Review: Bentley Mulsanne

The astonishing thing about the Mulsanne, which now comes in "standard", Speed or Extended Wheelbase forms, is its unarguable ability to combine 2.7 tonnes of luxury with some form of sporting dynamics. That shouldn't be possible but the men at Crewe declared it was, and so it is.

Under the enormous bonnet, which stretches so far towards the horizon that the Flying B mascot rises over a speed bump hours before the rear wheels follow suit, sits a 6.75-litre, twin-turbo V8 developing 505bhp and a barn-storming, pothole-drilling, thunderous 752lb ft of torque to shift this beast.

The transmission is the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, but you can flick through the ratios using the flappy paddles if you must. Likewise, you can switch the suspension setting from comfort, through standard to sport, although that self-levelling air suspension is such an utterly refined joy to experience – possibly the very best thing about the car – that it feels sacrilege to go messing about with what amounts quite easily to perfection.
Either way, no matter how much sporting flavour you inject, the engine never seems particularly stressed about the whole thing, murmuring at about 1,500 revs for an entire journey.

What is extraordinary is the behaviour of this steel monocoque through the corners when pushing on. This is a very, very, very long car with a huge overhang beyond the rear driven wheels. There is an awful lot of mass travelling at speed through corners, yet the Mulsanne contains itself, with impressive lateral grip and stability.

If you need to worry about the 18mpg quoted combined fuel consumption, this isn't the car for you. In fact, the fuel gauge is sited on the fascia, near the passenger, out of harm's way. Nonetheless, four cylinders are deactivated at light load, so they've done the best they can for you.

What this car offers in spades, is luxury. It has the most wonderfully appointed cabin. In the rear, on the normal wheelbase, there is room for 6ft adults to stretch right out. between the two rear seats sit the controls for climate, seat position and massage functions. Press a button on the rear of the front seat, and a slice of leather tips back as a tablet emerges silently, filed with apps, or able to display navigation, music, photos and more. A pair of headphones nestle in the bin of the diamond-quilted door hide.

The piece de resistance lies just behind the rear passengers in the middle of the car. Pull down the leather squab and an illuminated frosted glass pane is unveilled. Press a button and it slides away silently, to reveal two bespoke cut-glass tumblers and a chilled compartment, waiting for a bottle of something bubbly.

None of this sounds very 21^st-century, which will be a blessing for some. But for those searching for a more cutting-edge Bentley, with some cool design to match the innovative technology that the Mulsanne now hosts, our test car was right on the button. Painted a "Peacock" navy blue on the outside, the interior revealed a shocking "key lime" fluorescent green contract stitching, on the steering wheel, the seats, the doors... everywhere. The centre console and the iPhone drawer plus storage in the rear, were all lined in the same shocking green. It looked... amazing.

Who would have thought that such a simple design detail could do so much to turn the heads of younger buyers, people in their thirties, say? And yet it works; Rolls-Royce have done it with their Black Badge specification, and now Bentley have matched them with some typically glorious craftsmanship from Crewe.

As ever, we salute you, sirs.