-billion pixels
What do Mars and the new Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase have in common? They’ve both been papped by some of the world’s highest resolution cameras.
Why I hear you ask? Because Bentley has decided to use a camera with technology from NASA’s Mars Rover to photograph its new luxury saloon crossing California’s Golden Gate Bridge from 700 metres away. Still confused? Stay with me.
The final image, taken by ex-Autocar snapper Simon Stock, is so data heavy that it takes four hours to download and save on your average laptop. It features 53-billion pixels and is made using hundreds of high-resolution images and stitching them together to create one image. This picture is so large that if it were printed in Autocar in its full glory, the magazine page would have to be the size of a football pitch. Good luck squeezing that through your letterbox.
So what does this level of detail get you? Examine the picture in its entirety and the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase looks tiny as it crosses the mile-long bridge. This in itself is amazing, given that this Mulsanne is more than 5.8 metres long.
Zoom in and suddenly the Bentley grows and grows, but amazingly that super high-resolution remains. The image is so high-res that you can zoom right in to the Mulsanne’s seats and clearly make out each of the 4500 stitches in the headrest’s Bentley logo. Amazing.
You might still be thinking so what? And to be honest, before I’d jumped into the back seat of a new Extended Wheelbase with Stock and looked at his photograph on an iPad while absorbing my surroundings, I was also a little underwhelmed. But two minutes into the drive I began to realise that this picture and its vast level of detail served as a perfect metaphor to demonstrate the intricate level of detail Bentley’s designers and craftsmen go into to create the finished product.
Did you know, for example, that the champagne glasses, housed in a beautifully finished case between the rear passengers, are made from hand blown glass and feature the design of the original 2011 Mulsanne’s wheels on their base? Or that Bentley worked tirelessly to allow the perfect level of noise from the car’s 6.75-litre V8 to penetrate into the cabin so passengers can feel relaxed but always aware of the potent powerhouse that lives up front?
The rear of the cabin features handcrafted veneer, metal, glass and leather, all hand fitted and stitched, and even the ashtrays in the doors feel like a product of quality. The rear seats can be adjusted in so many ways that you can be held in anything from a bolt upright office position to almost laying flat.
And then there’s the vast amount of customisation buyers can specify with their cars. No two cars are likely to be the same.
Of course, this level of detail and exclusivity comes at a price: £275,000. But if you’ve got the money, you just would, wouldn’t you?
http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/new-cars/2016-bentley-mulsanne-ewb-launched-nasa-gigapixel-image
Rainer271
Kraftwagen König
First Drive: 2017 Bentley Mulsanne
For drivers and passengers alike, Bentley’s flagship is better than ever.
– Krün, Germany
I’m sure I looked absolutely disgusting when I stepped off the plane in Innsbruck, Austria. A long flight from Detroit to Frankfurt, a layover in a balmy conference room, and a choppy private jet ride over to my destination resulted in frazzled hair, my face covered in a fine layer of airplane sweat, and a very specific, no-time-for-a-shower odor. Yet as I stumbled tiredly across the tarmac, a handsome fellow in a well-tailored suit smiled at me, loaded my luggage into the back of a 2017 Bentley Mulsanne, shut the door for me, and escorted me off airport grounds and out onto the winding roads of Bavaria.
If that sounds like just another day in the life of a Bentley Mulsanne owner, you’re mostly right. Sure, these well-heeled folks no doubt jet-set all over the place, between various homes in various countries, but there’s an interesting fact to remember hidden in all this opulence: only one or two percent of all Mulsanne owners are exclusively chauffeured. The majority of Mulsanne owners actually drive their cars. Of course, Bentley hasn’t forgotten about its one-to-two-percenters in this 2017 model year Mulsanne update, adding a new, extended-wheelbase model that’s focused on – and delivers – otherworldly levels of luxury.
Rather than roll them out over the next several years, all three versions of the updated Mulsanne launch at the exact same time. There’s the standard version (Bentley would prefer you call it “Signature,” even though that’s not its official name), the extended wheelbase, and the luxo-rocket Speed. All three exist to serve different customers, though they all benefit from the same host of updates.
