Secret Entourage was very fortunate to be invited to the launch of the new upcoming 2011 Bentley Mulsanne. This latest masterpiece from Bentley Motors is the direct replacement to the infamous Bentley Arnage which was past its prime and has now been retired. Euro Motorcars in Bethesda, MD is the premiere Bentley and Rolls Royce dealer for the Mid Atlantic region which made perfect sense as to why they would be given the honor to introduce the new Bentley Mulsanne to the world. We arrived at Euro Motorcars of Bethesda right around 7pm or so, and was trilled to see that our friend Bobby DiCesaro had reserved our Aston Martin Vantage a spot right upfront next to a beautiful Bentley Azure.
As we entered the gorgeous Bentley showroom, a woman stopped us and asked me “What kind of car is that?” I replied ” Its an Aston Martin Vantage” and then came the ultimate question that I get asked 8 times a day “What do you do to afford this car? You are very young.” I laughed and said “Secret Entourage.” After that conversation we entered the showroom, me and my crew were the youngest ones there and happened to be the only ones in jeans, which was quite humorous.
At first glance the new Bentley Mulsanne is simply BIG and looks quite a bit like the Rolls Royce Phantom but has a tad more elegance as its lines are not as bulky. There is no resemblance between the Mulsanne and the Arnage which we think was a very smart move by Bentley as it separates itself from the same older clientele and now can appeal to those middle aged folks too. Some of the more obvious features of the car lie within its front fascia which is extremely aggressive with a massive grille and stunning multi-level LED headlights.
Moving on to the interior which is where Bentley spent most of the manufacturing money on the Mulsanne and it paid off quite well if we may say. It is simply stunning as you get a feel of immediate gratitude when you sit in any of the four seats. The leather is soft and hand stitched, the wood is spectacular and present everywhere you look (Dash, console, rear, and tables), and the suede headliner wrapping all the way down to the pillars gives you the ultimate level of luxury. You might stop me now and say that most cars have those features and it is true BUT none bring those features together with such quality, elegance and grace. The Bentley Mulsanne’s interior is beautiful no matter which of the 4 seats you occupy, which makes this the first car that I am not eager to drive but rather be driven in.
The details of the car are is where it differentiates it self from Maserati, Porsche or Mercedes 4 door cars. The rear tables, the coat hangers, the umbrellas and hidden entertainment system reminds you about the finer things in life and why you are not driving a BMW.
This particular Bentley Mulsanne launch model was outfitted a with a chrome version of the standard 6.7L V8 Twin turbo which was an improved version of the previous Arnage Final Series which ended in 2010. The V8 is a great touch for Bentley as its great 600HP+ capacity and turbo technology allow for more power without sacrificing ride quality through all RPMs and yet pushes sub 5 second 0-60 times for a car that weight a tad over 1/2 ton.
And so after enjoying countless glasses of white wine and outstanding food while admiring the new Bentley Mulsanne, the night had to end and we had to leave but here is our final take on this amazing Bentley that Bobby and Euro Motorcars of Bethesda allowed us a peek at. The 2011 Bentley Mulsanne is beautiful, breathtaking and makes a great replacement to the Arnage which has exceeded its life span BUT is it worth a hefty 300K plus price tag? Assuming that the RR Ghost, Maybach and other cars in the same line share more expensive price points, I will say that YES it is worth the 300K + price point and make sure to hire a chauffeur as you’ll enjoy the back seat quite a bit once you test it out.
A big thank you to the Euro Motorcars crew and Bobby DiCesaro for inviting us to the premiere of the Bentley Mulsanne and offering us a test drive in the new RR Ghost next week! We look forward to writing a full review on that one after a nice long drive. Make sure to check out Euro Motorcars of Bethesda for all your Bentley and Rolls Royce needs and make sure to ask for Bobby DiCesaro to get the best possible deal on your next Bentley.
Euro Motorcars Bethesda / Bentley/Rolls Royce Division @ 888-707-4422
Till Next time…
