Bentley Mulsanne road test

The Mulsanne is the first all-new bespoke Bentley in 80 years and is an important model for a company that took a bit of a beating during the recession (sales fell from 10,014 to 4,700 between 2007 and 2009). A £220,000 luxury limousine with a sporting twist that is in keeping with Bentley’s Le Mans-winning heritage, the Mulsanne is the company’s new flagship model, replacing the Arnage. Its looks are little controversial, with many critics finding its external styling a little too idiosyncratic for their tastes, but there’s no doubting its performance.

The Mulsanne, even in its most basic form, costs £220,000, a sum that can only be afforded by the very richest members of society. Add a few optional extras and the price soon rises beyond £250,000. But you don’t buy a Mulsanne if your bank balance is going to take a significant hit, so it would be unfair to mark it down in this category. After all, if you have that kind of money to spend on a car, it constitutes good value. In terms of running costs, it’s pretty much a question of if you have to ask, you can’t afford them. Fuel economy of 16.7mpg on the combined cycle is around what one would expect (although the Rolls-Royce Ghost’s 20.8mpg betters it) and CO2 emissions of 393g/km mean that it’s positioned in Band M for vehicle excise duty, which will cost £950 in the first year and £435 in subsequent years. Residual values should be decent, but the Mulsanne won’t be as good an investment as a Picasso lithograph. The previous Arnage retained around 44% of its value after three years and 60,000 miles, which is a good indicator of how the new model will fare.

Bentley Mulsanne car review

First impressions have been mixed. Many questioned the Mulsanne’s styling when it was first revealed. I wasn’t one of them though, for what it’s worth, I reckon the Mulsanne blends just the right amount of subtle muscularity that’s long been a Bentley characteristic, with some real flair.

The exterior takes Bentley’s past and mixes in some future design elements – and the same is true of the interior. Traditional, with a blend of modernity, the Mulsanne is still a car that many cows have sacrificed their finest hides for. The dashboard is a true work of art, and the entire cabin is ringed by stunning, mirror finished, veneered wood. Combine that with soft leather everywhere else, just enough chrome and some piano black switches, and the Mulsanne feels like it’s worth every penny of the £220,000 asking price.

The controls all operate with solidity, the push-pull chrome ventilation knobs are a tactile treat and refreshingly old school, though behind the tradition is modern equipment to ensure that the Mulsanne works in this century. There’s a satnav system secreted away behind a wooden panel, featuring a 60 Gb hard drive and Bluetooth telecommunication. Bentley has even added a drawer within which you can drop your iPod, MP3 player or phone and connect it directly to the infotainment system.

Bentley Mulsanne hits the red carpet!

The Bentley Mulsanne, the new flagship of the prestigious English brand, made its Canadian debut yesterday in Montreal. The scene was quite glamorous, with lovely young ladies dressed in samba costumes walking and dancing around $15-million Learjets!

The Mulsanne is Bentley’s new flagship and, even at $313,500 US, the order sheet for 2010 is already full. Customers will have to wait a year before taking delivery of their car. (

The exclusive event took place in the hangars of Starlink inside the Montreal-Trudeau Airport Terminal. On hand were select customers of Bentley Montreal, a division of Decarie Motors, as well as Christophe Georges, President and COO of Bentley Motors.

The media were there, too, which made it a great opportunity to wrap up the latest fund-raising campaign for the Quebec Cerebral Palsy Association, represented by Olympic champion Alexandre Bilodeau.

The finest automobile in the world!
Replacing the Arnage (1998-2009), the Bentley Mulsanne is an ultra-high-end sedan that rivals Rolls-Royces and Maybachs. Its world premiere was part of the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The car will only become available to North American customers at the end of 2010, since production hasn’t even started yet. However, the entire run has already been pre-ordered. "Demand currently exceeds our production capacity, so if you order one today, it will be delivered to you in about a year," explains Georges.

The Mulsanne was actually designed to become a highly-exclusive model. The president didn’t give any specific number, but he mentioned a few hundred units per year at the most. (The Arnage, meanwhile, used to sell from 1,000 to 1,500 copies in its prime.) "Fifty years from now, the Mulsanne should and will become a collector’s item," he predicts.

Pricing for the Bentley Mulsanne has been set at $313,500 US. Of course, that number will be adjusted when the first Canadian models arrive in showrooms.

Sporty heritage
At the start of the project, designers were asked to create the "finest automobile in the world." The Mulsanne’s exterior captures a unique fusion of power, elegance and sporting style. "Charisma without arrogance" is how the president of Bentley Motors puts it.

2010 Bentley Mulsanne

Bentley Motors, a manufacturer of cars that offers the world’s most exclusive driving experience showcase the new Mulsanne last August 16, 2009 at Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in Monterey California. Mulsanne is Bentley’s all-new flagship grand tourer. This prestigious car is envisioned, fashioned, and engineered at the company’s headquarters in Crewe, England.

Mulsanne, which has a new and distinctive platform, is designed and inspired by Bentley’s founder W.O. Bentley. Engineers of the company were asked to create a car that would serve as the peak of British luxury motoring. As the result of their passionate engineers, they come up with a luxury grand tourer that offers a new standard of comfort, easy performance, and handcrafted sophistication. The 8 litre Mulsanne is created with the help of the guiding principles that were also used when Bentley manufactured a grand luxury car that is able to surpass every other leading manufacturer during the year 1930. The original Mulsanne 8 litre can reach a speed of more than 100 mph. Its performance is breathtaking and the quality unquestionable. Its mechanical details truly showcase the W.O. Bentleys unique stamp and it also exhibits the most vivid demonstration of a manufactured car without compromise. Mulsanne will also be displayed during the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show this September 15-27, 2009 and will be on sale in the mid 2010.