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2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed First Drive

You can hear it loud and clear – that is, the sound of nearly nothing at all – when hurtling along at 160 mph. The quiet part isn't surprising; after all, this is a $300,000 ubersedan. But the speed? The sensation is disarming and utterly intriguing. It's safe to say that three tons of mass have no right to move through space so effortlessly. Welcome to the latest ultraluxe, four-wheeled hyperloop from Bentley. In case you missed the engraved announcement, the Mulsanne is the higher-priced, handcrafted flagship that plays big brother to the Flying Spur, the (relatively) more ubiquitous sedan that shares a good amount of parts with the Continental GT. Imagine the snooty older sibling that studied at Wharton, wears tailored suits to breakfast and an ascot to supper, and dangles a pipe from the corner of his mouth, and you've got a good idea of what distinguishes the more finely finished Mulsanne from its stablemate. Not only does a base Mulsanne command a $100,000 premium over the Spur, it's a more laboriously assembled specimen that takes a staggering 400 man-hours to build. Unlike the Spur, whose top model boasts a W12, the Mulsanne is powered by a 6.75-liter pushrod (!) V8. Less is usually less in this stratospheric segment, but this humungous eight-cylinder has a history stretching back six decades – precisely the sort of tweedy legacy stuff that appeals to old money. This is the last Bentley to use this engine, and it will be replaced by a new twelve-cylinder. For 2017, the big, bad platform reaps its first significant series of updates since its 2009 debut (the Speed variant was introduced 18 months ago). Upgrades to the Mulsanne were focused on refinement, among them a smoother ride, revised styling, an updated interior, and yes, a quieter cabin. Despite its undercurrents of old-world opulence, the Mulsanne's face has been modernized with flusher features, LED headlamps, and a wider grille. Though it retains the delightfully anachronistic Flying B hood ornament, the winged capital letter can now be ordered in a refreshingly modern smoked black hue. Mean. Revisions at the rear include a redesigned bumper and subtle Bs incorporated into the tail lamps. Inside, new seats with revised foam offer greater comfiness. Perhaps more notably, the infotainment system gains a much-needed upgrade with an 8-inch touchscreen, a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, and Apple Carplay functionality (for front passengers).

Bentley considering chopping new Bentayga into a crossover coupe

Like it or not, crossover coupes are gaining traction. BMW lead the march with the X6 and has since followed up with the X4, rival Mercedes has already showcased its new GLE Coupe, and Audi is expected to be following suit as well. So who's next? According to Top Gear, that'd be Bentley. The British luxury automaker is (like Jaguar and Maserati) preparing to launch its first SUV in the form of the upcoming new Bentayga. But it isn't likely to stop there. After speaking with Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer, who pointed towards the growth in the luxury crossover segment at the expense of coupes, convertibles and sedans, Top Gear is convinced that the Flying B marque is weighing the possibility of a slant-backed coupe version. If BMW's experience is anything to go by, reconfiguring the roof and styling of the Bentayga to give it a more rakish profile would be a relatively low-cost, straightforward way to give Crewe another crossover model to offer. But by the same token, we wouldn't expect it to lose any doors in the process as that same Bavarian rival did with the Mini Paceman. With the Bentayga set to debut next year, it may not be until 2019 that the coupe version would arrive. That's if it's given the green light in the first place, with Bentley expected to decide "within the next year and a half," according to TG. What isn't clear at the moment, however, is whether the Bentayga crossover would stand in place of the smaller crossover Bentley was said to be considering, or the four-door coupe or sports car projects that were said to be on the table as well.

Bentley considering smaller coupe

Only halfway through the year, Bentley reports that it's on track to post record sales. Thanks in no small part to the introduction of its new V8 engine in the Continental family, sales are up nearly a quarter over last year. And they only stand to increase even more with the introduction of new models currently in the pipeline. The upcoming SUV will surely form a large part of that, but it won't be the end of the story for the storied marque.
Car and Driver reports that, after the SUV, Bentley plans to introduce a new coupe line below the Continental to square off against the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Details are few and far between at this point, but considering how much Bentley manages to do with the relatively heft Continental GT, a lighter and more nimble sports car sounds promising.
In related news, rumors are gathering pace that Bentley is planning to introduce a new Mulsanne Speed at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, its Jurassic-era 6.75-liter V8 massaged from 505 horsepower - already the most that engine has produced in its half-century history - up to around 550.