Bentley Mulsanne review more luxurious than a Rolls-Royce Ghost
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00:00This absolute beast is the Bentley Mulsanne, and it is the most luxurious Bentley you can buy.
00:05When I say you can buy, you can't actually buy it anymore.
00:07They've just stopped production, which is really, really sad,
00:10because this thing is just absolutely insanely special.
00:15I'm going to show you around the interior and explain all of its key features.
00:17The car I've got here costs £290,000, and you'll see that it is actually worth all that money.
00:23In fact, I think this car is even more special than the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
00:30The Mulsanne is a huge car. It's 5.6 metres long,
00:35though this one is the extended wheelbase version.
00:38It's actually 5.8 metres long. It's huge!
00:42This car has a two-tone paint scheme, so you've got rose gold on top, magnetic lower down.
00:47So they initially spray the whole car with the rose gold, the top colour,
00:50and then a man hand sprays the bottom colour on.
00:53And you'd be amazed that this line is perfectly straight, yet it's done by a human.
00:59A human who quite obviously has OCD.
01:03The Mulsanne's wings, its doors, are made out of aluminium to help keep the weight down,
01:07though this thing still weighs in at over 2.6 tonnes.
01:11Now, most of the body panels are pressed in the normal way,
01:13but this part is actually done using old-fashioned coach-building techniques.
01:19So a human with a coachbuilder's wheel bending the sheet metal by hand to create this glorious shape.
01:27Oh, weird.
01:31You might be thinking that the Flying Bee Mascar could be pretty lethal in the event of a pedestrian impact,
01:36but they've thought about that, because look.
01:38Oh, you see. Though I think whoever you hit is going to be shredded by the grill anyway.
01:46What we have here is the heart of the Mulsanne. It's a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8.
01:51It's been hand-built as well. This engine's design actually dates back to the 1950s,
01:55but obviously it's been modernised and you get modern performance.
01:58So 505 horsepower and 1,020 newton-metres of torque.
02:04If you have the speed version of this car, you then have 530 horsepower and 1,100 newton-metres of torque.
02:10That drives the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
02:14The back seats of a Bentley Mulsanne is one of the best ways to travel,
02:17especially if you have this long-wheelbase version.
02:19I mean, look how much legroom I've got here. Headroom's really good as well.
02:23If you need even more room, you can press this button and then you can take control of the front passenger seat
02:28and move that around forward and tilt it more upright to give yourself even more space.
02:34The sheer amount of wood and leather and metal is incredible and you've got loads and loads of features as well.
02:43So look at this. Very posh walnut picnic table, but that is the beginning of it all.
02:49There's also airplane-style folders on the seat backs and they feel very posh.
02:53And in them we have a magazine to celebrate Bentley's 100 years.
02:57Centenary 2019. Lovely.
03:00Check this out, right. If I just press this button, we have the infotainment screen popping out the front seat back.
03:06Doesn't come cheap, though, this rear entertainment system. £16,000.
03:13This car also has the comfort specification.
03:15So you've got the super luxurious rear seats, which are ventilated.
03:19They've got massage function and, of course, you can move them.
03:23So I'm moving it and I can recline the backrest as well.
03:26We have some under-calf support, allows you to really just sit back and relax and enjoy the ride.
03:32Plus, look, you've got super comfy pillows and extra pillows here as well for the small of your back.
03:41Come on, Bentley. There we go.
03:44Isn't that lovely?
03:46Now, being a Bentley, you get air conditioning, four-zone climate control, of course,
03:52but you don't just have it blowing out from one place.
03:55You have ventilation for your feet, ventilation for your middle section and ventilation for your upper body.
04:04It's so luxurious. This car's even got a glass roof and it's not just a normal sunroof.
04:09You can actually open it, which is really unusual to have an opening sunroof in the back seats.
04:15But this is a super luxurious Bentley.
04:17Under here, you have some storage. It's not that interesting.
04:20A couple of USB ports. But I like the way the covering is frosted glass.
04:25There's another thing I want to show you which has frosted glass.
04:27Look at this, right? Underneath here is your fridge.
04:33So it has room for your champagne.
04:35In fact, there's room for two bottles of champagne in there.
04:38And it comes with crystal glass champagne flutes.
04:44Lovely. It's expensive, though. Eight and a half thousand pounds for this fridge.
04:50But if you can afford one of these cars, you don't really care, do you? You can afford it.
04:56Underneath here, you have another table, though it's a little bit of a puzzle to figure out how to work it.
05:03But there we go. I learned how to do it.
05:05But look at this. It's so luxurious, though it is a bit wobbly.
05:08Might not be ideal for resting things on other than a laptop.
05:12To get it back, how do you do this? Yes.
05:16Then I press the button there and fold it.
05:20Is that right? No. OK, press that. And in we go.