Only one or two percent of all Mulsanne owners are exclusively chauffeured.
In much the same way Bentley has periodically waved its freshening wand over the Continental, the Mulsanne gets modest nips and tucks. Park the 2017 model next to a 2016 and you’ll see the differences. Front and center, the stainless steel vertical-vane grille is 3.1 inches wider than on the outgoing car, the mesh matrix grille nestled behind it. The quad headlamps are now full-LED units, and the outer, smaller running lights now sit on the same horizontal plane as the bigger housings (in other words, the car no longer has a double case of lazy eyes). New wheel designs grace all four corners, the stylized B-shaped vents aft of the front wheels have different finishes depending on model, and at the rear, LED taillamps have a new “B” light signature (though it’s reversed on the passenger side) that really stands out in the dark. Speed models get the same tweaks, but the brightwork wears a dark finish. Otherwise, it’s business as usual – the Mulsanne is grandiose, and pure Bentley. It’ll look good next to the six other cars in your driveway, or, you know, your jet.
Underskin changes work to make the Mulsanne somehow even more supple as it wafts down the road. Active engine mounts and new suspension bushings reduce vibration, and Bentley has actually added an advanced, noise-cancelling foam inside the Mulsanne’s tires, which seems weird, but is said to reduce rolling noise. Honestly, without driving the past and present generations of Mulsanne back to back, the difference seems negligible. The previous Mulsanne was hella quiet; the new one is, too.
There’s nothing quite like the experience of chucking a 5,919-pound brick down the road, hitting 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds and running a full quarter-mile in only 13.2.
Unchanged is the heart of the Mulsanne: Bentley’s iconic 6.75-liter V8, with a pair of turbochargers bolted on for good measure. In the standard – err, Signature – and long-wheelbase Mulsannes, you’ve got 505 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of torque at your disposal, which is plentiful but not excessive, especially considering the car weighs nearly three tons. The Mulsanne Speed uses the same engine, but output is increased to 530 hp and 811 lb-ft, which is both wholly unnecessary and amazing. There’s nothing quite like the experience of chucking a 5,919-pound brick down the road, hitting 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds and running a full quarter-mile in only 13.2. Interestingly, Bentley says 60 percent of Mulsanne customers buy the Speed, not because it’s quicker, but because it’s more expensive and powerful, and therefore better, you philistine.
This car might be for drivers, but it’s not what I’d call a driver’s car – that’s a tall order for any fullsize car, let alone one that’s 18 feet long and nearly 6,000 pounds. Combine that with heavy steering that lacks feedback and a suspension that, in its default setting, disconnects you from the outside world, and you’ve got a car that’s challenging to drive through the switchbacks of the Bavarian Alps. Bentley uses its Continuous Damping Control air suspension, with normal, Sport, Comfort, and Custom driving modes that alter damping behavior, but even in the stiffest setting, this is still a car that prefers if sir does not hustle it through the bends. I’ll say, in the Speed, Sport mode does offer a bit more chassis stiffness than I initially expected, and it makes the barge feel slightly lighter on its feet, but the lifeless steering and overall sense of isolation are there no matter what you do. If you really want a Bentley that’s meant to be driven, get the Continental GT – V8 S for me, please.
Sixty percent of Mulsanne customers buy the Speed because it's more expensive and powerful, and therefore better, you philistine.
Good thing the Mulsanne is so damn silky smooth when it’s just being lazily driven about. Again, there’s a ton of power available here, and the air suspension adjusts ride height based on speed, so the car is hunkered down and more stable at higher velocities. Running at 150 mph on an unrestricted stretch of German autobahn is a cake walk, and the big, iron, 15.7-inch front and 14.6-inch rear brakes feel meaty under the stop pedal, but work effortlessly when the weird little Peugeot that’s only going 85 mph shows up in front of you. Should you require more-than-adequate stopping power, Bentley offers carbon ceramic brakes for a mere $17,335.
