First Look:
If there’s one thing that you won’t associate with the 2011 Bentley Mulsanne it will be “Compromise”. The Mulsanne is a fully loaded car in every possible way, and at any point of time the engineers and designers of the car have not “compromised” on any of the aspect of the car. As a matter of fact it looks like they would have asked for “more” every time they finalized a section of the car.
While the smaller and new Bentley Continental was intended towards the hip-hop new-money crowd, the Bentley Mulsanne is distinctly old-school. The Mulsanne replaces the long-running Bentley Arnage as brand’s fresh flagship car, and we must say that it is possessing and dignified, as you expect a Bentley to be. The Bentley Mulsanne is around 7 in longer and comes loaded with plenty of additional equipments, but the increased use of aluminum and reduced the curb weight of the car.
A lot of engineering has gone into upgrading the “6-and-3-quarter-liter” V8 engine, which is a concept that runs deeply into Bentley’s legacy. The displacement, configuration and even the pushrod-operated valves of the car remains pretty much the same, but apart from this everything else has been recreated for improving the performance and reducing the weight of the car. The torque and horsepower in the car are slightly bettered, and another noteworthy improvement in the car is the new 8-speed automatic transmission, which comes in place of its previous 6-speed transmission. Even the fuel efficiency for the Bentley Mulsanne is better than Arnage. So let’s give a deep look into the new flagship for Bentley.
What’s New for 2011 Bentley Mulsanne?
The 2011 Bentley Mulsanne is a super luxurious new flagship.
Body Styling and Features:
The 2011 Bentley Mulsanne comes in a single but well appointed trim level. The standard features for the car includes bi-xenon headlamps, 20 in alloy wheels, auto-dimming and heated outside mirrors, LED daytime running lights, rear and front parking sensors, a power trunk lid, a self-leveling air suspension, rain-sensing wipers, selectable drive control (Normal, Sport and Comfort), keyless entry/ignition, ignition and a covered battery charging port.
Get inside the Bentley Mulsanne, and you will see the luxury Bentley is known for in the form of wood trim, leather upholstery for almost every surface, heated 14 way power front seats having memory, glass switchgear, 4-zone automatic climate control, heated 8-way power rear seats having memory, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a power tilt-and-telescoping multifunction steering wheel and power back-window privacy screens.
The electronic interface for Mulsanne includes Bluetooth, a navigation system, a 14-speaker audio system having a 6-CD changer, a multimedia interface controller having voice control, iPod and USB connectivity, a 20GB music server, auxiliary/USB audio inputs and mini USB ports for cameras and smartphones.
There also is an extended list of optional equipments including 21 in wheels, chrome exterior accents, a “Flying B” radiator mascot, ventilated seats, rear privacy glass, wood-veneered steering wheel and a heated, a rearview camera, alloy pedals, ambient mood lighting, adaptive cruise control, twin 8 in back-seat monitors and a Naim premium audio system. Apart from the plethora of color choices for the body and interior upholstery, customers can also specify custom colors to get an additional price, certainly.
Under The Hood:
The power for the 2011 Bentley Mulsanne comes from an all-new, 6.8 ltr twin-turbo V8 engine generating maximum power of 505 hp and 752 lbs-ft of maximum torque. The standard transmission here is an 8-speed automatic transmission having shift paddles; the transmission transmits the power to the rear wheel of the car.
The 2011 Bentley Mulsanne sprints from 0 to 60mph in just around 5.7 secs, and comes with a towing capacity of 6,000 lbs. The estimated fuel efficiency for the Bentley Mulsanne is 11 mpg in city and 18 mpg on highways; it comes to a combined fuel efficiency of 13 mpg.
Safety Equipments:
The safety features for the 2011 Bentley Mulsanne includes rear and front side airbags for the thorax and head, traction control, stability control, automatic hill hold and antilock disc brakes having brake assist.
Verdict:
The 2011 Bentley Mulsanne, surely is not a car that anyone could think about, but if you have deep pockets to match the standards of Bentley and have a desire for ultimate luxury, then the Bentley definitely is the car you should be looking forward to.
