Know your Bentleys
Because you don’t want to sink £200k into the wrong car
That range in full. This won’t take long…
BENTAYGA
What does Bentley say it is? ‘Unlike any other sport utility vehicle in the world. This powerful, all-terrain, allpurpose car o ers an exceptional driving experience’
What is it? The extent of the SUV’s upward mobility until Rolls-Royce deigned to gift the universe the Cullinan. The driving experience is indeed exceptional: surreal speed for something so heavy; surreal body control for something so big and high-set; surreal usability given it’s so expensive that normal life feels entirely inappropriate
What is it really? A Q7 that landed on its feet
Worthy of the badge Ride comfort; speed; decadence
Worthy of ridicule Thirst; looks; dated infotainment
We’d buy… The one you could almost countenance running, the Diesel, except it’s been pulled from sale in the UK. Full-house W12-engined Speed it is
FLYING SPUR
What does Bentley say it is? ‘Designed to deliver an experience that is as refined and exhilarating for the passenger as it is for the driver’
What is it? The 20th century’s idea of the motor car peaking just as it stares oblivion in the face. Heavier than a lead-lined dumpling but a shining example of technology’s ability to eliminate compromise: the Spur can hustle like a hot hatch and cosset like a custard tart
What is it really? A four-door Continental GT
Worthy of the badge Fabulous fusion of tradition and tech, rampant performance with refinement, classicism and contemporary cool
Worthy of ridicule The premium over the really quite good Porsche Panamera (on which it’s based)
We’d buy… For now there’s only one. In green, please
MULSANNE
What does Bentley say it is? ‘The world’s finest handmade car’
What is it? The only real challenger to Rolls’ Phantom
What is it really? A quarter of a million quid’s worth of automotive antique, kept rolling by some remarkable engineering and the curious predilections of the wealthy. Recently updated with more power from the 6¾-litre twinturbo V8, fresh infotainment and even more refinement
Worthy of the badge Astonishing presence; murmured conversation at 150mph; fridge
Worthy of ridicule Price; button explosion inside; its very existence as the globe warms by the hour
We’d buy… We can live without the Extended Wheelbase’s additional 250mm. Speed’s 530bhp and 811lb ft (twice the torque of a V8 Mustang) would do nicely
CONTINENTAL GT
What does Bentley say it is? ‘The quintessential grand tourer – phenomenally powerful, beautifully designed and exquisitely crafted’
What is it? A hugely desirable re-invention of the car that took Bentley as close to mainstream as Bentley should ever get. Caddish, rapid and beautifully built, the GT makes normal life feel like a Bond movie (albeit one with a dearth of sharks and weird henchmen)
What is it really? A pimped Panamera – no bad thing
Worthy of the badge Style; substance; sense of occasion; silken savagery
Worthy of ridicule Wind noise on some convertibles; the lack of a lighter rear-wheel-drive derivative
We’d buy… The V8 with the optional but essential Rotating Display and 48-volt Dynamic Ride