Speaking of more-than-adequate, there’s a real sense of occasion to everything about the Mulsanne, and that’s especially true inside the car. The finest leather hides and wood veneers fit together in elegant style, with a swath of big buttons and knobs, polished trim, and hand-stitched excellence on every single surface. You’ve heard the rhetoric before: 400 hours to build one Mulsanne, 12 hours of paint polishing, 150 hours of interior craftsmanship, 37 hours just to add contrast stitching to the fluted or quilted leather seats, and a woodshop with 167 artisans who each spent four years mastering the 17 processes involved within. So yeah, it’s really super nice. And though the exquisite craftsmanship is the same, a few interior touches bring the Mulsanne into the modern age. Well, kind of.
The finest leather hides and wood veneers fit together in elegant style, with a swath of big buttons and knobs, polished trim, and hand-stitched excellence on every single surface.
Improvements for 2017 include a new eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system at the top of the center stack, with a 60 GB solid-state hard drive to store media. Nothing housed within is especially forward-thinking – it feels like a previous-generation Audi system – though the addition of Apple CarPlay keeps up with modern times. Conversely, rear seat passengers get fancy new Android-powered Bentley Entertainment Tablets: a pair of 10.2-inch touchscreens that electronically raise out of the backs of the front seats, with software like Skype, Google Play, Spotify, and more pre-installed, all for $19,855 (for what it’s worth, we have a Ford Focus in the Motor1 fleet right now that’s about the same price).
If rear seat luxury is really your thing, get a load of the new extended wheelbase model that stretches the rear cabin by almost 10 inches and adds airline-style powered legrests to the outrageously comfortable individual chairs. In between there’s an immaculate center console with folding tray tables, lots of storage, power controls for everything, and a chilled box for champagne flutes (duh). Finally, electronically powered blackout curtains are standard for the side and rear windows, should you not wish to be bothered by the harsh and painful reality of the outside world. Bentley added the EWB model for customers who prefer the chauffeured lifestyle and requested the ability to stretch out and sleep on long journeys. For me, being able to recline after a long flight to Europe was a godsend. Everyone should be so lucky as to have a long-wheelbase Mulsanne retrieve them from the airport, though Bentley would prefer that this hifalutin lifestyle only be reserved for the finest set of select few.
Bentley brings its fantastic, old-world craftsmanship into the present day with a handful of updates that make the Mulsanne better to drive and more luxurious than ever.
Bentley says it with pride: the Mulsanne is “the absolute benchmark in automotive luxury.” And while that’s true in terms of craftsmanship and refinement, my critical eye notes that nothing about the Mulsanne experience feels so far and away better than what you get in the cheaper and much more technologically advanced Mercedes-Maybach S600. I actually think I prefer the Mercedes just because it’s more understated and feels like it’s a few years ahead of the Mulsanne in terms of advanced driver and passenger tech. But I’m not exactly the target customer, and remember, the Mercedes doesn’t have a white-gloved-hand-polished Flying B on the nose.
To put it in a better perspective, the Mulsanne lives in Rolls-Royce Phantom territory, and the experience of driving a Signature or Speed model, or riding in an extended-wheelbase Mulsanne, is much nicer than the aging (but still fantastic) experience of the Rolls. Bentley might not offer the most modern luxury liner in the world, but customers won’t notice. You can argue that some switchgear feels last-generation Passat-spec, but Mulsanne owners don’t even know Passats exist. Bentley brings its fantastic, old-world craftsmanship into the present day with a handful of updates that make the Mulsanne better to drive and more luxurious than ever. Whether a one-percent, dandied millionaire or part of the unwashed masses like me, you won’t mistake the Bentley Mulsanne for anything but what it is: exceptional, exclusive, and one of the finest cars money can buy.
2017 BENTLEY MULSANNE
2017 BENTLEY MULSANNE SPEED
ENGINE Biturbocharged 6.75L V8
OUTPUT
505 Horsepower / 752 Pound-Feet (Signature)
530 Horsepower / 811 Pound-Feet (Speed)
TRANSMISSION 8-Speed Automatic
0-60 MPH
5.1 Seconds (Signature)
4.8 Seconds (Speed)
TOP SPEED
184 MPH (Signature)
190 MPH (Speed)
EPA FUEL ECONOMY 11 City / 18 Highway / 13 Combined
WEIGHT 5,919 Pounds
SEATING CAPACITY 5
CARGO VOLUME 15.6 Cubic Feet
BASE PRICE
$304,670 (Signature)
$335,600 (Speed)
AS-TESTED PRICE
$358,980 (Signature)
$416,250 (Speed)
Source: motor1
For drivers and passengers alike, Bentley’s flagship is better than ever.