05:26So that'll keep you entertained for a wee while.
05:28Some other things to note. Your ashtray. That is solid metal.
05:32You could do someone some serious damage with that.
05:35Underneath here is your cigarette lighter, all shrouded in leather.
05:42Why is that covered in leather? I don't know. It just is.
05:46I also like this feature as well. You don't want people looking in at you because you're obviously a really important VIP.
05:51You don't get papped. Yeah, just shut the curtains.
05:55That is quite a long rear window, isn't it?
05:57And if you really want to be in total privacy, you can shut the back curtain as well.
06:01It's like an old fashioned cinema screen.
06:03And now I can just sit back and relax and chill.
06:08One of the key things about the Mulsanne is that it's not just a car that you get driven in.
06:12It's a car designed for you to be the driver as well.
06:16And it's lovely in the way that it's set out.
06:18So the driving position, you actually sit quite low and very central.
06:23So it has a sort of sporty edge to it, but then you've got that combined with all the luxury.
06:28I mean, there's so much dead cow in here.
06:30I feel sorry for poor Daisy, but she didn't die in vain.
06:33I mean, this leather is lovely and there's lots of trees that have been felled.
06:37And these aren't just like little thin veneers.
06:39This is almost like solid wood. Things that look like metal, they are solid metal.
06:44We're not talking like shiny bits of plastic here. And the buttons, you won't see these buttons in any other car.
06:50This is a bespoke vehicle, not bits from a Golf or other bits of the VW Group.
06:54It's all unique to this Mulsanne.
06:57And this screen, look at the size of this screen. It's a little bit old fashioned now.
07:01The screen on my phone is almost as big as that.
07:05And the definition is very 2015.
07:09Well, forgive it, because then below you've got some analogue dials,
07:12which are just so in keeping with the old traditional Bentley feel.
07:16Analogue dials for the speedo and the rev counter.
07:19And yet there's a digital screen in between.
07:21But yet again, it's a little bit old fashioned, that screen, low definition.
07:25We've got some storage solutions, though, so that's all fine.
07:27And we've got another one of these solid ashtrays.
07:30So you could have a fight with your passenger in the back.
07:33Autering with leather.
07:35There's lots of these, actually, in modern cars.
07:38These are just like little things to fill in the 12 volt socket.
07:41But in this Bentley, they are actually cigarette lighters.
07:45It says a lot about the customer. Big fat cigars.
07:48That's me smoking a cigar, by the way.
07:50Anyway, under here, you've got a cup holder,
07:52which you can adjust to suit the size of your beverage.
07:56And even this little tray here is lined with leather.
07:59And if you want to keep your mobile phone out of sight, you could fit it in there.
08:02It even fits the very latest big smartphones, like my Samsung Galaxy Ultra.
08:06Then under here, you have a small glove box,
08:08because most of it's taken up by DVD changer.
08:12Look at that! When was the last time you watched a DVD?
08:16You've got some door bins down here and then lots of other nice bits of materials
08:20that you can just touch and enjoy the opulence.
08:22And then there's these seats. Oh, they are very, very comfy.
08:26And I think you have 12-way adjustment.
08:29Of course, they're massage as well, obviously.
08:32Yes, this is a very nice car to sit in either the front or the back.
08:37Let's have a little bit of a chat about the Morsan's practicality.
08:40So obviously, it's got a boot and to get into it,
08:42there's not a button underneath here. You press the B.
08:46Voila! Now, this boot, the size is OK.
08:50There's a bit of a low lip lock to lift your heavy luggage over.
09:00But look at this, look at the carpeting in here.
09:02It's just so lovely. I'd almost like to get in here.
09:04I also like this, the way you have your umbrellas in the boot.
09:08Look at this. Feel like I should be in the film, The Kingsman.
09:13Oxford's or Brogues?
09:15What do you think of the design of this car?
09:17Now, I wouldn't say that it was particularly pretty,
09:20but it's definitely striking.
09:22In that way, it's a bit like Mick Jagger,
09:24though obviously it's not quite as wrinkled as him.
09:26I really do like these lights. They're like jewellery.
09:30And I like the way they say Bentley inside them.
09:32This is another cool feature about them as well.
09:34If you just wait there, when you do the windscreen wash,
09:37it actually washes the lights.
09:38And I love the way a little device pops out to wash it.
09:41I'm getting a bit wet here. See, that's kind of cool.
09:45It means that you're always shining brightly up the road.
09:49The side of this car is more elegant.
09:51It's sort of swoopy yet muscular.
09:53Lots of chrome, of course.
09:55I like the flying bee, the way it extends all the way down here
09:59with this chrome element.
10:00Wheel sizes start at 20s, but these are the 21s.
