Bentleys new Mulsanne,is what a modern Indian maharajah would want from his motorised carriage The mulsanne glides into any scene like a menacing battleship,leaving a few cars riding past in its wake. Passers-by freeze to stare and take in the mammoth car. There is an audible buzz,What car is that? and How much does it cost? I am curious as well,I cant wait to see if the Bentley can maintain the same air of imperious detachment and searing pace I had experienced when Id driven it first on English roads. To begin with,its architecture is more Palace-on-Wheels than automobile. There are cupolas,columns and arches here,and its scale is simply massive. I just love how the lines on this 5.5-metre-long car flow,from the bluff locomotive-like nose,the passenger cabin and then the rear haunches. It looks heavy and weighty,but not unwieldy. Soon its straight into the drivers seat. Only thing,the seat is more like a throne and the view of the long bonnet stretching ahead is magical. I take a quick glance around the cabin,and realise I wasnt exaggerating the last time I drove this car,I slotted it above any other for the sheer interior oomph it offered. The side of some very lovingly treated tree does duty as the dash along with the chrome vents,that are set in the timbre,instruments and other important bits. In fact,the chrome looks like a glue used to bind all the wood together as it oozes out in sleek lines between the panels. One things for sure,the Mulsanne is as traditional as it gets here,no Rolls-Royce Phantom-like modern avant-garde lines. Behind the wheel you realise the car runs so smoothly,that you may actually have to glance at the tachometer to know if the engine is running. It feels old-school Bentley on the road too. It uses an all-new pushrod V8 and a good old rear-wheel drive. Tap the throttle and the Mulsanne takes off like it is riding a steam catapult on the INS Vikrant. The nose rises,the rear wheels seem to wind up and then you are just sprung forward on an endless stream of torque: 505bhp and 104kg,which propel you forward via eight gears,and speeds like 160kph and 170kph are swept past on the speedometer in no time. The rush is relentless,the hush inside the cabin almost total,and the pairing of the gearbox and motor so sweet that all you have to do is think,and you are in the right gear. The Mulsanne drives with commendable agility as well. This 5.5-metre carriage shrinks around you as you go faster,and the bulk reduces considerably as you drive the car more,but this is no BMW 3-Series. Still,Im able to push the car pretty hard. There is a bit of vagueness on turn-in and some roll too,but once the car is settled,it is surprising how much you can lean on it. And even though we drive over several sections of very broken roads,the Mulsanne glides over them in comfort mode,the suspension tucking into the wheel arches with surprising suppleness. It combines oodles of old-world charm,loads of high-end technology and an unreal amount of driving pleasure. You can almost imagine the Maharajas of yore running one of these cars,with their crests festooned all over. The only downside has to be the Rs 3.25 crore price tag (ex-showroom,Delhi) but like they say if you have to ask,you cant afford it. (The writer is deputy editor Autocar India)