– Krün, Germany
I’m sure I looked absolutely disgusting when I stepped off the plane in Innsbruck, Austria. A long flight from Detroit to Frankfurt, a layover in a balmy conference room, and a choppy private jet ride over to my destination resulted in frazzled hair, my face covered in a fine layer of airplane sweat, and a very specific, no-time-for-a-shower odor. Yet as I stumbled tiredly across the tarmac, a handsome fellow in a well-tailored suit smiled at me, loaded my luggage into the back of a 2017 Bentley Mulsanne, shut the door for me, and escorted me off airport grounds and out onto the winding roads of Bavaria.
If that sounds like just another day in the life of a Bentley Mulsanne owner, you’re mostly right. Sure, these well-heeled folks no doubt jet-set all over the place, between various homes in various countries, but there’s an interesting fact to remember hidden in all this opulence: only one or two percent of all Mulsanne owners are exclusively chauffeured. The majority of Mulsanne owners actually drive their cars. Of course, Bentley hasn’t forgotten about its one-to-two-percenters in this 2017 model year Mulsanne update, adding a new, extended-wheelbase model that’s focused on – and delivers – otherworldly levels of luxury.
Rather than roll them out over the next several years, all three versions of the updated Mulsanne launch at the exact same time. There’s the standard version (Bentley would prefer you call it “Signature,” even though that’s not its official name), the extended wheelbase, and the luxo-rocket Speed. All three exist to serve different customers, though they all benefit from the same host of updates.
Only one or two percent of all Mulsanne owners are exclusively chauffeured.
In much the same way Bentley has periodically waved its freshening wand over the Continental, the Mulsanne gets modest nips and tucks. Park the 2017 model next to a 2016 and you’ll see the differences. Front and center, the stainless steel vertical-vane grille is 3.1 inches wider than on the outgoing car, the mesh matrix grille nestled behind it. The quad headlamps are now full-LED units, and the outer, smaller running lights now sit on the same horizontal plane as the bigger housings (in other words, the car no longer has a double case of lazy eyes). New wheel designs grace all four corners, the stylized B-shaped vents aft of the front wheels have different finishes depending on model, and at the rear, LED taillamps have a new “B” light signature (though it’s reversed on the passenger side) that really stands out in the dark. Speed models get the same tweaks, but the brightwork wears a dark finish. Otherwise, it’s business as usual – the Mulsanne is grandiose, and pure Bentley. It’ll look good next to the six other cars in your driveway, or, you know, your jet.
Underskin changes work to make the Mulsanne somehow even more supple as it wafts down the road. Active engine mounts and new suspension bushings reduce vibration, and Bentley has actually added an advanced, noise-cancelling foam inside the Mulsanne’s tires, which seems weird, but is said to reduce rolling noise. Honestly, without driving the past and present generations of Mulsanne back to back, the difference seems negligible. The previous Mulsanne was hella quiet; the new one is, too.
There’s nothing quite like the experience of chucking a 5,919-pound brick down the road, hitting 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds and running a full quarter-mile in only 13.2.
Unchanged is the heart of the Mulsanne: Bentley’s iconic 6.75-liter V8, with a pair of turbochargers bolted on for good measure. In the standard – err, Signature – and long-wheelbase Mulsannes, you’ve got 505 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of torque at your disposal, which is plentiful but not excessive, especially considering the car weighs nearly three tons. The Mulsanne Speed uses the same engine, but output is increased to 530 hp and 811 lb-ft, which is both wholly unnecessary and amazing. There’s nothing quite like the experience of chucking a 5,919-pound brick down the road, hitting 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds and running a full quarter-mile in only 13.2. Interestingly, Bentley says 60 percent of Mulsanne customers buy the Speed, not because it’s quicker, but because it’s more expensive and powerful, and therefore better, you philistine.