10:05And you've got some huge brakes in there,
10:07but you need them because this is a heavy, heavy car.
10:10The rear of the Mulsanne reminds me of the scooping tails of Bentleys
10:13from the 1930s and 40s.
10:15I like the way that you've got the letter B in the taillights there,
10:19though obviously it doesn't work quite so well over the other side
10:22unless you're looking at it in a mirror, but there you go.
10:24You've also got the classic oval Bentley tailpipes.
10:28And now I've got soot on my hands. Great.
10:32All right, let's see what this Mulsanne is like to drive and be driven in.
10:35And that's why I've got my girlfriend Jo with me
10:37to pass verdicts on this car as a passenger.
10:41How are you doing, Jo? You all right?
10:42Yeah, I'm good, thanks.
10:43Are you comfy back there?
10:44Very. Good.
10:45Get used to this.
10:47Now, the first thing to know about this car is comfort.
10:50Comfort matters on a luxury limousine.
10:52This has air suspension and it's adaptive, so it's reading the road,
10:56responding depending on the conditions and how I'm driving.
10:59And it is very comfy. What's it like for you back there?
11:02It's lovely, very spacious, incredibly comfortable.
11:06Now, I'm going to do a little motoring journalist thing here
11:08where I've got to compare it to another car.
11:11And the key car to compare it to is, of course, the Rolls-Royce Ghost.
11:15And I've recently driven the new Rolls-Royce Ghost,
11:17so it's quite interesting to back-to-back the two.
11:21This car is comfy, right?
11:22You see, over bumps, you don't really notice them,
11:24but you notice them a little bit more than you do in the Ghost.
11:28Now, what I want to do is explain to you the comfort on this car.
11:31So if you think about the most comfortable thing you could have,
11:33and that would be lying on something like a ViSpring mattress.
11:36Spring.
11:37ViSpring mattress. Thanks for correcting me, Jo.
11:40That would give you a comfort factor of 10.
11:43Then driving along in a Rolls-Royce Ghost would be a comfort factor of 9.
11:48Driving in this is a comfort factor of 8.
11:53One less than the Rolls-Royce.
11:55You might think, that doesn't really matter. Does it? One less?
11:58You know, an 8 out of 10 for comfort in terms of the suspension is actually very good.
12:01But when you're at this end of the market, that extra one point does matter.
12:05And that's slightly where this car falls down.
12:08It just isn't the smoothest luxury limousine out there.
12:13And that does matter to some people, such as motoring journalists,
12:15who are trying to justify their existence by evaluating different cars.
12:20One thing that goes in this Bentley's favour, though,
12:22that it is more fun to actually drive than a Rolls-Royce.
12:25You just feel more connected to the car.
12:27You feel more through the steering. You feel a bit more through your bottom.
12:30It seems to just grip the road a bit better.
12:32It's definitely got that Bentley element,
12:34combines luxury with performance and an engaging drive.
12:37And this Mulsanne, even though it's absolutely massive, does that.
12:41I'm not entirely sure you're going to appreciate this from the back seat, though.
12:44Getting flung about as I hoon this thing around some corners.
12:47I don't know. It's all right so far.
12:49Now, can you feel it? Now the suspension, now we're driving in town, it's a little bit bumpy.
12:53You can feel the odd, like, jiggle and wiggle, can't you, at the bottom?
12:57Now, you've been in the back of the Rolls-Royce Ghost.
12:59Do you remember that? I do remember that.
13:01Did that feel a bit smoother?
13:03I think so. But then we were stuck in traffic quite a lot.
13:05So I don't think I could really compare the two.
13:09I'm going to do a U-turn here to just check the manoeuvrability of this car,
13:12because obviously that's important.
13:14This could be a bit embarrassing.
13:17Not going to get around in one go.
13:18That's what happens when you've got a car that's 5.8 metres in length.
13:22Is it really that long? Oh, it is really that long, yes.
13:26I thought you knew that already. Why does it always end up there, Watson?
13:29What do you mean?
13:31When it's some kind of, like, crass innuendo?
13:33I can't say anything without you taking it the wrong way.
13:36Off my USP, Jo.
13:38Even though it's a big vehicle and quite wide,
13:40I'm not finding it too difficult just navigating it through the streets.
13:43I think it's so imposing-looking that other cars like that just seem to get out of the way.
13:48Excuse me, I'm coming through my big Bentley.
13:50You'd better pull over, because I'm considerably richer than you are.
13:54They're obviously thinking that you're a VIP in the back.
13:57Shall I close the blinds?
13:59Don't get too carried away.
14:02One thing that is really relaxing about this car is the engine, this big old V8.
14:06It provides 100% of its torque for 1,020 Nm from just 1,700 rpm, which is insane.
14:16It doesn't rev very high. It doesn't need to, though, because it's just got so much pulling power.
