2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur (cfs) 4dr Sdn Awd on 2040-cars

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Bentley targeting Range Rover with 12-cylinder SUV

The eventual arrival of Bentley's upcoming SUV in 2016 will likely prove the most pivotal new product to come from Crewe since the debut of the Continental GT in 2003. And Bentley isn't messing around.
The British automaker is taking aim directly at the Range Rover, saying that it will be just as capable off-road. That's a mighty big claim for a company that has never made an off-roader before, but comes with good reason: Bentley estimates that nearly 30 percent of its customers have a Range Rover as well, and the company is keen to take a slice of that pie.
There are, however, several elements that will elevate the Bentley Falcon (as it's expected to be called) above Range Rover territory. For starters, according to Automotive News Europe, which spoke to Bentley marketing chief Kevin Rose at the Frankfurt show, the Falcon will be more expensive. The sticker price in Europe is expected to hover around 180,000 euros - double the flagship Range Rover's starting price. It'll also be available with four-, five- and seven-seat configurations. And it'll offer more power. A lot more power.

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 gets positive reactions on auto show circuit

Bentley is in the midst of a world tour with its EXP 10 Speed 6 concept. Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last month, the concept subsequently appeared in New York and now in Shanghai, and will stop in the Middle East on its way back home to England. The purpose: to gauge reactions from potential customers. And so far it's reportedly been pretty good. Speaking with Autocar in Shanghai this week, Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said most of the potential buyers who spoke to the company after seeing the concept have encouraged Crewe to build it. The only adjustments it's been asked to make were to the front end. Those LED ring headlights look interesting, but would be unlikely to make production. And the grille would likely be more swept back than upright. The process is similar to how Bentley is evolving the EXP 9 F crossover concept into the production Bentayga. The company is listening to customers about what they like and don't like, and adjusting accordingly. Of course none of that means that the EXP 10 Speed 6 will actually see production. It would still need the green light from parent company Volkswagen, which has been cutting back on development spending lately. And with the Bentayga yet to reach showrooms, Bentley has its hands full at the moment. But the segment in which this luxury GT would compete – against the likes of Aston Martin and Maserati – is not one where the VW group really participates at the moment. Neither Lamborghini, Audi nor Porsche have a front-engined sports car in this segment, with only Bentley's own Continental GT coming close. The potential to take a slice of a different pie could prove enough to convince the powers in Wolfsburg to sign off on the EXP 10 Speed 6, especially if it can be based on an existing architecture and shared with other divisions. Related Video:

2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed is more ostentatious than ever

As it was, the Bentley Mulsanne was a pretty bold and ostentatious (and totally awesome) show of luxury. It was big and brutal in a classically British way, but it was also outperformed and out-teched by more modern (and cheaper) luxury sedans from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and even Audi. Buying one was a classic case study in vehicular statement-making, a vote for old-school refinement instead of modern gee-whizzery. Bentley clearly recognized that fact, because it's doubled-down on the big Mulsanne's aristocratic, give-no-craps demeanor as part of its latest aesthetic update. We love it. For one, the car on display in Geneva is painted is painted in an eye-catching (and questionable) metallic yellow-green. It is not subtle, but weirdly, it kind of works. The new, even more imposing grille is similarly blunt. It's been stretched three inches and is now home to polished stainless steel vanes. As we explained in our original post on the Mulsanne, the new headlight arrangement seeks to eliminate the "droopiness" of the current car. The LED units largely succeed, while somehow giving the front end an even snootier look. Styling changes elsewhere are subtler, which is to say there's still no mistaking the Mulsanne for anything else. The tail gets tasteful new LED lights, while changes along the long, smooth profile look to be nonexistent. It's a similar story in the cabin, which is a place filled with leather, chrome, and wood. It's proper and restrained, in contrast to the look-at-me face. But don't let the handsome and clean interior fool you – the only thing less subtle than the Mulsanne's new front fascia is the performance of this Speed variant. The 6.75-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 continues to reside under hood, turning out 530 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. That's good for a 4.8-second 0-60 time and a 190-mile-per-hour top speed. Those are impressive figures for a genuine sports car, but they're just hilarious in a vehicle the size of a New York City apartment and the weight of a piece of construction equipment. The Mulsanne is an unnecessary, silly vehicle – a Mercedes-AMG S65 is a much better value. But simply put, few cars make such a bold statement about your wealth and power.