This car might be for drivers, but it’s not what I’d call a driver’s car – that’s a tall order for any fullsize car, let alone one that’s 18 feet long and nearly 6,000 pounds. Combine that with heavy steering that lacks feedback and a suspension that, in its default setting, disconnects you from the outside world, and you’ve got a car that’s challenging to drive through the switchbacks of the Bavarian Alps. Bentley uses its Continuous Damping Control air suspension, with normal, Sport, Comfort, and Custom driving modes that alter damping behavior, but even in the stiffest setting, this is still a car that prefers if sir does not hustle it through the bends. I’ll say, in the Speed, Sport mode does offer a bit more chassis stiffness than I initially expected, and it makes the barge feel slightly lighter on its feet, but the lifeless steering and overall sense of isolation are there no matter what you do. If you really want a Bentley that’s meant to be driven, get the Continental GT – V8 S for me, please.
Sixty percent of Mulsanne customers buy the Speed because it's more expensive and powerful, and therefore better, you philistine.
Good thing the Mulsanne is so damn silky smooth when it’s just being lazily driven about. Again, there’s a ton of power available here, and the air suspension adjusts ride height based on speed, so the car is hunkered down and more stable at higher velocities. Running at 150 mph on an unrestricted stretch of German autobahn is a cake walk, and the big, iron, 15.7-inch front and 14.6-inch rear brakes feel meaty under the stop pedal, but work effortlessly when the weird little Peugeot that’s only going 85 mph shows up in front of you. Should you require more-than-adequate stopping power, Bentley offers carbon ceramic brakes for a mere $17,335.
Speaking of more-than-adequate, there’s a real sense of occasion to everything about the Mulsanne, and that’s especially true inside the car. The finest leather hides and wood veneers fit together in elegant style, with a swath of big buttons and knobs, polished trim, and hand-stitched excellence on every single surface. You’ve heard the rhetoric before: 400 hours to build one Mulsanne, 12 hours of paint polishing, 150 hours of interior craftsmanship, 37 hours just to add contrast stitching to the fluted or quilted leather seats, and a woodshop with 167 artisans who each spent four years mastering the 17 processes involved within. So yeah, it’s really super nice. And though the exquisite craftsmanship is the same, a few interior touches bring the Mulsanne into the modern age. Well, kind of.
The finest leather hides and wood veneers fit together in elegant style, with a swath of big buttons and knobs, polished trim, and hand-stitched excellence on every single surface.
Improvements for 2017 include a new eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system at the top of the center stack, with a 60 GB solid-state hard drive to store media. Nothing housed within is especially forward-thinking – it feels like a previous-generation Audi system – though the addition of Apple CarPlay keeps up with modern times. Conversely, rear seat passengers get fancy new Android-powered Bentley Entertainment Tablets: a pair of 10.2-inch touchscreens that electronically raise out of the backs of the front seats, with software like Skype, Google Play, Spotify, and more pre-installed, all for $19,855 (for what it’s worth, we have a Ford Focus in the Motor1 fleet right now that’s about the same price).
If rear seat luxury is really your thing, get a load of the new extended wheelbase model that stretches the rear cabin by almost 10 inches and adds airline-style powered legrests to the outrageously comfortable individual chairs. In between there’s an immaculate center console with folding tray tables, lots of storage, power controls for everything, and a chilled box for champagne flutes (duh). Finally, electronically powered blackout curtains are standard for the side and rear windows, should you not wish to be bothered by the harsh and painful reality of the outside world. Bentley added the EWB model for customers who prefer the chauffeured lifestyle and requested the ability to stretch out and sleep on long journeys. For me, being able to recline after a long flight to Europe was a godsend. Everyone should be so lucky as to have a long-wheelbase Mulsanne retrieve them from the airport, though Bentley would prefer that this hifalutin lifestyle only be reserved for the finest set of select few.
Bentley brings its fantastic, old-world craftsmanship into the present day with a handful of updates that make the Mulsanne better to drive and more luxurious than ever.
