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Xcar luxuriates in the Bentley Mulsanne Speed

The difference between a Bentley and a Rolls-Royce, they say, is that you drive a Bentley, but you're driven in a Rolls-Royce. In this latest video, however, Xcar drives a different kind of Bentley. One that aims to challenge that notion. We're speaking of the Mulsanne, but not of just any ordinary Mulsanne – as if a $300k limousine could ever be considered "ordinary." No, this is the Mulsanne Speed, the amped-up version of Bentley's rival to the Rolls-Royce Phantom. In creating the Mulsanne Speed, the crew at Crewe took a vehicle in which you'd want to be driven, then tunes it for the driver. The ultimate Bentley, then? We certainly found enough to love (and then some) when we drove it this past November, but to find out what the cinematographical artisans at Xcar have to say about it, you'll want to watch the video above.

2016 Bentley Bentayga First Drive [w/video]

There was once a barrier that separated our Arcadian, four-dimensional space from an uncanny cosmos where a $229,100 SUV makes irrefutable business sense. That wall is gone, and the Bentley Bentayga broke it. We're accustomed to powerful SUVs. The Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG makes the Earth weep on account of its 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. The Bentayga is shy of those figures, with 21 fewer horses and 74 fewer pound-feet. We're also accustomed to quick SUVs; the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S hits 60 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds. The Bentayga runs that race 0.2 seconds slower. And of course, we are accustomed to luxurious SUVs that fear no obstacle or load. The Range Rover Autobiography can swim its leathers and veneers through 35.4 inches of water, surmount nearly 12 inches when toiling off-road, and tow 7,716 pounds. The Bentayga can 'only' manage 19.6 inches of water, 'only' gets to 9.64 inches on its tippy toes, and is 'only' rated to tow 7,714 pounds. None of these facts are listed to harp on the Bentayga. It isn't Bentley's way to make rank by being the best in every category. Instead, the Crewe brand brings all the boys to the yard by merely being excellent across the board. The Continental GT isn't superlative at any one thing, but no other vehicle that can carry four people is as fast and as capable and as dynamic, and only Phantom-level Rolls-Royces can touch it for luxury. The Bentayga is not the Continental GT of SUVs, it is "the Bentley of SUVs." But here's an important clarification: The Bentayga is not the Continental GT of SUVs, it is "the Bentley of SUVs." The automaker describes the mission as, "driving, luxury, performance." The interior advances the current design language with a two-piece instrument panel – an upper portion that slides through the center console in a "U" shape, and a lower portion that connects the console to the center tunnel. Bentley poses this as a riff on its flying wing badge, but it actually comes from interior designer Darren Day's wish to fit an IP with a steeper rake. The size of an instrument panel is limited by the width of the door openings because the dashboard doesn't go in until after the body is welded together. Day wanted passengers to be able to rest their legs on the buttresses tying the IP to the center tunnel, but his one-piece design was too large to fit through the doors.

Set your Bentley Bentayga apart with Mountain Marquetry trim

One of the best things about the ordering process at Bentley has got to be the sheer level of customization on offer. We're especially fond of the wood veneers. But if none of them meet your high standards, the company's Mulliner division now offers this intricate Mountain Marquetry dashboard design. The hand-crafted artistic vista depicts the Roque Bentayga, the mountain formation located on Gran Canaria in Spain's Canary Islands from which the company took the name for its new sport utility vehicle. The time-intensive installation is made of 32 layers of wood taken from six different species of tree. We don't know just what woods Bentley's artisans use to weave the wooden tapestry, but as it is, the Bentayga alone is available with an array of seven such options, including chestnut, eucalyptus, ash, madrona (a type of Ericaceae indigenous to our West Coast), two types of burr walnut, and a piano-lacquered walnut. If you're not into the whole wood thing, Bentley has also been known to offer trim in alternative materials like carbon fiber, aluminum, and even stone. It goes without saying, of course, that all of this comes at a price. We wouldn't be surprised to discover that said price could get you an entire second automobile. But cost is seldom an object for many Bentley customers who want their automobile to stand out from all the other Bentleys parked at the country club, racquet club, yacht club, or whatever other kind of club the rest of us probably haven't even heard of. Related Video: News Source: Bentley via YouTube Bentley Luxury Videos bentley bentayga Mulliner