14:21You plant your right foot and...
14:26It goes, doesn't it?
14:27It really goes. I wasn't expecting that.
14:30And it sounds good as well. Do you like the sound of it?
14:32It sounds really nice.
14:33It's good when it comes to overtaking slower cars.
14:36Please drive carefully, driver.
14:38Being the chauffeur, you've got to do exactly what madam or sir wants.
14:42It's definitely got more class inside than the Rolls.
14:46It feels more British, doesn't it, than the Rolls-Royce.
14:48So if you could have the Ghost or this, which would you pick?
14:52I would have this, but in a different colour outside.
14:55Really? I love this colour. What, would you have it in black?
14:57No, probably dark grey.
15:00No, you'd have it in black. Dark grey to black.
15:04I can't help it.
15:06You think the engine's pretty quick, but one of the things I really like to do is launch a car.
15:10So we're actually going to do a 0-60 time. Are you all right with that, Jo?
15:13I am.
15:15You sure?
15:15As long as you're safe.
15:17I'm going to pull over. I'm going to do it down that way.
15:19I've got my specialist timing gear here. We're going to time it from 0-60.
15:23What time do you think this car is going to do?
15:253.7.
15:26Are you joking? It weighs like 2.6 tonnes. Have another guess.
15:305.4.
15:315.4. Let's do it. You ready?
15:32Okay.
15:35Oh, struggling for traction a bit.
15:39You're not far wrong. It did 5.27.
15:45Well, I was way off with my first answer.
15:48Well, it was kind of a little ambitious, but that's all right, isn't it?
15:515.27 seconds to 60, and it struggled for grip
15:57because it's sending all that power just to the rear wheels.
16:00It felt very smooth still, though.
16:02That was all down to my driving and the way I managed the power and the traction.
16:06Yeah, right.
16:07Do you like going for a drive in this?
16:08I do, yeah.
16:09If I go a little bit quicker now, see if you feel a little bit car sick.
16:13I don't tend to get car sick.
16:15It is quite impressive the way it goes around corners for such a big thing.
16:18It does give a good blend of comfort and engagement,
16:21which is what you want from a Bentley.
16:22Oof!
16:24And the brakes are good, too.
16:25I also like the fact that the pedals are so lovely.
16:28Big aluminium pedals.
16:30So, if you could have any car that I've driven over the last year or so,
16:34which would you keep?
16:35Could be this, could be the Rolls, could be the RS6 we've got at the moment.
16:39What would it be?
16:40The thing is, if you have this, you have to have a driver with it, don't you, I think?
16:43That's what I think I am.
16:44Yeah, but it's a bit weird. He's sort of driving and me sitting in the back.
16:47Unless this came with a driver, I probably wouldn't have this.
16:52I'm definitely not a Rolls-Royce kind of girl.
16:54Can't believe I'm actually even saying that.
16:56So, why aren't you a Rolls-Royce kind of girl?
16:58They're just a bit too chunky.
17:00So, what would you have? What would be your ideal car out of all the ones I've had so far?
17:03The new RS6, at the moment, after driving that the other day.
17:08So, you'd have the RS6 over the G-Wagon?
17:10I don't know, it's different.
17:11I always loved driving the G-Wagon.
17:14Every time I got out of the G-Wagon, it always made me feel happy.
17:18The G-Wagon is the vehicle that you get out of, like you're saying,
17:22you're like, oh, it's so cool, I love it!
17:24But the actual reality of driving it, it is not as good as the RS6.
17:28The RS6 is more comfortable, it's easier to drive,
17:31but that G got all the character, hasn't it?
17:33I did love it, yeah. I mean, you can't not love it.
17:36Unless you're dead inside.
17:38Oh, is it this way?
17:39I have no idea, I don't even know where I am.
17:41I know, I'd be sacked, wouldn't I?
17:43Have we been past here already?
17:45Bad chauffeuring, bad.
17:47The only way it could get worse is if I crash.
17:49Oh, God, please don't.
17:50Oh, not too fast, slow down.
17:52I'm assessing the car, not my job.
17:55Not with me in the back.
17:57Sorry, madam, we are now getting closer to your estate.
18:01Finally, we're back.
18:02God, I hate to be a chauffeur.
18:04That's not the entrance, though, that's not where we started from.
18:05Wait, wait, this is fine.
18:08It'll do.
18:09Well, there you go, my dear, I hope you enjoyed the ride.
18:11Be kind, sir.
18:13So then, what's my final verdict on the Bentley Mulsanne?
18:17Well, it's an absolutely gorgeous car that's lovely to be driven in
18:22and actually good fun to drive.
18:24It's a shame they're not going to be making it anymore.
18:27Goodbye, old dear.
18:29I love you.
18:35I hope you all enjoyed the video.
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