Bentley says it with pride: the Mulsanne is “the absolute benchmark in automotive luxury.” And while that’s true in terms of craftsmanship and refinement, my critical eye notes that nothing about the Mulsanne experience feels so far and away better than what you get in the cheaper and much more technologically advanced Mercedes-Maybach S600. I actually think I prefer the Mercedes just because it’s more understated and feels like it’s a few years ahead of the Mulsanne in terms of advanced driver and passenger tech. But I’m not exactly the target customer, and remember, the Mercedes doesn’t have a white-gloved-hand-polished Flying B on the nose.
To put it in a better perspective, the Mulsanne lives in Rolls-Royce Phantom territory, and the experience of driving a Signature or Speed model, or riding in an extended-wheelbase Mulsanne, is much nicer than the aging (but still fantastic) experience of the Rolls. Bentley might not offer the most modern luxury liner in the world, but customers won’t notice. You can argue that some switchgear feels last-generation Passat-spec, but Mulsanne owners don’t even know Passats exist. Bentley brings its fantastic, old-world craftsmanship into the present day with a handful of updates that make the Mulsanne better to drive and more luxurious than ever. Whether a one-percent, dandied millionaire or part of the unwashed masses like me, you won’t mistake the Bentley Mulsanne for anything but what it is: exceptional, exclusive, and one of the finest cars money can buy.
2017 BENTLEY MULSANNE
2017 BENTLEY MULSANNE SPEED
ENGINE Biturbocharged 6.75L V8
OUTPUT
505 Horsepower / 752 Pound-Feet (Signature)
530 Horsepower / 811 Pound-Feet (Speed)
TRANSMISSION 8-Speed Automatic
0-60 MPH
5.1 Seconds (Signature)
4.8 Seconds (Speed)
TOP SPEED
184 MPH (Signature)
190 MPH (Speed)
EPA FUEL ECONOMY 11 City / 18 Highway / 13 Combined
WEIGHT 5,919 Pounds
SEATING CAPACITY 5
CARGO VOLUME 15.6 Cubic Feet
BASE PRICE
$304,670 (Signature)
$335,600 (Speed)
AS-TESTED PRICE
$358,980 (Signature)
$416,250 (Speed)
Source: motor1
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slicknick
Driving Dynamics Pro
Unlike what that article says, I reckon the Mulsanne is more of a competitor for the smaller and fresher Ghost, than that aging leviathan called Phantom...
Moreover, while I really do like this new Mulsanne, Bentley can never come close to Rolls-Royce when it comes to ride comfort
Moreover, while I really do like this new Mulsanne, Bentley can never come close to Rolls-Royce when it comes to ride comfort
SDNR
Kraftwagen König
I take your point about the Phantom, it really sits in its own market segment. However, I do believe this Mulsanne EWB will appeal much more to the 'traditional' Rolls-Royce/Bentley limousine buyer. The Mulsanne has authenticity and heritage behind it ......the Phantom is very stylish and bold but it primarily caters to the tastes of celebrities and flamboyant self-made tycoons who like to be noticed (does Trump own one I wonder?) The Mercedes-Maybach is purely grey-suited Corporate/business.
The entire character of the Mulsanne is one of traditional refinement and quiet good taste.
The Mulsanne is the only high-luxury automobile built today that truly has an aristocratic charm about it.
slicknick
Driving Dynamics Pro
Erm....the Ghost? Not to mention the Wraith and the Dawn (even though those two are more driver-oriented models)
SDNR
Kraftwagen König
Yeah, great cars but they have an altogether different attitude to the Mulsanne. The 21st century Rolls-Royces are designed to appeal to a far wider market than the old ones. Before BMW took over, Rolls-Royce was struggling to keep itself relevant ....still designing cars for the tastes of a British Imperial ruling class that no longer exists.
The world's elite today are generally not titled nobility or old families who were born into a world of rarified and restrained taste. A significant proportion of today's elite are very image savvy and style conscious people who are well informed about 'lifestyle products'. They very often like bold gestures and obvious statements of success. An entire new market has arisen to cater to the tastes and demands of this new Global super rich. Rolls-Royce has been enormously successful at tapping into this (so has Bentley of course).
