Overview & Reviews

The Bentley brand is to luxury cars what Everest is to mountains. Those with wallets deep enough to meet the six-figure price tags of the company's vehicles are treated to towering levels of refinement and prestige. Bentley coupes and sedans are mostly hand-assembled in Great Britain at the manufacturer's state-of-the-art Crewe factory. This fusion of old-world craftsmanship with new-world technology is what the Bentley marque is all about.

Founded by Walter Owen Bentley, Bentley Motors was born in England in 1919. Two years later, the first model debuted, the rapid "3-litre" Bentley. Larger cars followed, and racing success at Le Mans earned the Bentley motorcars status among British sports car enthusiasts. Financial woes (brought on in part by the Wall Street Crash of 1929) triggered the brand's sale to Rolls-Royce in 1931. The first new Bentley after this event was the "3 1/2-litre," introduced in 1933 and based on a Rolls chassis that never saw production.

In subsequent decades, Bentley slowly slid into anonymity with vehicles that, at times, were little more than rebadged Rolls-Royces. The company's fortunes finally took an upturn in the 1980s. A new company policy dictated a more distinctive brand image, and it yielded the Mulsanne Turbo sedan, named after the famous corner on the Le Mans circuit. Most other Bentley models of this time, however, such as the Continental coupe and convertible, were still Rolls-Royces with different grilles.

The '90s brought more distinctive models into the fold, such as the redesigned Continental coupe, new Azure convertible and the new Arnage sedan, the latter replacing the dated Mulsanne. In 1998 BMW began supplying engines to both the Bentley and Rolls-Royce brands. Later that year this relationship created a conflict when Volkswagen acquired both marques, but the two German automakers reached an agreement that saw VW handing over control of Rolls to BMW in 2003, while keeping Bentley and the Crewe factory.

During the 2000s, that VW ownership allowed Bentley to further expand its model range and improve overall quality. The Continental coupe was again redesigned and quickly became a sales success, spawning a convertible version. Soon a four-door version of the Continental, the Flying Spur, debuted, followed in 2011 by the Mulsanne flagship sedan.

As one would expect, modern Bentley coupes and sedans are powered by a series of surprisingly muscular engines. The most potent models are motivated by a turbocharged 12-cylinder engine that generates more than 600 horsepower, though a new V8 promises similar acceleration but with much better fuel economy. No matter the engine, Bentley's traditional qualities remain, with all models benefiting from a cabin exquisitely finished in a variety of leather and wood trim.

There are high-dollar ultraluxury cruisers, and then there are Bentleys. Whether it's the Arnage sedan or the Brooklands coupe, these cars make an impressive statement and are sumptuous enough to make even the most jaded tycoon purr with delight.

User Reviews:

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  Special Car - 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
  By bb - December 1 - 6:13 am

  I am very happy with this car. Compared to my previous cars, the S55 CL65 and S550, this car is the best and gives you everything, like performance, looks, and ride quality. To sum it up I find myself looking for reasons just to drive it. The car has a way of making you feel special. I see a lot of comparisons to the BMW 760Li and the S600, these are great cars but check out what they sell for only a year old. They lose a lot of value very quickly. Im speaking from experience, I traded my 06 CL65 on the Bentley.

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  Wow - 2004 Bentley Arnage
  By fp2c - October 2 - 2:00 am

  best car in world

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  Beats BMW 7s & MB600 Hands Down! - 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
  By MichaelF - September 5 - 6:13 am

  The Flying Spur replaced our Mercedes V12 and BMW 7 series. There is no comparison. Power and handling in the Bentley is superb, however, the quality, craftsmanship and design is unbelievable. The electronics and navigation is intuitive, making the BMW "I-Drive" look far more complicated than it needed to be. Acceleration pins you to the seat. Because of all wheel drive in the Bentley, our recent snow/rain vacation trip was far more relaxing because road handling was exceptional. This will be the first of many Bentleys!

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  Fabulous, except... - 2010 Bentley Continental GT
  By Steve D - August 5 - 7:56 am

  If you are in this class, you have some expectations. The car is wonderful to drive, stunning curb appeal, and incredibly powerful. Meeting those expectations. However, the 7 year old BMW 745 Li I traded in had much more advanced electronics. It gets a 5 in reliability because the battery drains from starting W-12 engine after about 10 days of around town driving and must be plugged into an external charger. The car starts, but no stereo, SatNav or other accessories. Overall, it is a thrill every time I start the car and all my friends always want me to drive them to dinner.

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  Miraculous Machine - 2004 Bentley Arnage
  By HSA - July 24 - 2:00 am

  There simply is not a more amazing experience than driving a 3 ton "living room" at break neak speeds everywhere. If cost is no object, Bentlys Arnage is truly in a class all its own. It has no equal.

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  Splendid - 2003 Bentley Arnage
  By Tombo - July 15 - 2:00 am

  The best car ever! So luxurious! The interior as well as the exterior design, is so smooth and beautiful.

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  I love driving the car - 2005 Bentley Continental GT
  By charles winner - June 27 - 12:30 pm

  I have several cars ranging from Aston Martin Vanquish to Mercedes to BMW and a Bentley Arnage. The GT is by far the one that I prefer to drive. I highly recommend it to anyone that can afford such a car.

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  The Car is Amazing ... YEAH, RIGHT! - 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
  By Bentley Owner - May 22 - 3:26 pm

  O.K. So everyone might think that Bentley has a good name, and they do. I love my Continental GT, but my Flying Spur is a joke. In other words, Its garbage. I bought it, spent a week with it, then returned it. I bought myself a BMW 760Li and now, because of my Flying Spur, am thinking of swapping it in for a Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren or a Mercedes Benz CLK 55 AMG, or maybe a SL 65 AMG. I dont know. Despite its "luxury" name, I find my Audi A6 to be more luxurious. Everyone, though, is subjected to their own, personal opinion.

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  Bentenly Continental GT Review - 2005 Bentley Continental GT
  By Donald G. Santucci - May 7 - 6:53 am

  Over the years I have had the good fortune to have owned a few exotic cars. While the Bentley GT does not have the, "outer edge",handling of some of the Ferriaris, Aston Martins and some other exotics, it is truly a high performance car, but without the harshness exhibited buy most of the other cars of its breed. As for the over all handling, it should be more then adequate for 98 percent of the people out there that buy these kinds of cars. Personally I dont mind giving up some preformance, that Ill never need, for a little more refinement and creature comfort.

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  Golfer - 2005 Bentley Continental GT
  By Len Tweten - April 9 - 3:50 pm

  I have owned many fine cars and this Bentley Continental GT coupe is without doubt the very best car ever, My wife loves it as well. There are twenty of them here in Bighorn. I traded in my Aston Martin for this car and an glad that I did.