What has happened to Rolls-Royce is very similar to what happened to Louis Vuitton in the 1980s when it was aggressively taken over by the parvenu French businessman Bernard Arnault. An old family business that for generations had been making fine (but rather old fashioned) travelling luggage for European royalty and aristocracy was transformed into a high-fashion Global super brand aimed squarely at the newly rich.
EnI
Piston Pioneer
@Rob ... With old aristocracy & royalty & old-boys-society literally dying out ... Where does this fact leaves Bentley at, huh? A dead end for Bentley? Their core customer base will be physically gone before Mulsanne Mk3 hits the road. Sooner than later Bentley will have to come up with much more modern interpretation of the brand ... It's not a coincidence all the other ultra-luxury & luxury brands have started to feature much more modern styling. And Bentley will have to do it too ... Otherwise it will become a niche ... Some sort of a 21st century Morgan. Too niche.
SDNR
Kraftwagen König
Yes, you're probably correct Tine ....but I do think the change has already happened to some degree. The Mulsanne is not entirely out of step with a wider market ....in fact it's 'traditional' character is its strongest attribute. It is a balance of old and new.
I think the best thing about the BMW-era Rolls-Royces is they have revived the ideals of the founders of the company. By the 1970s Rolls-Royce ways even regarded as slightly kitsch by some. The 21st century Royces may not be overly aristocratic .....but they're certainly not kitsch either.
I think the best thing about the BMW-era Rolls-Royces is they have revived the ideals of the founders of the company. By the 1970s Rolls-Royce ways even regarded as slightly kitsch by some. The 21st century Royces may not be overly aristocratic .....but they're certainly not kitsch either.
SDNR
Kraftwagen König
A very good colour combo for this car:
CAR MAGAZINE REVIEW:
Bentley Mulsanne (2016) review
Now that the Bentayga furore has blown over, helped on its way by a gale of praise for the car’s startling dynamic prowess, the Crewe carmaker has seen fit to turn its attentions to Mulsanne, the flagship that serves as both the luxury bookend to the range (the race-inspired GT3-R sits at the other) and the purest expression of Bentley’s DNA. With more power, more refinement and the seventh-generation Rolls Phantom officially retired, is the Mulsanne now the finest exponent of British automotive luxury?
Are you sure this is new?
The engine, transmission, floorpan and much of the body (everything aft of the windscreen) are retained. Under the bonnet engine management software meddling has yielded additional power and torque. The sheet metal up front is fresh, and there’s a new infotainment system lurking within a familiar dash. But the big push has been on refinement, with numerous technologies to further hush and isolate the sanctuary that is the Mulsanne’s hidebound inner sanctum.
FULL REVIEW:
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/bentley/bentley-mulsanne-2016-review-/
CAR MAGAZINE REVIEW:
Bentley Mulsanne (2016) review
Now that the Bentayga furore has blown over, helped on its way by a gale of praise for the car’s startling dynamic prowess, the Crewe carmaker has seen fit to turn its attentions to Mulsanne, the flagship that serves as both the luxury bookend to the range (the race-inspired GT3-R sits at the other) and the purest expression of Bentley’s DNA. With more power, more refinement and the seventh-generation Rolls Phantom officially retired, is the Mulsanne now the finest exponent of British automotive luxury?
Are you sure this is new?
The engine, transmission, floorpan and much of the body (everything aft of the windscreen) are retained. Under the bonnet engine management software meddling has yielded additional power and torque. The sheet metal up front is fresh, and there’s a new infotainment system lurking within a familiar dash. But the big push has been on refinement, with numerous technologies to further hush and isolate the sanctuary that is the Mulsanne’s hidebound inner sanctum.
FULL REVIEW:
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/bentley/bentley-mulsanne-2016-review-/
Similar threads
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer,
and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe,
England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888-1971)
in 1919 in Cricklewood, North London, and became widely known
for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929
and 1930. Bentley has been a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group
since 1998 and consolidated under VW's premium brand arm Audi
in 2022.
Official website: Bentley Motors
Official website: Bentley Motors
